Final countdown: Deutsche Aircraft opens €100m Leipzig plant as D328eco moves from test flights to production

A new final assembly line in Saxony marks the turboprop’s shift to industrialisation, as German manufacturer Deutsche Aircraft positions itself as a test of the region’s aerospace ambitions.

Deutsche Aircraft officially inaugurated its final assembly line (FAL) at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Tuesday 29 September. The €100 million facility marks the D328eco programme’s transition from development to serial production.

The plant was completed just over three years after the ground-breaking ceremony in May 2023. It covers 60,500 sq.m. (that’s roughly eight football pitches) and is designed to build up to 48 aircraft a year. Around 250 direct jobs are expected as production of the next-generation aircraft ramps up.

“Airplanes are coming home”

 Götz Ahmelmann, CEO, of airport operator Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG, said he had used the words “airplanes are coming home” at the groundbreaking ceremony.

“Today they have arrived,” he added. “At Leipzig/ Halle Airport, aircraft will no longer only take off and land. In the future, they will also be built here and delivered from here to customers around the world. An aircraft is being built here that creates connections, in a region that understands that connectivity is a shared responsibility.”

Deutsche Aircraft’s German aircraft programme

For Deutsche Aircraft CEO Nico Neumann, the significance goes beyond the factory. It marks the return of aircraft manufacturing to Saxony and is a major milestone for the D328eco programme,” he said.

The Leipzig site complements the manufacturer’s Oberpfaffenhofen base in Bavaria. Together they create an end-to-end capability to develop, certify, industrialise, build and support a complete aircraft in Germany, which has not happened under a single German programme for more than 60 years.

Neumann described it as one of Germany’s most significant aerospace investments in recent years. “It carries forward Dornier’s pioneering legacy,” he said, calling on greater government support for aerospace ambitions.

“The FAL strengthens Germany’s resilience, competitiveness and sovereign aerospace capabilities while advancing a new generation of sustainable regional aviation.”

Marie-Christine von Hahn, principal managing director of the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI), backed that view. “Germany can now develop and build a complete aircraft,” she said. “Bavaria and Saxony have brought together their strengths to make this possible.”

The FAL’s September opening came nearly four months after the targeted May date given by the company’s CCO, Anastasija Visnakova. Speaking with Aerospace Global News earlier this year, she also said that Deutsche Aircraft anticipated first test flights before the end of 2026 and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification by the end of 2027. First customer deliveries are planned for early 2028.

Flight testing under way

Flight testing began on 5 August, and the aircraft has logged more than 15 hours. Earlier this month, the company completed low-speed and high-speed taxi testing of the landing gear.

Landing gear has historically been a pain point for regional aviation programmes because of reliance on third-party suppliers and parts shortages. Deutsche Aircraft has overcome this by switching to a new supplier and securing full intellectual property rights to the system.

Existing D328 operators worldwide also stand to benefit from this testing thanks to a common architecture, better lifecycle support and improved parts availability.

The next phase for the D328eco programme

Targeting the regional air transport market, the D328eco has a range of approximately 650nm. It covers more than 90% of typical regional routes. The 40-seat aircraft delivers a spacious cabin with a 2-1 configuration, giving every passenger aisle or window access.

The D328eco offers fuel efficiency up to 50% better than comparable aircraft, according to Deutsche Aircraft. It will also be fully compatible with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from day one.

With the industrial foundation for serial production of the D328eco now in place, pressure is on the German manufacturer to deliver flight-readiness activities, certification, and the first customer deliveries.