Air Botswana, the Botswana national flag carrier, has taken delivery of its first ATR 72-600 on November 2.
The aircraft, delivered in Toulouse, is the first of a contract signed in July for two ATR 72-600s. The second is planned for delivery before the end of the year. The ATR 72-600s will upgrade Air Botswana's current fleet of three ATR 42-500s and one ATR 72-500s.
The brand-new aircraft is configured with a 70-seat, dual class cabin and equipped with the latest avionics. With these two ATR 72-600, the Botswana airline makes a clear forward looking decision to benefit from a fleet with the most modern turboprops equipped with cutting-edge technology.
ATR sees a demand of 300 new turboprops over the next 20 years for the Africa and Middle-East region. Regional aviation provides essential connectivity around the world. A 10% increase in regional flights generates additional increases of 5% in tourism, 6% in regional GDP and 8% foreign direct investment. Turboprops are key in connecting communities around the world: 36% of all commercial airports rely exclusively on turboprops and 50% rely, also exclusively, on regional aircraft.
