MICHAEL PHELAN / LONDON
Changes allow more options to be added to turboprop's cabin to attract customers
Czech/Taiwanese joint venture Ibis Aerospace is winning more orders for the Ae270 turboprop after deciding to increase the aircraft's maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and offer more cabin options to business customers.
Ibis holds 76 firm orders and six options for the 2,860km (1,540nm) range Ae270. Karel Sovak, Ibis Aerospace sales director, says he is hopeful of additional Czech sales in the coming months.
"About 90% of orders are for the Spirit executive version," says Sovak, "but some customers with deliveries after 2006 haven't specified their choice of configuration." Remaining aircraft will be in the eight-seat commuter configuration, mainly for Australian and Canadian customers.
Last month Ibis increased the Ae270's MTOW by 200kg (440lb) to 4,000kg, "mainly for cabin equipment such as air conditioning", says Sovak, although the change did not require structural or design changes.
The first production-representative example, S/N 007, is due to fly shortly and will be used to obtain a Czech type certificate by the end of next July - delayed from the original target of next month. "US Federal Aviation Administration certification should follow a few weeks later, and first deliveries are planned for the end of next year," says Sovak.
Source: Flight International
