The national airline of the Maldives, Maldivian has acquired three new ATRs to expand its fleet.
In a statement released today, the airline announced that they have acquired two ATR 72-600 and one ATR 42-600 which will be delivered within this year.
According to Maldivian, the newly acquired aircrafts are equipped with the new PW127XT engines – which offer improved fuel efficiency to help contribute to lower emissions and reduced maintenance costs in comparison to other ATR engines currently on market. Moreover, PW127XT engines offer a three percent reduction in fuel consumption and a 20 percent reduction in maintenance cost. The airline also noted that the engine allows the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
Maldivian said that sustainable development is a major objective as an airline operation from a climate-vulnerable nation such as the Maldives. ATR aircrafts already boast the lowest fuel consumption carbon dioxide emissions of all regional aircraft and the ATR 72-600 consumes up to 40 percent less fuel than aircrafts in the same category.
Maldivian’s Managing Director Mohamed Mihad said the purchase of the three aircraft is an important move under efforts to expand the airline’s fleet. He said that the agreement signing shows airlines’ commitment to improving airline connectivity and services. It also further attests to the bright future of the aviation industry in the Maldives.
“Over the past 40 or so years, it has been proven that the ATR model planes are the best fit for island nations such as the Maldives. With this agreement, we are proud that we can participate in the efforts to advance airline services in the Maldives” Mihad said.
Maldivian’s current fleet consists of 10 DASH-8 aircraft and two models of Airbus A-320. Four of the aircraft have been grounded for a while, causing several complaints from its customers due to delayed and chartered flights.
