Manufacturer sets sights on making major announcement at Farnborough air show
AvCraft aims to secure about 60 Dornier 328Jet orders over the next nine months, and hopes to be able to announce a major order at this month's Farnborough air show.
"We're working our socks off to be in a position to announce a big order at Farnborough," says AvCraft chief executive Ben Bartel. He says there are certain product support issues to be resolved, which he hopes will be sorted out in time to allow an announcement.
AvCraft is in talks with more than 50 prospective customers for a total of 275 328Jets and Envoy corporate models. "We know that not all of these will end in sales, but we expect to land orders in the 50-60 aircraft range over the next nine months," says Bartel.
Thirteen of 51 prospective customers are airlines, accounting for 165 potential orders, he says. A further 30 are corporate users representing 67 aircraft, and the rest are special mission customers.
Bartel says when production of new aircraft resumes at the former Fairchild Dornier plant in Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany early next year, he expects output to run at 12-15 units a year. "We're pretty much sold out in 2005 because we don't have enough production," he says, adding he does not intend to ramp up production rapidly.
Much of the 328Jet is produced by outside suppliers, and new deals are being finalised to cover supply for long-term production. "We have a path to conclusion with all the suppliers except one," says Bartel. "We have now made the decision to go elsewhere and have selected three companies to have a look at [taking over the contract]." This should be finalised soon, he adds.
Meanwhile, AvCraft's latest customer, UK executive jet operator Bookajet, has increased its Envoy order from seven to eight aircraft by taking one of the 18 whitetail aircraft AvCraft acquired as part of the deal for the 328Jet programme. "That aircraft will be delivered this month," says Bartel.
MAX KINGSLEY-JONES / LONDON
Source: Flight International
