MASWings, a new airline that Malaysia Airlines has formed to operate turboprops in east Malaysia, plans to place an order for 10 ATR turboprops as well as Viking Air Twin Otter Series 400s.
"We plan to replace the [seven] Fokker 50s with ATR aircraft by 2009," says the airline's newly appointed managing director Amin Khan.
MAS already has 10 ATR 72-500s on firm order for Firefly, its turboprop airline in west Malaysia, but Khan says MASWings will be placing its own order and it will be for 10 ATRs.
He also says the airline plans to order Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft for delivery in 2011. The Series 400 is in development and is an upgraded version of the Twin Otter DHC-6-300.
Khan does not say how many Twin Otters will be ordered, but says the aircraft will replace the airline's five DHC-6-300s, which are to be phased out in 2011.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's Batavia Air is close to deciding on an order for up to 15 turboprops, either ATR 72-500s or Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s. Batavia Air president director Yudiawan Tansari says he will decide at the "end of this month or first week of September".
Privately owned Batavia Air is one of Indonesia's largest commercial airlines with a fleet of two Airbus A319s and two A320s and 16 Boeing 737-200s, 11 737-300s and four 737-400s.
Source: Flight International
