Spirit Air, India’s start-up airline has signed a Letter of Intent for the purchase of six factory new BN2T-4S turboprop Islander aircraft from UK aircraft manufacturer, Britten-Norman.
The BN2T-4S Islander is powered by twin Rolls Royce (Allison) Model 250 turboprop engines and benefits from an extended cabin, allowing one extra row of seats compared with the standard piston Islander. Britten-Norman claims that the aircraft is the largest variant of the Islander with cockpit equipped with latest Garmin avionics including PFD, MFD and electronic engine instrumentation.
While its new fleet of aircraft are being built at Britten-Norman’s newly established UK facility, Spirit Air will initially take delivery of four fully factory refurbished BN2T-4S Islanders to enable it to advance its entry into service.
The airline plans to operate a fleet of BN2T-4S Islander aircraft on scheduled passenger services across India mostly on remote routes.
Mark Shipp, technical director, Britten-Norman commented: “The Islander, both piston and turboprop, has a long-established history of operating successfully across India and the surrounding region. Its durability makes it highly suitable for operating into remote, semi-prepared locations and this sets the Islander apart within this class of aviation. The enhanced capabilities of the BN2T-4S will suit Spirit Air’s requirements perfectly and we are very pleased to be working with them as the first operator of this variant of our great aircraft.”
Capt. S. K. Verma, managing partner, Spirit Air said: “We are pleased to partner with Britten-Norman for the order of new BN2T-4S Islander aircraft in the STOL space for our commuter operations from short, grass airfields located in the districts of India. We will help make important resources available, and we will fly our customers safely and efficiently even where the conditions are difficult.”