D-CTOB Fairchild-Dornier 328-110 c/n 3107 - Excellent Air - Groningen Airport Eelde in Holland - 25 March 2007

The Fairchild-Dornier 328 is 30-34 seat turboprop powered commuter airliner designed and engineered by Dornier in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Development of the 328 started in 1985, after Dornier decided to redesign the fuselage of the Dornier 228. After Dornier's market research had indicated a substantial market for regional airliners in the 30-seat class it was decided to develop the Dornier 328. Work began in December 1988, culminating in the first development aircraft's rollout on 13 October 1991 and the first flight on 6 December 1991. The 328 was awarded EJAA certification on 15 October 1993. First customer deliveries occurred on 21 October 1993, when the Dornier 328-110 s/n 3005 HB-AEE was handed over to the Swiss scheduled carrier Air Engiadina. The initial 328-100 was followed by the production standard 328-110 with redesigned aerodynamics and increased performance. Other models are the 328-120 with improved short field performance and the 328-130 with progressive rudder authority reduction with increasing airspeed. Mid 1996 Fairchild Aerospace acquired 80% of Dornier to form Fairchild-Dornier. In 2002 Fairchild Dornier filed bankruptcy and the court appointed administrator determined that the company had to be sold in pieces. The US company AvCraft Aviation acquired the Fairchild-Dornier’s 328 program, including the 328 production line at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Early 2005 AvCraft Aerospace GmbH, the German subsidiary of AvCraft Aviation was declared insolvent at a German court at Weilsheim. In December 2005, UK’s Corporate Jet Services Ltd purchased the former AvCraft Aerospace GmbH. On 2 January 2006, Corporate Jet Services Ltd created the German subsidiary '328 Support Services GmbH', headquartered at Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich. It holds the type certificate of the Dornier 328 Jet and Turboprop aircraft plus the Dornier 428, and is carrying on the worldwide support of the aircraft. Part of the company’s strategy is to work towards returning to service the Dornier 328 aircraft which are currently parked in Europa and US.

Excellent Air was founded in 1994 as a successor of Grenzland Air Services and is based at Stadtlohn Airport in Germany. Excellent Air operates a Beech Super King Air, a number of Cessna Citation Jet aircraft and one Dornier 328-110 for up to 32 passengers. Their Fairchild-Dornier 328-110 D-CTOB was photographed at Groningen Airport Eelde, the Netherlands, on 25 March 2007.