Deutsche Aircraft has opened a final assembly line at Leipzig/Halle Airport, moving its D328eco regional aircraft from development into serial production.
The €100 million (US$112 million) facility, spanning about 651,000ft² (60,500m²), is designed to build up to 48 aircraft a year and houses the final assembly line (FAL), a flight-readiness hangar, a logistics center and an administration building. Its opening returns aircraft manufacturing to Saxony in Germany for the first time in more than 60 years.
Deutsche Aircraft said the FAL strengthens Germany’s ability to design, certify, test, manufacture and support complete aircraft. Its operations across Oberpfaffenhofen and Leipzig create an end-to-end capability spanning engineering, certification, flight testing, industrialization, final assembly and customer delivery.
Leipzig will serve as the center for aircraft assembly, flight-readiness activities and global customer deliveries, while Oberpfaffenhofen remains the home of engineering, flight testing and certification.
Designed as a digital, sustainability-focused environment, the line uses automated logistics systems and paperless production processes, with photovoltaic systems and heat-pump technology for energy-efficient operation.
Nico Neumann, CEO of Deutsche Aircraft, said, “Together, our sites in Oberpfaffenhofen and Leipzig create an end-to-end capability for developing, certifying, industrialising, manufacturing and supporting complete aircraft in Germany. For the first time in more than 60 years, every phase of the aircraft lifecycle will be integrated under a German aircraft programme.”
The project is expected to create about 250 direct jobs as production ramps up.
