Construction of Deutsche Aircraft’s new final assembly line in Leipzig continues to progress, with the structure of the building now complete.

A ‘topping out’ ceremony was held at the site on 13 November to celebrate the milestone on the €100 million ($116 million) project.

D328eco roll-out plan-c-Deutsche Aircraft

Source: Deutsche Aircraft

First flight of the modernised turboprop is scheduled for mid-2026

Deutsche Aircraft expects to take possession of the new facility by year-end, with production of the first D328eco twin-turboprop to begin in early 2026.

Located at Leipzig/Halle airport, the assembly line is sized to build up to 48 aircraft annually.

First flight of Deutsche Aircraft’s TAC1 prototype is due by the middle of 2026, with service entry targeted for late 2027. The maiden sortie will take place at the manufacturer’s base at Oberpfaffenhofen in southern Germany.

A stretched and modernised version of the original Dornier 328 twin-turboprop, the D328eco is powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127XT-S engines and can accommodate 40 passengers.

Dominic Perry is Aerospace Editor, Europe contributing extensively to flightglobal.com. Although specialising in the coverage of the helicopter industry, he has written on most topics in aerospace – be they commercial, defence or business aviation. In addition, there has been an increasing focus on the decarbonisation of the industry and zero-emission flight initiatives. He also helps to edit Flight International.View full Profile

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