Etihad Regional Adds ATRs

On April 1 Switzerland’s Etihad Regional took delivery of the first of four 68-seat ATR 72-500s recently acquired under a new lease agreement with Nordic Aviation Capital. The deal, which calls for final delivery next month, will see Etihad Regional boost its fleet to 12 airplanes, including eight 50-seat Saab 2000s operated by Darwin Airline before Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways took a 33-percent stake in the Lugano-based carrier in January.

By late March Etihad Regional had started recruiting crews for the four ATRs, and it expects to hire a total of 40 cabin crewmembers to operate the new fleet type. The airline also planned to hire 16 captains and 16 first officers, bringing its total pilot count to 115.