Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Air Deccan to phase out old ATR aircraft

Thiruvananthapuram: As part of the plan to phase out older ATR aircraft and replace them with new generation ATR 72-500 fleet to achieve overall efficiency, Air Deccan has returned two older 48 seat ATR 42-320 aircraft.

As a start up airline in August 2003, Air Deccan had to rely on a small fleet of old ATR aircraft — ATR 42-320 and ATR 42-500 — as these had lower lease rentals, were affordable, and well suited for non-metro routes.

The airline’s rapid growth in terms of operations, network, and passengers has led to induction of new aircraft.

The new aircraft consist of the brand new 180 seat Airbus A320 aircraft and the latest generation turboprop, the 72 seat ATR 72-500 aircraft.

Air Deccan now has a fleet of 43 aircraft comprising 20 brand new Airbus and 12 brand new ATR 72 aircraft.

The new aircraft have been credited with increased cost optimization and time efficiency. It was found that the older ATRs (42–500 and 42 -320) used by the airline were plagued with incessant technical snags and maintenance issues.

Chief Executive Officer, Air Deccan, Ramki Sundaram, said the airline has decided to replace the ageing ATR fleet with brand new ATR 72-500 aircraft in a phased manner. In July, 98.7 per cent of all flights took off on time (within one hour).

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