UNI Air, a Taiwan-based airline and subsidiary of EVA Air, has received the first of ten ATR 72-600 aeroplanes from European turboprop aircraft manufacturer ATR.
Set to be the first ATR 72-600 operating in Asia, it is expected to be officially used on the domestic route from Taipei to Taidon on 11 October.
UNI Air chairman Tony Su said that the ATR 72-600 was a technologically advanced and greenest aircraft compared with rivals.
"This aircraft has proven already to be a commercial and operational success around the world," Su said.
With the latest addition to its fleet, the regional carrier will be able to replace its existing Bombardier Dash-8-300s turboprops, expand seat capacity, introduce new routes and increase frequencies.
ATR 72-600 received its EASA-certification in May 2011, making it the most-recently certified 70-seat regional aircraft in the world.
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By GlobalDataATR chief executive officer Filippo Bagnato said the arrival of the first ATR 72-600 in Asia was also a milestone for ATR.
"The high standards of comfort of these aircraft, coupled with their low operating costs, provide substantial growth opportunities both to Asian carriers and to ATR," Bagnato said.
The aircraft features an avionics suite that is equipped with full-glass cockpit, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW 127M engines, has a capacity to accommodate 68 to 74 passengers and a maximum range with full passenger load of 1,665km.
Currently, UNI Air operates a fleet that includes 11 Boeing MD-90 jets and eight Bombardier DH8-300s, and serves 11 domestic destinations through 15 routes.
It also deploys flights between Taiwan and Vietnam, and serves 13 destinations in China from 21 routes.
UNI Air and its parent company EVA Air operate a combined network that connects Taiwan with 25 destinations in China through 39 routes.
ATR introduced ATR -600 series aircraft in late 2007 and since then it has received around 240 orders.
Image: UNI Air’s first new ATR 72-600 aircraft is expected to enter into service on 11 October. Photo: courtesy of ATR Aircraft.
