Remaining regional aircraft OEMs ATR and Embraer continue to wait for fresh, strong demand. If the hesitation is structural, the outlook could stay grim.
A significant improvement in energy efficiency for a novel de-icing system has been demonstrated under the EU’s Clean Sky 2 public-private partnership.
European turboprop manufacturer ATR has won a potentially significant contract with Indian Ocean carrier Maldivian, historically an operator of De Havilland Canada Dash 8.
Turboprop manufacturer ATR is studying “meaningful” changes to its existing aircraft platform and suggested an announcement on new developments could come in early 2022.
ATR’s earlier hopes that regional turboprops would spearhead the recovery have yet to materialize, and management now only expects a slight upturn this year on the extremely slow sales it reported for 2020.
Regional turboprop manufacturers ATR and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada have been suffering from the ongoing crisis, but they may see the light at the end of the tunnel earlier than other segments.
Australian carrier Regional Express Holdings (Rex) is a rare example of an airline looking to make new fleet moves to take advantage of market opportunities despite the COVID-19 crisis.
Turboprop manufacturer ATR enjoyed a significant increase in orders in 2019 and believes that the regional market will be one of the first to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.