Aero International (Regional) (AI(R)) has made what are described as "serious overtures" to Saab Aircraft to join the European consortium as a risk-sharing partner in its forthcoming regional-jet programmes.
While neither side will confirm the talks officially, it is understood that British Aerospace, one of the three existing AI(R) partners (with France's Aerospatiale and Italy's Alenia) has led the discussions, which come as the Swedish manufacturer is involved in wider negotiations with Airbus Industrie on joining the A3XXprogramme as a risk-sharing partner.
One source says, however , that Saab is "lukewarm" on the AI(R) proposal, and is "already talking to a number of people" - including South Korea's Samsung, India's HAL, and an unnamed US manufacturer - about future regional-aircraft projects. Saab has made it clear that it intends to retain a primary role in any such programme, and is unwilling to drop its slow-selling 50-seat Saab 2000 from any product line-up. BAe is understood to have suggested that the existing 29-seat Jetstream 41, sales of which stood at only 15 aircraft in 1996, might be dropped from the AI(R) line-up and replaced with the 38-seat Saab 340. While this would bring the aircraft into conflict with AI(R)'s ATR 42, both would continue to be sold. "They have slightly different markets," says one source. Saab and other AI(R) risk-sharing partners would then join in designing and marketing the future range of 55-68-seat regional jets now under consideration.
AI(R) announced a string of orders for ATR 42s and ATR 72s at the end of a year of poor sales, with contracts for nine new and 11 used aircraft . The new sales are with Air Lithuania (one ATR 42-300), Air Tahiti (three ATR 72-210s), an undisclosed Asian operator (three ATR 72-210s), Venezuela's IAACA (one ATR 72-210) and Air Guadeloupe (one ATR 72-210).
Apart from the 15 Jetstream 41s, total AI(R) sales for the year stood at 14 ATR 42s, 11 ATR 72s, 18 Avro RJ85s and two RJ100s, bringing total aircraft sales to 60 for the year, with 85 deliveries. Turnover for the year was $1.3 billion.
Source: Flight International
