12 Facts About Dornier 728

Dornier 728 planned its maiden flight to occur during the summer of 2002 and for deliveries to commence during mid-2003 to the launch customer Lufthansa Cityline.

Dornier 728 family benefitted from a modern design while the company attracted considerable interest from various airlines upon the programme's launch.

The first new aircraft to make it to market, the Fairchild Dornier 728 328JET, was a relatively straightforward reengining of the turboprop-powered Dornier 728 328; however, even prior to its first flight, the company had grander ambitions of producing a range of larger regional airliners.

The new family of regional jets, the 528JET, 728JET and 928JET, seating from 55 to 100 passengers was launched at the ILA Berlin Aerospace Show in Berlin on 19 May 1998; prior to this, Fairchild Dornier had received provisional launch orders from German flag carrier Lufthansa, who placed 60 firm orders along with 60 options, and Swiss airline Crossair.

Various partnership arrangements were explored; at one stage, Fairchild Dornier were holding discussions with Franko-Italian regional aircraft manufacturer ATR on the topic of collaborating on the 728.

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On 21 March 2002, the first Dornier 728 conducted its official roll-out; it was scheduled to perform its maiden flight during the summer of 2002.

The withdrawal of the Dornier 728's two biggest customers was a considerable blow to the programme, potentially putting off investors and partners that were being sought out at this time.

Fairchild Dornier 728 is a relatively conventional airliner in terms of its design, being equipped with a low-mounted wing and powered by a pair of turbofan engines that were mounted in underwing pods beneath the wings.

The reduction lowered the weight of the aircraft, but motivated Crossair to move towards the rival Embraer E-Jet family instead; Crossair eventually cancelled their order for the Dornier 728, attributing this decision to have been a result of the revised fuselage layout.

Fairchild Dornier launched a corporate jet version of the 728, referred to as the Envoy 7, which was foreseen to enter service around 2004.

Fairchild Dornier unveiled an airborne early warning and control variant of the 728 during mid-2001.

Dornier 728 proposed developing the aircraft in conjunction with American defense firm Northrop Grumman, outfitted it with the radar and other systems of the E-2 Hawkeye; it envisioned the development of further special mission variants, such as maritime patrol aircraft and an aerial refuelling tanker.