Air Recent Zealand has committed to growing its regional fleet by placing an order for as much as 4 ATR 72-600 turboprops. The actual that it has signed with the Franco-Italian manufacturer has seen it place two firm orders for the sort, with options for one more pair. Elsewhere, the carrier’s short-haul jet fleet can also be set to see growth.
Signed, sealed, not yet delivered
Within the grand scheme of things, an order of this size may not often raise eyebrows. Nevertheless, this particular deal represents a milestone for Air Recent Zealand. It is because, because the manufacturer announced in a press release published this morning, the arrival of the planes will see the Kiwi flag carrier grow to be the world’s fourth-largest operator. ATR’s SVP of Business, Alexis Vidal, stated that:
“ATR’s relationship with Air Recent Zealand is invaluable. Through the years, we’ve grown, innovated, and pushed the boundaries of regional air transport together. The explanation is that we make the proper match: to thrive in Recent Zealand, an aircraft must be versatile, efficient, and due to this fact low-emission.”
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It would be around a yr before the deliveries start, as Air Recent Zealand will receive the primary aircraft within the second half of 2024, with the second following in early 2025. Given the sort’s limited range and the space between Recent Zealand and ATR’s French HQ, the delivery flights will certainly be interesting ones.
A growing sub-fleet
As ATR explains, these aircraft shall be the thirtieth and thirty first ATR 72-600 planes to affix Air Recent Zealand’s fleet. The 29 examples of the sort that the Kiwi flag carrier already has on its books are relatively young, with data from ch-aviation.com showing that their average age is just 6.5 years old, in comparison with a fleet-wide mean figure of 9.4 years. Commenting on the order, Air Recent Zealand’s Baden Smith stated:
“Our ATR 72-600s are an integral a part of Air Recent Zealand’s domestic network. As a consequence of Recent Zealand’s short-range, highly connected network, the ATR aircraft are perfect in keeping Kiwis connected across the 20 ports we fly between.”
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In response to a separate statement released today by Air Recent Zealand, the carrier’s ATR 72-600 aircraft “,” and have the capability to seat 68 passengers. The presence of the brand new ones will provide a great addition, offering greater than 5,700 extra seats per week.
The A321neo fleet can even be boosted
Air Recent Zealand also took the chance today to announce that one other pair of Airbus A321neo aircraft shall be joining its short-haul jet fleet within the near future. These 214-seat twinjets will serve international routes on the Tasman and Pacific Island corridors, with their presence adding greater than 9,000 extra seats per week.
Air Recent Zealand plans to get this extra pair of Airbus A321neo aircraft inside the following yr, and they’ll serve the carrier from latest over a 12-year lease period. All in all, the additions of the 2 ATR 72-600 and Airbus A321neo aircraft will boost Air Recent Zealand’s capability by a powerful 768,000 seats per yr.