Deutsche Aircraft opens D328eco assembly line in Germany

Deutsche Aircraft has inaugurated its Final Assembly Line (FAL) at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, transitioning the D328eco sustainable regional aircraft programme from development to serial production. The facility represents an investment of over €100 million and is expected to employ approximately 250 people at full capacity, with a production target of up to 48 aircraft per year.

The D328eco is a modernized version of the 1990s-era Dornier 328 twin turboprop, featuring new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW12XT-S engines and a Garmin G5000 Prime flight deck. While engineering and flight testing will continue at the company’s base in Oberpfaffenhofen, Bavaria, the Leipzig site will serve as the hub for assembly, flight testing, and customer deliveries.

The project marks the return of aircraft manufacturing to the Saxony region for the first time in over 60 years. The facility is supported by approximately €3.2 million from the Free State of Saxony through the Federal-State GRW programme to strengthen the regional aerospace sector.