AIRWAYS INDUSTRY
Series 400 ’ s Honeywell package . De Havilland Canada will offer a choice of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-A-27 or -34 turboprops .
This new iteration of the Twin Otter comes with customers : Jetcraft Commercial , a division of aircraft broker Jetcraft , became the launch customer after inking an agreement to purchase 10 of the type . Indian operator FlyBig ( S9 ) signed a letter of interest to purchase 10 aircraft , alongside a firm order for two Series 400 , and Swiss operator Zimex Aviation ( XM ) signaled its intention to purchase two 300-Gs .
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“ We are seeing a growth market now , and more so in 2024 ,” Nathalie Tarnaud Laude , ATR ’ s Chief Executive Officer , said at a press conference on the second trading day . “ We are very confident that we will be able to announce new orders by the end of the year .”
ATR forecast that airlines will require 2,450 new turboprops over the next two decades , and Laude noted that carriers are gradually shifting their focus to fleet growth as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides .
Besides the Avolon transaction already mentioned , Embraer announced three more deals , all related to its single-aisle E-Jet E1 and E2 . Among these , Envoy Air ( MQ ) placed an order for seven E175-E1s and Spain ’ s Binter ( NT ) a firm order for six E195-E2 aircraft ( its fourth order of the type to date ). A previously unidentified order from January 2023 for 15 195-E2s was disclosed as belonging to the Florida-based lessor Azorra . Finally , it was confirmed that the E-Jet freighter conversion program — announced in 2022 , with launch customer Astral ( 8V ) slated to make the most of the projected cargo configuration — has its first aircraft ready for makeover in the hangar .
THE OTTER 300 IS BACK
One highlight of this year ’ s show : the production reboot of the De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 . De Havilland ’ s decision is meant to cater to customer demand for a lighter utility aircraft with a payload greater than that of the series 400 currently in production .
The Canadian manufacturer introduced the 300-G variant on the show ’ s first trading day . The aircraft will weigh 136 to 181kg ( 300-400lb ) less than other previous variants , hence improving its payload , or its range with the same payload . Some of that weight-saving comes from the Garmin G1000 Nxi avionics suite , which is lighter than the
The airframer says it expects to deliver the first 300-G in 2024 .
THE EVE BEFORE THE URBAN AIRVOLUTION
After revealing its first fullsized electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft ( eVTOL ) cabin mock-up at the 2022 Farnborough Airshow , Embraer ’ s Urban Air Mobility division EVE made its first appearance in Le Bourget since becoming a public company .
During the show , EVE secured letters of intent from two aviation companies to purchase up to 120 eVTOLs . Brazil ’ s Voar and Wideroe Zero inked their intent to purchase 70 and 50 units each . The deals bring EVE ’ s backlog to 2,770 aircraft commitments — none yet a firm order .
EVE also revealed the first three suppliers for its eVTOL program . The first involves a joint venture with Nidec Corporation . The resulting entity , Nidec Aerospace , LLC , will provide the eVTOL ’ s electric propulsion system . BAE Systems will supply the energy storage system and DUC Hélice Propellers will manufacture the rotors and propellers .
34 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2023 www . airwaysmag . com