Fairchild Dornier has confirmed a further eight-month delay in the 728JET development programme, with entry into service (EIS) set for July 2003.
The company, formerly known as Fairchild Aerospace, has meanwhile booked its first firm orders for the stretched 928JET, with a commitment from Bavaria International Aircraft Leasing. The company says its new name "better reflects the rich heritages of Fairchild and Dornier".
The review of the 70-seater timetable was completed following the company's takeover by a Clayton, Dubilier & Rice-led consortium and was aimed at setting a realistic target for first deliveries to be made to Lufthansa CityLine. In February the manufacturer announced a six-month slip from the original EIS date of May 2002 to November of that year, meaning the German regional will get its first aircraft more than a year behind schedule.
The delay is due to the need to reduce airframe weight by 350kg (770lb) to stop a range shortfall of around 90km (50nm). The weight-reduction work is focused primarily on the wing.
"The choice was between an early but heavy wing or a later, lighter wing," says John Wolf, Fairchild chief operating officer. "We believe the right decision was to put in the extra time and work." Spanish risk-sharing partner CASA is due to deliver the first wing shipset in August next year.
Wolf says the revised schedule includes significant margins to cover any unexpected delays that may occur during the initial phase of final assembly or during the flight test and certification programme, which means the company may have "the opportunity to bring the EIS back to May 2003". EIS of the 928JETis now set for January 2005.
The development schedule for the 42-44-seat 428JET has also been reviewed again, with the aircraft not now due to enter service until March 2003. The stretched version of the high-wing 328JET is being produced in co-operation with Israel Aircraft Industries, which has responsibility for systems engineering, building the fuselage and final assembly.
German lessor Bavaria has placed firm orders for four 928JETs, plus two 728JETs, and taken options on another pair of each type, in a deal valued at $305 million. The Munich-based company has 30 aircraft in its portfolio, made up of Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier models.
Bavaria managing director Kartsen Sensen says the 728JET family was selected over the rival Embraer ERJ-170/190 because of the former's wider, five-abreast fuselage. "The cabin philosophy of the Embraer aircraft is very different," he says.
Air Alps ordered five 428JETs and three 328JETs, for delivery from 2003 and 2001, respectively. The Austrian carrier, which is allied with KLM and Northwest Airlines, already operates five 328 turboprop aircraft from its Innsbruck base. The airline was launched in March 1999.
· Lufthansa Technik is to become an approved completion centre for non-US customers of the corporate version of the 728JET, known as the Envoy 7.
Source: Flight International
