Lufthansa Unit to Complete Envoy 7s

Fairchild Aerospace has contracted with Lufthansa Technik to perform completions of the new $31.1-million Envoy 7 business jet. At least 18 are on order.

Lufthansa Technik's airline affiliate is the lead customer for Fairchild Aerospace's 728JET, with which the Envoy 7 shares its new airframe. Lufthansa alone has placed 60 firm orders for the 728JET, and has options for as many more.

The transatlantic Envoy 7 is billed as having the largest cabin in its price range, seating 18. First flight is now expected in March 2002, with certification late that year. The Envoy 7 will enter corporate service in late 2003 (the 728JET will enter airline service in the first half).

A Fairchild Aerospace-Lufthansa Technik completions MoU for the Envoy 7 was disclosed at the ILA show in Berlin this past June. Garrett Aviation Services is to perform to perform Envoy 7 completions too.

The contracts free Fairchild Aerospace to concentrate on the 728JET, for which it has more than 110 firm orders and more than twice as many options.

"Because the Envoy 7 is based on a commercial airliner airframe, it comes with unprecedented reliability for a business aircraft, and is easily serviced on the ground," its manufacturer says. It is to be powered by a pair of General Electric CF34-8D3 engines, and will have strong short-field performance complementing a flight range of 4,150 nmi. The Envoy 7 will have Honeywell Primus Epic avionics.