Since taking on the construction of the Dornier 328JET from Fairchild Dornier, AvCraft has seen increasing demand in Europe and the US for its Envoy Executive version of the aircraft.

The company made its EBACE debut this year and EBAN caught up with ceo Ben Bartel to get the inside track on the evolution of the Envoy.

“One of the things we liked about the [Dornier 328JET] programme is that it’s a modern aeroplane,” said Bartel. “It only came out in 1999, so there are certain developments we’ll make, but nothing revolutionary. It’s got fourth generation engines and state-of-the-art avionics, so we don’t have to do a lot of work with the aeroplane. There are operational issues, which we are addressing.”

AvCraft is aiming for a worldwide market of about 300 aircraft for the Envoy Executive and views Europe as a key market for the jet. “The interest for the aeroplane is really booming now in Europe,” said Bartel. “Eastern US and Europe are ideal for the corporate version of the aircraft.”

The Dornier 328JET will be assembled in Germany but all non-standard aircraft, including the Envoy, will be completed at the company’s JAA/FAA-approved Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, facility.

Three versions of the aircraft will be available to business aviation operators. The Envoy Executive features a 12- to 19-seat layout, the Convertible has been designed to offer interior configuration flexibility and the Shuttle offers seating for up to 32 passengers.

“The selling point is that we have more volume per dollar than any other aeroplane,” Bartel said. “Secondly, we have a low purchase price for the volume and thirdly we have a low operating cost.

“What we’re selling is value. We’re not selling long-range or speed, but value. Companies are constantly looking at the bottom line; value is becoming increasingly important,” he added. “So what is value? It’s quality, speed of delivery and price.”

AvCraft has garnered interest for the Envoy from a range of operators and has been somewhat surprised

by the type of aircraft it will be replacing. Bookajet and Club Airways recently placed an order for seven Envoys to replace their Hawker 125s and Cessna Citations.

“We’ve seen interest all across the board, from individual companies, charter operators, individuals – the whole gamut of non-airline users that run business airlines,” said Bartel. “We have had a corporate customer who replaced a Citation V [with the Envoy]. I would never have guessed that we would replace a Citation V.”