Indian regional carrier Alliance Air plans to add a pair of ATR 42-600 to its fleet under a lease agreement with asset manager TrueNoord. Deliveries of the 50-seat twin turboprops will start in the middle of this year, ATR said on Tuesday at the Singapore Airshow.
The former Air India subsidiary operates in remote northern parts of the country near the Himalayan mountains and needs to access short runways at high altitude airports such as Shimla and Kullu. It already operates 18 of the larger ATR72-600 aircraft.
“Our relationship with ATR started 20 years ago, and ever since we have been building a network that truly serves Indian communities, delivering comfortable, reliable, and affordable services,” said Alliance Air CEO Vineet Sood. “Thanks to the unique features of the ATR42-600, Alliance Air will proudly fulfill the mission assigned by the Indian government to make the most inaccessible regions accessible.”
According to ATR, its aircraft were used to open 40 new routes in India during 2021. In December, TrueNoord bought another pair of ATR 42-600s and leased them to U.S. carrier Silver Airways.