Pilatus Aircraft is one of the largest manufacturers of general aviation and private aviation aircraft in Europe. The company was first founded in December 1939, when it was originally formed to manufacture the Spitfire fighter aircraft in Switzerland for the Swiss Air Force. However, the Swiss government instead decided to purchase completed aircraft from Messerschmitt, a German aircraft manufacturer, instead. Because of this, the Pilatus executive team, including Emil Buhrle and Antoine Gazda, instead decided to work on securing maintenance and repair contracts from the Swiss Air Force.