Fairchild Dornier is aiming its new 42/44-seat 428JET primarily at the US regional airline market. President Jim Robinson says the launch of a stretched version of the 32/34-seat 328JET is intended to offset the commonality advantage Embraer enjoys in marketing its 37-seat RJ-135 to 50-seat RJ-145 operators.
Continental Express says the economic benefits of commonality were the deciding factor in its selection of the ERJ-135 over the 328JET to operate alongside its ERJ-145s. Fairchild Dornier faces a similar hurdle with ERJ-145 operator American Eagle, which plans a 75-aircraft order for 30/40-seat regional jets.
Launch of the 428JET at the RAA, with entry into service planned for January 2001, comes as American Eagle enters the final stages of negotiations, with an announcement planned for September's Farnborough air show. Delta Connection carrier Comair is also scheduled to select a 30/40-seat regional jet later this year.
Robinson says development of the 428JET will cost just $80 million and will be funded with launch aid from the Italian Government, as most of the work will be performed by fuselage supplier Aermacchi. Changes from the 328JET are limited to stretching the fuselage by 3.35m, increasing the wingspan by 0.9m, raising the maximum take-off weight by 3,500kg and re-engineing with more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308 turbofans. Avionics and systems remain unchanged.
The 35kN (7,900lb)-thrust PW308/7 is a growth version of the 27kN PW306B turbofan powering the 328JET. The PW308 is already under development to power the Raytheon Hawker Horizon mid-size business jet. Fairchild Dornier says that the 428JET will cost $1.5 million more than the 328JET, which is priced at around $11 million.
In the North American market, Robinson says, the stretched 428JET is intended as a replacement for 30-seat turboprops, while the smaller 328JET is now seen primarily as a replacement for 19-seat turboprops. Given the traffic stimulation experienced so far, when regional jets are introduced, the company argues, airlines now achieving load factors of 60-65% with 30-seat turboprops "-will need bigger aircraft".
American Eagle is known to favour a larger aircraft because its pilots' contract allows it to operate unlimited numbers of regional jets with up to 42 seats. Embraer, however, believes that the economic benefits of operating the 37-seat ERJ-135 - which has more than 90% commonality with the ERJ-145 - offset any disadvantage American Eagle may perceive in the aircraft's lower seating capacity.
Fairchild Dornier has launched the 428JET programme despite having just 50 orders for the 328JET, which is "on schedule" for certification in March 1999.
The US-German manufacturer is working to accelerate the 428JET development schedule, which calls for a first flight in late 1999, with certification scheduled for a year later.
Source: Flight International
