Story ID: 
UK Charter Bails Out AvCraft Aerospace
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: Bankrupt regional aircraft manufacturer Avcraft Aerospace has been bought by UK Corporate Jet Services, parent company of Southampton-based executive chart
Word Count: 154
Bankrupt regional aircraft manufacturer Avcraft Aerospace has been bought by UK Corporate Jet Services, parent company of Southampton-based executive charter operator Club328. The new owner will not be resuming aircraft production, but will instead run Avcraft as a support organization for existing Dornier 328 jet and turboprop operators under the name 328 Support Services. The deal, which takes effect January 2, supersedes a letter of intent that the bankrupt administrator had signed last month with Ruag Aerospace in Berne, Switzerland. According to Club328, the administrator chose to sell the company to the UK firm because it was prepared to purchase more of its assets and also to employ a larger number of the former manufacturer’s personnel. From Avcraft’s headquarters at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport near Munich in southern Germany, 328 Support Services will repair and overhaul some 220 of the Dornier 328 jets and turboprops in service worldwide and will also provide spare parts, refurbishment and other engineering support functions.