Deutsche Aircraft opens D328eco final assembly line in Leipzig

Deutsche Aircraft has officially opened its Final Assembly Line (FAL) for the D328eco regional aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport, bringing aircraft manufacturing back to Saxony for the first time in over 60 years.

With an investment exceeding 100 million euros, backed by approximately 3.2 million euros from the Free State of Saxony, the 60,500-square-meter facility is sized to produce up to 48 airframes annually. The complex integrates assembly lines, a flight preparation hangar, automated logistics, and administrative facilities. It operates alongside the company's engineering, certification, and flight test hub in Oberpfaffenhofen.

The D328eco is an updated evolution of the original Dornier 328, an airframe previously manufactured between 1991 and 2000 in both turboprop (217 units) and Dornier 328 Jet variants (110 units). Designed for regional operations with a capacity of 30 to 33 passengers, the aircraft will be assembled in a paperless, digitized environment utilizing solar arrays and heat pumps.

The ramp-up of production is expected to create around 250 direct aerospace positions in Leipzig as manufacturing operations expand.