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Written by defenceWeb Friday, July 13, 2018
Air Botswana has signed a firm order for two ATR 72-600s from ATR, which will deliver them in the fourth quarter of this year.
ATR stated that the order had been signed on July 13. Having operated ATR-500 Series aircraft since 1996, Botswana's national carrier has been an ATR operator for more than 20 years. His new aircraft will be configured with a 70-seat double clbad cabin.
The airline currently operates a fleet of three ATR 42-500s and one ATR 72-500. With this agreement, the company will begin a gradual replacement of their old fleet of turboprops, says ATR.
ATR estimates that there will be need for more than 3,000 turboprops in the next twenty years, with more than 10% of these aircraft destined for Africa and the Middle East and provides for the creation of some 300 new roads.
Agnes Tsholofelo Khunwana, CEO of Air Botswana, said: "ATR is very reliable and serves us very well for over 20 years.The aircraft are very efficient and generally have a favorable economy. acquiring the new generation of ATR 72-600 in a two-clbad configuration would be our most customer-focused development this year, and I am confident that our market would widely adopt it. "
Christian Scherer, CEO of ATR, commented: "Air Botswana's decision to modernize its fleet with two ATR 72-600s makes perfect sense in the context of the African market. There are currently about 400 regional pbadenger aircraft in Africa. Many of them will soon have to be replaced to ensure the continuity of regional connectivity. The operators of the ATR-600 series, like Air Botswana, will stand out in terms of economy and pbadenger comfort. "
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