The Fairchild–Dornier 328JET is a regional passenger aircraft introduced into regular service in July 1999. It was manufactured by Fairchild Aircraft, based on an aircraft developed by Dornier Flugzeugwerke, which remained in production for nearly six years, being currently operated by a few airlines worldwide.

As its name suggests, the Dornier 328JET is a jet airliner developed from the Dornier 328, a turboprop aircraft produced by the German company. Manufacturing began five years before the Dornier 328JET, in 1991, and production of the turboprop model ended in 2000 having built 217 units.

Dornier 328

The Dornier 328 performed its maiden flight—with its prototype—on December 6th, 1991, seven months after receiving one of the largest aircraft orders placed that year, which was made by Horizon Air. The US airline ordered 35 aircraft of this type in May 1991, taking delivery of the first one in 1994.

Regarding its variants, the first version of the Dornier 328 turboprop was the 328-100, followed shortly thereafter by the 328-110 variant, which was essentially the standard 328-100 with improved range and weight capacity. The 328-120 variant is an improved version with STOL performance, and the 328-130 variant is an evolved version with enhanced performance, incorporating key aerodynamic and operational refinements to optimize high-speed control and operation on short runways.

The last three variants are the 328JET, the C-146 Wolfhound—which is operated exclusively by the United States Air Force through its Special Operations Command—and the Deutsche Aircraft D328eco, rolled out in 2025 and scheduled to enter service in 2027.

Dornier 328JET

A year and a half after Fairchild acquired Dornier, the Fairchild-Dornier 328JET prototype made its maiden flight on January 20th, 1998, marking the Dornier 328’s entry into the jet era. By introducing this aircraft, the company aimed to compete with other high-speed aircraft operating on short-haul routes, such as the CRJ-200, Dash 8, and Embraer 135. The main difference between the Dornier 328 and the Dornier 328JET is their propulsion systems: the Dornier 328 uses turboprop engines with propellers, while the Dornier 328JET employs turbofan jet engines.

Skyway Airlines was the launch customer for the Dornier 328JET, taking delivery of its first aircraft—registration N351SK—on July 22nd, 1999. The airline operated 11 Fairchild Dornier 328JETs between 1999 and 2008, all for Midwest Airlines and its regional subsidiaries, Midwest Connect and The Midwest Express Connection.

In addition to Skyway and its operations for Midwest, Atlantic Coast Airlines, Great Plains Airlines, Independence Air, Jetran, FlyMex, ADA Colombia, SATENA, Calm Air, Cirrus Airlines, Loganair, ItAli Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, Air Peace, SkyBird Air, Sepehran Airlines, Ultimate Jetcharters, Denver Air Connection, Taos Air, and ADAC Ambulance are some of the leading operators of the Dornier 328JET, many of which are historic.

One of its main operators, both historically and currently, is SUN-Air of Scandinavia, a Danish airline that once operated a massive fleet of Dornier 328s—including both turboprop and jet-engine aircraft—and took delivery of its first Dornier 328 in January 2005, and its first Dornier 328JET in October 2006.

SUN-Air and British Airways

SUN–Air of Scandinavia became a British Airways franchise in 1996, marking the first time the British carrier had licensed its brand to an airline outside the United Kingdom. To commemorate the occasion, British Airways operated a special flight between London Heathrow and Copenhagen using one of its Concorde aircraft, thus establishing a partnership that lasted nearly three decades.

Initially, SUN-Air operated for British Airways under the “British Airways Express” brand, flying routes between Scandinavia and various British Airways hubs in the UK. In addition to operating its aircraft with BA livery, having its staff wear BA uniforms, using BA flight numbers, and allowing passengers to earn BA Avios points, the Scandinavian airline provided its own full premium mainline service, which included complimentary meals, full bar service, and access to various European VIP lounges.

The first SUN-Air of Scandinavia’s operations for the British carrier were conducted using British Aerospace aircraft, including the Jetstream 31, Jetstream 32, Jetstream 41, and later the BAe ATP. All of these aircraft had two characteristics in common: they were British-made, and all were turboprop aircraft, with between 30 to 64 seats. As well as operating to and from various British Airways hubs, some of these aircraft were based at London City Airport, located in the heart of the British capital.

SUN-Air’s last flight for British Airways—using an aircraft other than a Dornier 328—took place in 2018, with the retirement from service of the British Aerospace Jetstream 32 bearing the Danish registration OY-SVF. As for the rest of the British Aerospace aircraft, most had been retired between 1996 and 2006, leaving only two in service during 2008–2018.

Dornier 328s with the BA livery

As we mentioned above, in January 2005 and October 2006, respectively, SUN-Air added its first Dornier 328 turboprop and its first Dornier 328JET to its fleet. Both aircraft, as well as the rest of the Dornier 328 fleet, were painted with the British Airways livery and began operating for the British carrier, with the goal of eventually replacing the BAe aircraft.

The British Airways routes operated by SUN-Air of Scandinavia’s Dornier 328s were primarily between the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, including connections such as Billund–London City, Billund–Manchester, and Gothenburg–Cambridge. Additional routes were also conducted within Europe, to countries such as Belgium, France, and Germany.

In March 2025, following 29 years of uninterrupted operations, the partnership between SUN-Air of Scandinavia and British Airways officially ended, bringing the British airline’s last franchise agreement to a close. The decision to terminate this agreement was due to high operating costs and economic factors.

Besides British Airways’ lack of interest in continuing to maintain franchise agreements, SUN-Air of Scandinavia was looking to undergo a strategic restructuring, abandoning commercial flights to move into the charter and ACMI leasing markets. This change in strategy also included a downsizing of the company, such as reducing its staff, shrinking its fleet, and focusing its operations on more profitable services.

Currently, SUN-Air of Scandinavia has four aircraft in its fleet: three Fairchild Dornier 328JET-310s and one Fairchild Dornier 328JET-300. The registration numbers are OY-NCJ, OY-NCO, OY-NCP, and OY-NCS; at the time of publication, only the last one mentioned is active, operating flights for JoinJet, a Danish airline based in Billund.

SUN-Air of Scandinavia is one of the few operators of the Dornier 328JET worldwide, along with the United States Air Force, Swift Flite (South Africa), Frontex—European Border and Coast Guard Agency, MHS Aviation (Germany), Private Wings (Germany), DANA – Dornier Aviation Nigeria Alep, the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service, the Botswana Defense Force Air Wing, Central Mountain Air (Canada), Avex Air Transport (South Africa), Denver Air Connection (US), Key Lime Air (US), Advanced Air (US), the Mexican National Guard, and ADAC Ambulance Service, according to our database.

Dornier 328s, Dornier 328JETs, and C-146s

Some of them are in operation, while others are parked for maintenance or different reasons.

In total, SUN-Air of Scandinavia had 24 Dornier 328s in its fleet, comprising 10 Dornier 328-100s and 14 Dornier 328JETs.

D328eco, the “new” Dornier 328

The Deutsche Aircraft D328eco is a modernized version of the Dornier 328, developed with a focus on sustainability and efficiency for regional short-haul routes. Its main differences from the Dornier 328 lie in the engines, featuring efficient P&W Canada PW127XT-S engines which are 100% compatible with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

This aircraft, designed by the German company Deutsche Aircraft following the acquisition of the rights to the original Dornier, will also be able to operate on very short runways (STOL performance) or unpaved runways. The new model aims to reduce maintenance costs by 50% compared to the Dornier 328.

The official rollout of the first D328eco aircraft took place in 2025, with the first test flight scheduled for later this year. It is expected to enter commercial service in Q4 2027 with Private Wings, the aircraft’s launch customer, which signed an agreement in 2023 to purchase five D328eco turboprops.

Cover photo: © Frankie A Said – JetPhotos (London City Airport, United Kingdom)

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