LIAT acquires third ATR 72 aircraft

Tue Sep 03, 2013

The third ATR 72 aircraft to be acquired by LIAT in its re-fleeting programme arrived at the V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua at 1:50 p.m. yesterday.{{more}}

The ATR-72 is a twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional aircraft which is said to have outstanding performance at take-off on shot runways, increased maximum payload, reduced maintenance costs, a redesigned cabin and the latest avionics technology.

According to LIAT, the re-fleeting exercise is expected to be completed in 2014 and will see the ageing fleet of Dash 8 aircraft all replaced with 12 brand new ATR-600 series planes.

The new fleet will include a mixture of 68-and 48-seaters.

By the first quarter of 2014, more than half of the new ATRs are expected to be operating throughout LIAT’s network, with the remaining airplanes expected to come on line by the end of the year.