Mandarin Airlines took delivery of its first ATR 72-600 equipped with more efficient PW127XT engines.
The aircraft is part of a six-turboprop deal signed during the Paris Air Show in June.
The Taiwanese carrier already operates nine ATR 72s from Taipei Songshan Airport that serve eight destinations, including the Kinmen, Magong, and Matsu islands, as well as locations in Vietnam and China.
The ATR 72-600 equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW127XT engines provide a 20% reduction in maintenance costs, as they have longer operating cycles. Furthermore, they are at least 3% more economical than previous versions.
ATR operated the ferry flight from Toulouse to Taipei using a 30% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend on the first leg of the trip.
Mandarin Airlines was founded in 1991 as a joint venture between China Airlines and the Koos Group, but the following year the airline became solely owned by Taiwan’s largest carrier.
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Initially, Mandarin operated international flights and had widebodies such as the Boeing 747 and MD-11 in its fleet, but since 1999, after the merger with Formosa Airlines, it began to concentrate its services on regional connections.
