Deutsche Aircraft Appoints Wolfgang Kuhl as Vice President Programs & Innovation

Wessling, Germany, 2 April 2026 – Deutsche Aircraft has appointed Wolfgang Kuhl as Vice President Programs & Innovation, strengthening the company’s leadership as the D328eco® enters its critical development phase.

Kuhl brings a proven track record from within Deutsche Aircraft. As Director Program D328eco since 2023, he guided the aircraft through key design and industrialisation milestones, advanced the re industrialisation of the Dornier 328 platform, and reinforced the programme’s technical and business foundations.

Prior to joining Deutsche Aircraft, Kuhl held senior roles at Airbus Defence and Space, including key contributions to a major multinational UAV defence programme. His expertise in complex aerospace delivery will underpin his expanded remit. In his new role, Kuhl will oversee the full programme portfolio and drive the company’s product roadmap — with a focus on maturing the D328eco, strengthening multi role capabilities and expanding the platform’s footprint in defence related applications.

“I’m pleased to step into the role of Vice President Programs & Innovation at Deutsche Aircraft,” said Wolfgang Kuhl. “Building on my experience leading the D328eco, I look forward to taking on broader responsibilities and continuing to drive innovative and resilient aviation solutions. A key priority will be strengthening our multi-role capabilities in the field of defence applications to meet the needs of our volatile world. I am grateful for the trust placed in me at this decisive phase of the D328eco.”

“Wolfgang has played a crucial role in advancing the D328eco and shaping Deutsche Aircraft as an OEM,” said Nico Neumann, CEO of Deutsche Aircraft. “His expertise will now also support the development of the D328MR for defence and multi role use, integrating advanced technologies, driving sustainability initiatives, and strengthening our product strategy. We welcome him to the Executive Leadership Team and are confident that his vision will support our growth in civil and defence aviation while accelerating the development of climate friendly, next generation regional aircraft.”

Driving the Next Phase of Regional Aviation

In this expanded role, Kuhl will lead the integration of advanced technologies into future platforms, drive cross company innovation initiatives and secure partnerships to strengthen the position of the company as a key provider of multi-role platforms, both today and tomorrow. Deutsche Aircraft remains committed to supporting the global Dornier 328 fleet while accelerating the development of climate friendly, next generation regional aircraft.

For media enquiries, please contact pressoffice@deutscheaircraft.com

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Building the future of flight

Deutsche Aircraft Appoints Wolfgang Kuhl as Vice President Programs & Innovation

April 2, 2026
Deutsche Aircraft Appoints Wolfgang Kuhl as Vice President Programs & Innovation

Wessling, Germany, 2 April 2026 – Deutsche Aircraft has appointed Wolfgang Kuhl as Vice President Programs & Innovation, strengthening the company’s leadership as the D328eco® enters its critical development phase.

Kuhl brings a proven track record from within Deutsche Aircraft. As Director Program D328eco since 2023, he guided the aircraft through key design and industrialisation milestones, advanced the re industrialisation of the Dornier 328 platform, and reinforced the programme’s technical and business foundations.

Prior to joining Deutsche Aircraft, Kuhl held senior roles at Airbus Defence and Space, including key contributions to a major multinational UAV defence programme. His expertise in complex aerospace delivery will underpin his expanded remit. In his new role, Kuhl will oversee the full programme portfolio and drive the company’s product roadmap — with a focus on maturing the D328eco, strengthening multi role capabilities and expanding the platform’s footprint in defence related applications.

“I’m pleased to step into the role of Vice President Programs & Innovation at Deutsche Aircraft,” said Wolfgang Kuhl. “Building on my experience leading the D328eco, I look forward to taking on broader responsibilities and continuing to drive innovative and resilient aviation solutions. A key priority will be strengthening our multi-role capabilities in the field of defence applications to meet the needs of our volatile world. I am grateful for the trust placed in me at this decisive phase of the D328eco.”

“Wolfgang has played a crucial role in advancing the D328eco and shaping Deutsche Aircraft as an OEM,” said Nico Neumann, CEO of Deutsche Aircraft. “His expertise will now also support the development of the D328MR for defence and multi role use, integrating advanced technologies, driving sustainability initiatives, and strengthening our product strategy. We welcome him to the Executive Leadership Team and are confident that his vision will support our growth in civil and defence aviation while accelerating the development of climate friendly, next generation regional aircraft.”

Driving the Next Phase of Regional Aviation

In this expanded role, Kuhl will lead the integration of advanced technologies into future platforms, drive cross company innovation initiatives and secure partnerships to strengthen the position of the company as a key provider of multi-role platforms, both today and tomorrow. Deutsche Aircraft remains committed to supporting the global Dornier 328 fleet while accelerating the development of climate friendly, next generation regional aircraft.

About the data:
- Source: Cirium
- Schedules data: full year 2019 vs. 2020 – excludes non-scheduled flying
- In-service data:
- For 2019 the data is dated April while for 2020 it’s dated October. We wanted to compare “shoulder month” to shoulder month, however April 2020 wouldn’t have captured the immediate impact of Coronavirus as our dataset classes aircraft as in storage after 3 months of inactivity.

DA Aviation Ecosystem Review

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Based on market research surrounding our vision of building a sustainable future for aviation, this report provides insight into how we see Deutsche Aircraft fitting into the everchanging aviation environment.

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Welcome: New Leadership Onboard

Nico Neumann Deutsche Aircraft

Nico’s responsibilities as Vice President of Operations & Programs include development of aircraft production programs, maintenance, overall quality management and ensuring infrastructure and knowledge are in place to meet future needs.

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As Director of Supply Chain, Maximilian’s role is to lead development and growth of all supply chain activities under a consolidated strategy.

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DA Latest News in a Nutshell

New talent appointed to strengthen the Deutsche aircraft programme

As part of its continued support of Deutsche Aircraft’s D328eco aircraft programme, 328 Support Services GmbH recently appointed a panel of “talent experts” to further strengthen the overall team and ensure strong management structure and processes are in place across the D328eco development programme. Today we focus on the Engineering & Programme departments.

On the programme side, Mr. Peter Spyrka has been appointed Director of Programmes. Peter brings over 20 years’ experience in the global aerospace industry with engineering & development works on both civil and military aircraft programmes. Prior to joining Deutsche Aircraft, Peter worked at Airbus, leading the Hybrid Electric Propulsion System development programme for demonstrator projects. He also worked for Fairchild Dornier back in the late 1990’s.

In Engineering, Mr. Jean-Damien Mazeau has been appointed as our new Head of Propulsion Systems. Jean-Damien also brings more than 20 years’ aeronautical experience to Deutsche Aircraft, having built most of his career at Airbus. He was most recently involved with the A320neo’s entry into service, in charge of propulsion system’s global technical Support.

Last but not least, Dr. Stefan Brunner brings more than two decades of expertise and experience to his position as Head of Airframe. Throughout his career, Stefan spent more than 17 years working directly for the Airbus group where he was heavily involved with a wide variety of major engineering programmes on both commercial aviation and defence & space programmes. In his new role, Stefan will be responsible for design, analysis and modification of the D328eco airframe’s primary structure (Fuselage, Fairings, Wing, Empennage), as well as establishing new processes and procedures to complete aircraft development. Finally, he is responsible for ensuring compliance with the European Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations.

In addition to Peter, Jean Damien and Stefan, we are also proud to announce that we have been busy hiring new talent from not only within Germany, but from all over the world. Coming from a variety of companies within the aerospace industry, we look forward to utilising our new team members’ skills and expertise to achieve the entry into service scheduled for 2025.

All are great assets to the current Engineering & Programme team and will, without a doubt, help support Deutsche Aircraft’s development programme over the coming years.

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