Malaysia
Airlines Signs Six Aircraft Deal for Viking Twin Otter Series 400
Contract
to include Aircraft, Flight, Maintenance Training and Spares
Geelong,
Australia, February 27th, 2013: Viking Air of
Victoria, BC, Canada and Malaysia Airlines, of
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, have signed an agreement for six DHC-6 Twin Otter
Series 400 aircraft for operation by Malaysia Airlines’ subsidiary, MASwings. MASwings will become the first
Malaysian-based operator of the new Viking Twin Otter Series 400, making it the
nineteenth country to be added to the expanding global customer list.
The six new Series
400 Twin Otters are scheduled for delivery between 2013 and 2014, and will be utilized for regional commuter operations
based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The new
aircraft will be added to MASwings’
existing fleet of legacy Twin Otter aircraft, which have a 25 year proven track
record for reliability, durability and suitability with MASwings’ theatre of
operations in the interior of Sabah and Sarawak, the two Malaysian states in
Borneo.
The Series 400 Twin Otters will be
configured with a fully IFR Honeywell Primus Apex digital avionics suite,
complete with two primary and one secondary GPS backed navigation system,
Flight Management System TAWS, TCAS I, and EGPWS. With this aircraft purchase, MASwings will be
the launch airline for Latitude Technologies SkyNode and IONode, an Iridium satellite
communication package with WiFi enabled flight data acquisition, recording and reporting
aircraft trend monitoring system. Also included in
the six aircraft purchase agreement are flight and maintenance training, along
with a comprehensive spares support package.
Datuk Capt Mohd Nawawi Hj Awang, CEO of
MASwings, commented that “as a long time legacy aircraft operator, the Viking
Series 400 won us over because of its exceptional performance, great operating
economics, and the additional safety features offered by the integrated digital
avionics suite. With the new satellite
based navigational facilities fitted onboard, the operational and safety level
will be greatly enhanced.”
Robert Mauracher, Viking vice president
Business Development and general manager Maintenance Repair Organization,
commented “Viking is particularly pleased to add Malaysia Airlines and MASwings
to the Series 400 operator family. As
our first Flag carrier, Malaysia Airlines has once again confirmed the Viking
Series 400 Twin Otter as the best choice for utility regional transport in
support of remote communities.”
With Twin Otter
Series 400 in operation in 14 countries and a backlog exceeding $400M, the Series
400 is now confirmed as the best selling next generation19 passenger aircraft
available today. Viking provides OEM
support for the worldwide fleet of de Havilland legacy aircraft (DHC-1 through
DHC-7) and forms part of Westerkirk Capital Inc, a Canadian private investment
firm with substantial holdings in the hospitality, aviation, and real estate
sectors.
