Daher salutes Europe's approval of single turboprop CAT-IFR

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Turboprop Aircraft - DAHER TBM 960, TBM 910

Daher salutes Europe's approval of single turboprop CAT-IFR
Daher salutes Europe's approval of single turboprop CAT-IFR
2017 Published on 
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Daher salutes Europe's approval of single turboprop CAT-IFR

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Tarbes, France, March 8, 2017 – The European Union’s approval of Commercial Air Transport operations for single-engine turboprop aircraft in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and at night has been welcomed by Daher, whose TBM very fast turboprop family is increasingly utilized worldwide on such flights.

When the new regulations become effective on March 22, operators will have expanded opportunities to deploy single-engine turboprop aircraft on charters, corporate services and in other missions – benefitting from their efficiency and speed.

Based on the excellent safety record of such turboprop aircraft – including Daher’s TBM product line – approval for their commercial operation in IMC and at night has been granted progressively in North America and elsewhere around the world, except Europe.

Supporting the changeover in Europe were national authorities such as France’s Direction générale de l’aviation civile (DGAC), which granted an Aircraft Operator’s Certificate in 2013 to Voldirect, an air taxi company based in western France at Rennes Bretagne Airport. An exemption for its commercial flights in night/IMC conditions was provided by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

As a result, Voldirect became the first to operate commercial flights with a TBM in Europe, subsequently carrying some 2,100 passengers and logging 1,200 hours with a single TBM 850. This spring, Voldirect is introducing a second TBM 850 at its new base in Lyon, with a third is planned for an airport location to be announced.

Another operator, St-Barth Executive, situated at the Gustaf III Airport on the Caribbean island of Saint-Barthelemy, has applied for a French Aircraft Operator’s Certificate, and plans to be the first commercial operator of a TBM 900 version based in the French Antilles.

“The determination and hard work of operators such as Voldirect’s Frédéric Caussarieu and Vincent Beauvarlet from Saint-Barth Executive, along with leadership of the DGAC and EASA in bringing regulatory change, have been paramount in convincing European Union to allow commercial operations with single-engine turboprop aircraft,” said Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of the Daher Airplane Business Unit. “We expect to see the TBM increasingly deployed in charters for on-demand transportation – especially from community airports, with operators benefitting from our aircraft family’s speed, economical operating costs and the ability to serve smaller runways.”

Further enhancing the TBM family’s attractiveness for commercial and charter flights is the innovative “Elite Privacy” quick-change lavatory compartment option, available for new-production aircraft beginning in 2017. The Elite Privacy configuration integrates a lavatory area in the TBM’s aft fuselage – consisting of a bench-type seat with a low divider wall when not in use, and converting to a fully private toilet compartment at the simple touch of a button.

About the Daher TBM 900 and TBM 930 – www.tbm.aero

The TBM 900 and TBM 930 are the latest members in Daher’s TBM family of very fast single-engine turboprop aircraft. Differences between the two models are concentrated on their primary avionics: Garmin’s G1000 avionics system with physical keypad for the TBM 900; Garmin’s G3000 with touchscreen controller for the TBM 930.

Both aircraft offer superior performance – a maximum cruise speed of 330 kts. – and high efficiency with a 1,730-naut. mi. maximum range and a fuel consumption at economy cruise of 37 U.S. gallons per hour. This results from aerodynamic improvements along with other aircraft enhancements. The maximum range and useful load, as well as the ability to land at small airports, are some of the customers’ favorite features. To date, a total of 822 TBM aircraft have been delivered to international owners and operators, with the global fleet accumulating some 1.4 million flight hours.

About Daher – www.daher.com

Daher is an equipment supplier developing integrated industrial systems for aerospace and advanced technologies. By combining its expertise in industrial manufacturing, product and process engineering, logistics and transport, and industrial services, Daher designs and develops integrated industrial systems. Daher has established itself as a leader in five fields of activity: aircraft manufacturing, aerostructures and systems, integrated logistics, nuclear services, and valves.

In 2015, Daher posted a turnover superior to one billion euros, and its order book stands at around three-and-a-half years of turnover. Driven by bold innovation ever since it was founded in 1863, Daher has established itself today as one of the major players of the factory of the future – Factory 4.0.

Contact for the media – Airplane Business Unit

Philippe de Segovia
E-mail p.de-segovia@daher.com
Tel +33 (0)6 70 21 70 47

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