EADS Socata has made its second major sale of the year with an order for 10 TB20 Trinidad GT advanced trainers from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT). The deal follows an order for 10 TBM700 turboprop singles from Jet Fly Aviation in February.
The aircraft will be added to NCAT's fleet of 25 TB9 Tampico basic trainers, bought in 1998. Deliveries start in June or July. The deal includes three Thales-supplied SR-Spira 900 flight navigation and procedure trainers.
NCAT was established in 1964 and is one of Africa's largest state-owned aviation colleges. It claims to be the only one offering training in flying, maintenance, air traffic control and communication and navigational-aids engineering.
The Nigerian sale is a fillip to the French-based company as it recovers from a series of problems last year which prevented the company from reaching its 100-aircraft delivery target. EADS Socata says it plans to produce more than 130 aircraft this year, comprising "more than 100" light aircraft and 33 TBM700s. Only 45 light aircraft and 24 TBM700s were produced in 2000 after problems with suppliers and limited production facilities at its plant in Tarbes.
Source: Flight International
