German manufacturer designing plane for northern air travel
Deutsche Aircraft’s new D328eco turboprop set for operation in 2027
A new German-designed turboprop aircraft has been specifically engineered to meet the needs of northern and remote communities in Canada, say its designers.
The D328eco, a 40-seat regional turboprop, is being developed by Deutsche Aircraft. The new plane is based on the D328-100, a 30-seater turboprop introduced in 1993.
“It is the first 21st century turboprop aircraft,” said Nils Heuer, the sales director at Deutsche Aircraft, in an interview.
“Other competing products in regional aviation were developed in the ’80s and ’90s and were since then only slightly modified. We’re taking a different approach with the D328eco, which is 70 to 80 per cent a brand new aircraft,” he said.
The D328eco is set to enter the market in 2027.
It will be equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW127XT-S engines which are said to offer 40 per cent longer “time-on-wing,” which means less engine maintenance and a 20 per cent reduction in maintenance costs, according to a Sept. 24 news release from the company.
“The D328eco is ready for the extremely challenging weather conditions in the Canadian North,” said Heuer.
“It has the ability to install gravel kits to allow operation on gravel runways and is capable of landing on compacted snow runways.”
Heuer also mentioned the plane’s capacity to operate as a passenger transport, cargo, medevac or air ambulance, depending on the region’s needs or the season.
“Airlines in the North are not just airlines, they are lifelines,” he said. “They are not just flying passengers, they’re also flying cargo, conducting medical evacuations or operating in a firefighter configuration during wildfire season.”
Deutsche Aircraft is a German aircraft manufacturer based out of Weßling, Germany, and is the service partner for existing D328 turboprop jet operators. The D328eco would be the first aircraft the company has produced.
“The regional aircrafts in the Canadian market are quite old, which is on average 25 to 30 years old,” said Heuer on the company’s interest in Canada’s regional air travel market.
“This is an opportunity for us to be there when the Canadian airlines replace their fleets and have the right product to do the job in challenging environments.”
Deutsche Aircraft plans to promote the D328eco at the Air Transport Association of Canada conference in Vancouver on Nov. 5.
“We are fully committed to listen to what Canadian airlines require and are open to hear their feedback on the D328eco,” said Heuer.
Looks like an ATR 42
Less payload and less range than an ATR 42-600… Stick with the ATR.
The ATR has a terrible history of crashes due to ice build up on the wings, a ATR fell out of the sky this summer in Brazil I believe due to ice build up on the wings while flying.
I’d take the Dash 8 or this plan over the ATR.
The ATR has an inflatable boot on the wing tip edge to inflate and break any ice build up. if this happened it was due to faulty equipment!
Maybe they should add a cargo door now so they don’t have to send them back to Germany later. good luck
I hope they contacted you for your aviation expertise
We need a new 737 with gravel kit option.
Isn’t going to happen. The reason only older 737s have gravel kits is because of the engines. The Pratt & Whitney JT8 is a 60 year old engine that was last manufactured in 1985, meaning the newest engines available are 40 years old. Everything from the 737-300 and later used bigger, more efficient engines that are lower to the ground and wider, so you can’t prevent the engines from ingesting gravel like you can with the smaller JT8s. The thrust reversers are also very different, instead of being at the back of the engine like they are in the JT8, they’re in the middle of the engine, meaning it’s easier for them to blow gravel forward that can then get sucked into the engine.
It’s explained in the article. Cargo versions are available, and I strongly assume that the range will be increased, based on the new dynamics, and engines.
Even though the ATR has proven itself to work well in the northern environment and landing strips, so did other planes.
Looks like free tickets to Germany on the horizon for Makivvik Executives.