Wedoany.com Report on Feb 27th, The Leipzig region in Germany is advancing a regional aircraft project aimed at addressing new demands for short-haul routes. Despite a reduction in German flights and increasing climate pressure, the D328eco turboprop aircraft, developed by Deutsche Aircraft, is planned for production here. Designed to carry around 40 passengers, it aims to connect smaller cities in a more fuel-efficient manner. Aviation expert Hartmut Fricke points out: "Modern regional aircraft could achieve a revival of traffic." He emphasizes that as the reliability of rail and road declines, the demand for fast connections between smaller cities is growing.
Deutsche Aircraft's site manager Sebastian Böhnl states: "The demand for regional aircraft is there." The company believes that using overly large aircraft on short-haul routes is uneconomical, while smaller models can reactivate routes that struggle to be profitable and serve as feeders to international hubs, benefiting smaller airports.
The success of regional aircraft is critically dependent on climate factors. The D328eco is designed to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to reduce CO2 emissions, but SAF will remain in short supply in the short term. Fricke says: "A shortage of SAF is inevitable within the next five years." He supports a fixed blending quota rather than a high carbon tax to reduce emissions through cleaner fuels. Böhnl sees this as a "chicken-and-egg principle": new aircraft drive fuel demand, while fuel availability limits the development of environmentally friendly aviation.
For the state of Saxony, this is one of the largest aviation projects in decades. With Leipzig as the sole production site, plans call for producing up to 48 aircraft per year, creating around 150 assembly jobs. The labor-intensive nature of the industry is highlighted, with about 80% of the work done manually. Factory construction is progressing step by step, with the test aircraft expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027. The project is planned to operate for over 30 years to support the development of regional aviation hubs.
