Daher is expanding its global support network for the burgeoning TBM fleet, with the appointment of 208 Aviation as its first service centre for the single-engined turboprop in South Africa.
The company, based in Wonderboom, Pretoria, is approved by a host of African civil aviation authorities, including Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, to maintain all four generations of the high-speed aircraft - the 700, 850, 900 and 930.
Daher
Daher currently has only four TBMs on the continent – three TBM 850s and a single 700C2 – but Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice-president of Daher’s airplane business unit, hopes the appointment of 208 will provide a springboard for further sales in the region.
Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer database records a global inventory of over 780 TBMs, including 15 TBM 930s – the latest iteration of the seven-seat, 330kt (610km/h)-single. This was launched in April and features a Garmin G3000 touchscreen glass flightdeck, Daher’s new bespoke e-copilot safety system, and a revamped interior.
The $4.1 million aircraft sits alongside the baseline Garmin G1000-equipped TBM 900 in Daher’s line-up. The Tarbes, south west France-based airframer currently has a total order backlog of 25 aircraft.
Source: Flight International
