Dornier 228

Development

Origins

In the late 1970s, Dornier GmbH developed a new kind of wing, the TNT (Tragflügel neuer Technologie – New Technology Wing), under a project subsidized by the German Government. A Dornier Do 28 aircraft, equipped with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engines, was fitted with the modified wing. Later, Dornier fitted the aircraft with two Garrett AiResearch TPE-331-5 engines, and named it Dornier 128. The company developed two variants of the aircraft with a redesigned fuselage. The 15- and 19-seater aircraft were named as E-1 (later Dornier 228-100) and E-2 (later Dornier 228-200) respectively. Dornier put the new aircraft on stationary display at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 1980. The prototypes were flown for the first time on 28 March 1981 and 9 May 1981 respectively.

After the type certification by German authorities was granted on 18 December 1981, the Dornier 228-100 entered commercial service with Norving in July 1982. The larger Dornier 228-200 entered service with Jet Charters in late 1982. The aircraft was certified by the British and American aviation authorities followed on 17 April and 11 May 1984 respectively. By 1983, the production rate was about three aircraft per month, and Dornier targeted a output of 300 aircraft by the end of the 1980s.

In November 1983, Dornier signed a license-production and phased technology-transfer agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. A production line was established in Kanpur, India, and the first aircraft rolled out of the facility in 1985. By 2014, 125 Dornier 228s had been produced in India. Over the years, Dornier offered various variants of the aircraft, fitted with optional equipment to several operators. In 1996, Dornier announced the ceasing of operations in Germany, and the transfer of all manufacturing operations to India. In 1998, activity on the German production line was halted, in part to concentrate on the production of the larger Fairchild-Dornier 328 and in response to Dornier's wider financial difficulties.

Dornier 228NG

In 2002, Swiss company RUAG took over the services and components divisions from Fairchild Dornier, including the production rights of Dornier 228. RUAG acquired the type certificate for the aircraft in 2003. In December 2007, it announced an intention to launch a modernized version of the aircraft, designated as the Dornier 228NG. At the 2008 Berlin Air Show, HAL agreed on a ten-year contract worth €80 million for the supply of fuselage, wings and tail assembly. The final assembly of the aircraft was carried out in Germany. The main changes from the previous production model were more powerful engines, a new five-blade propeller made of composite material, and an advanced glass cockpit featuring electronic instrument displays and other improved avionics.

In June 2010, the passenger version of Dornier 228NG was priced at €5.2 million. On 18 August 2010, the aircraft received its airworthiness certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency. New Central Aviation took delivery of the first NG aircraft in September 2010. However, RUAG decided to suspend production in 2013 after the completion of an initial batch of eight aircraft. In 2014, RUAG signed an agreement with the Tata Group for the latter to become a key supplier of the program. Production restarted in 2015, with a plan to produce four aircraft annually from 2016. In February 2016, RUAG announced the beginning of serial production of the aircraft at its German production line starting in mid-2016. The assembly line was reportedly capable of producing a maximum of 12 aircraft per year.

Hindustan-Dornier 228

In late 2017, the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued a type certificate to the Hindustan-Dornier 228 to be manufactured by HAL. The aircraft, which had been license produced by HAL for the Indian Armed Forces was permitted to be operated for commercial purposes after modifications by HAL. The aircraft was manufactured at the HAL facility in Kanpur, and made its public debut in the 2020 Dubai Airshow. The civilian version consists of 17-seater and 19-seater variants. HAL also unveiled a business variant, and an air ambulance model of the same aircraft.

In September 2022, state owned-Alliance Air signed an agreement with HAL to lease two 17-seater Dornier 228 aircraft, and the first aircraft was delivered on 7 April 2022. Alliance Air deployed the aircraft on the Dibrugarh–Pasighat route on 12 April 2022, becoming the first Indian-made aircraft to be used for civil aviation operations in India.

Dornier 228 NXT

On 30 September 2020, US firm General Atomics bought the Dornier 228 production line in Oberpfaffenhofen, including the transfer of all 450 employees, pending regulatory approval.