Viking Air has sold its first airplanes into Japan, increasing to 23 the number of countries which have ordered the redesigned Twin Otter.
Sidney-based Viking announced it has entered into an agreement with First Flying Co. Ltd. of Osaka for the purchase of two Series 400 Twin Otter aircraft. The deal was announced at the Singapore Air Show.
The planes are scheduled for delivery early next year and will be configured as 19-passenger commercial landplanes. They will be put into operation as a domestic carriers based in Okinawa and operated around the Ryukyu Islands in southern Japan.
Viking has delivered more than 50 Twin Otters since production of the redesigned aircraft began four years ago and has a two-year backlog of 50 planes on order. The company, which employs more than 600 at its manufacturing facility at the Victoria International Airport and an assembly facility in Calgary, is now producing a plane every 10 business days. It has made more than 400 modifications to the Twin Otter after acquiring the
de Havilland aircraft design from Bombardier.
The planes have a base price of $6.95 million, but prices vary depending on the number of planes ordered and extra equipment.
“We are pleased to add First Flying to our growing list of international customers, not only as a new member of the Series 400 family, but as a leader in opening up the Japanese market,” Viking Air president and chief executive Dave Curtis said in a statement. “We are confident that the aircraft will be well received in this new market, and First Flying will be successful in introducing the Twin Otter Series 400 to Japan.”
The order represents a return to Japan for the Twin Otter, known for its durability and short takeoff and landing capabilities.
“We are happy to be bringing the Twin Otter Series 400 back to Japan again, as it has been approximately eight years since the last Series 300 Twin Otter retired from the Japanese sky,” said First Flying president Masanobu Nishikawa. “Our company has put forward considerable effort to maintain the routes among the Ryuku Islands in Okinawa, and the addition of our new aircraft will enable us to develop new routes and bring more passengers and cargo to the area.”
First Flying is a regional air carrier and flying club based at Yao Airport in Osaka. It operates a fleet of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft for sightseeing, aerial survey and flight training services between Yao Airport and Hiroshima-Heliport.
With Viking aircraft now sold and delivered to 23 countries, the Series 400 Twin Otter is the best-selling next generation turbo-prop aircraft in its class. Viking is owned by Westerkirk Capital, a Canadian private investment firm with holdings in the hospitality and real estate sectors.
