Deutsche Aircraft and Private Wings have signed a letter of intent for the purchase of five Dornier D328eco, the new sustainable regional turboprop developed by the German manufacturer. The charter airline will thus become the type’s launch customer.
The announcement of the agreement took place during the ground-breaking ceremony for the future final assembly line of the D328eco at Leipzig-Halle Airport (LEJ).
See also: Deutsche Aircraft moves forward with the digitisation of the Dornier 328eco development project
The Dornier D328eco
The new airplane is based on the Dornier 328, which made its first flight in 1991. It will be able to operate entirely on Power-to-Liquid sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a liquid hydrocarbon produced synthetically from electrical energy from renewable sources.
In June 2022, Deutsche Aircraft selected Pratt & Whitney’s PW127XT-S engine as its powerplant. As a result, the aircraft will offer lower operating costs and significantly lower fuel consumption than others in its class. In addition, the D328eco will be able to operate on shorter runways and even on unpaved infrastructure.
“On the occasion of the ground-breaking ceremony for our final assembly line, it gives us great pleasure to announce that Private Wings, an established German operator and current operator of the D328 family of aircraft, is our first customer for the new D328eco”, said Anastasija Visnakova, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Deutsche Aircraft.
“We see the D328eco as a great addition to our existing fleet of ten Dornier 328 aircraft”, commented Peter Gatz, CEO of Private Wings. “The D328eco is a natural step forward for Private Wings as we look to grow our business and fleet and seek the most operationally efficient yet sustainable solution to meet the needs of the market”, he added.
