Air Botswana received the first regional turboprop aircraft ATR 72-600. The Botswana national flag received the first of two ATR 72-600 aircraft, which the airline should receive under a contract signed in July. The second plane is scheduled to deliver before the end of the year.
The turboprops will upgrade Air Botswana’s current fleet of three ATR 42-500s and one ATR 72-500. The new aircraft is in a 70-seat, dual-class cabin configuration and equipped with the latest avionics.
The aircraft is designed to carry up to 70 passengers and equipped with the latest avionics.
“We have been using ATRs for over 20 years and are very satisfied with their operating results”, said Air Botswana’s CEO, Agnes Tsholofelo Khunwana. “The latest generation of ATRs will allow us to provide the highest standards of comfort, reliability and eco-efficiency to our customers. The ATR 72-600s have also remarkable performance in terms of fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions which is an important added-value”, added she.
ATR sees a demand of 300 new turboprops over the next 20 years for the Africa and Middle-East region. Regional aviation provides essential connectivity around the world. A 10% increase in regional flights generates additional increases of 5% in tourism, 6% in regional GDP and 8% foreign direct investment. Turboprops are key in connecting communities around the world: 36% of all commercial airports rely exclusively on turboprops and 50% rely, also exclusively, on regional aircraft.
