Production could be relocated to Oberphaffenhofen production plant or outsourced
AvCraft is close to completing a deal with defunct Fairchild Dornier's former US subsidiary for wing production of the 328JET and Envoy 3 super mid-size business jet.
Leesburg, Virginia-based AvCraft is understood to be in advanced negotiations with M7 Aerospace, which took over control of Fairchild Dornier's US facilities in San Antonio, Texas. Options are thought to include relocation of the wing shop to the main 328 plant in Oberphaffenhofen, near Munich, Germany, or outsourcing to a third party, possibly as part of US offset programmes.
AvCraft chief executive Ben Bartel says production of the regional jet is close to resumption, and that renewed sales activities will focus on the $14.8 million Envoy 3 sector. The company already has around 10 "serious expressions of interest" for the 32-seat corporate shuttle variant and several potential customers for the 19-seat VIP shuttle configuration, Bartel says.
Key to resuming production is securing a deal with M7, which has been agreed in principle and is being finalised by lawyers, he adds. In a bid to improve reliability, engineers at Oberphaffenhofen have identified five parts responsible for 90% of all technical issues and are aiming to issue service bulletins with replacement components before year-end.
AvCraft recommenced deliveries of the Fairchild Dornier backlog of semi-assembled and complete aircraft in August with a delivery to Hainan Airlines and is set to deliver an additional nine aircraft by the end of January.
Source: Flight International
