De Havilland Canada launched today at the Paris Air Show an updated version of its best-seller utility aircraft, the 19-seater DHC-6. The upgraded model, named DHC-6 Twin Otter Classic 300-G, will be the fifth generation of the turboprop.
According to a press release, purchase agreements and letters of intent for the DHC-6-300-G amount to 45. The aircraft will bring increased payload capabilities and lower operating costs, compared to its predecessor’s, as well as a new interior and avionics.
«For over 50 years, the DHC-6 Twin Otter has stood alone as the most reliable and versatile aircraft in its class», said Brian Chafe, CEO of De Havilland Canada in the statement. «After extensive consultation with our customers, we are poised and proud to take this iconic aircraft to new heights with the new DHC-6 Twin Otter Classic 300-G».
The launch customer of the model is American aircraft trading business Jetcraft Commercial. The company will purchase a total of 10 of the type — the agreement with De Havilland Canada was signed in a ceremony in the manufacturer’s chalet at the Paris Air Show.
Jetcraft already has experience with De Havilland Canada — being a large trader of the DHC-8 family — and the purchased aircraft will be then leased to other companies. According to Jetcraft Commercial’s CEO, Raphael Haddad, this will be the first time it leases brand new aircraft.
Haddad remarked the heated market for the DHC-6 family, saying that aircraft of the type manufactured decades ago would currently sell for more, nominally, than for what they were purchased by as a new airplane.
Jetcraft will thus benefit from the high demand for the type, combined with the fact that there are relatively few lessors of smaller aircraft globally.
With the upgraded version of the DHC-6, the Canadian manufacturer expects to make «a step in getting De Havilland back where it belongs», said CEO Chafe in the signing ceremony.
