Look at the costs involved in running a training fleet.
The certification costs alone (as imposed by EASA) are preposterous; these are also felt by the maintenance companies, which have to pass them on to the end user.
Then look at the costs of fuel and staff wages.
Admittedly, Cabair ran (past tense!) Diamond aircraft using Jet-A but following the demise of Thielert and the engine warranties, the cost of maintaining those engines shot up.
To stay competitive you have to charge as little as possible.
I'm sure there will be more to this than meets the eye but am I really surprised this has happened?
