Fairchild Dornier 328 Executive

A great deal more. In airline service the Dornier 328 carries 19 to 32 passengers. The Executive seats 12 to 15 in a VIP layout split into three sections, so each passenger has more than twice the space. Seating and amenities are those of a corporate aircraft rather than a regional airliner.

Standard layouts take 12 to 15 passengers, and up to 16 in a denser executive arrangement. The cabin has a volume of 34 m³ and is divided into three sections. At 10.29 m long, 2.19 m wide and 1.89 m high, it suits sports teams, company delegations and wedding parties, and the hold takes about 22 suitcases.

It cruises at 335 knots (620 km/h). That is a practical speed for European routes, and it lets the aircraft keep the efficiency of its airline background while giving passengers the privacy and comfort of a corporate cabin. For longer sectors the crew can fly a long range cruise of 281 knots.

With IFR reserves its range is 2,000 nm (3,704 km), which covers Frankfurt to Istanbul or London to Rome with no fuel stop. Its ferry range is 2,300 nm. That makes it a good fit for regional flights across Europe with larger corporate and VIP groups.

It inherited sturdy landing gear and simple, proven systems from the regional airliner, so it can use shorter runways and airports with limited facilities. Its average landing distance is 702 m. That opens up remote locations and smaller cities that conventional business jets often cannot serve, which is useful for groups heading somewhere off the main routes.