Published at: New Age, March 25, 2019
Private carrier US-Bangla Airlines on Sunday added a brand new 72-seat turboprop ATR 72-600 aircraft as part of its plan to increase flight frequency on domestic and regional routes.
The aircraft landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at noon flying from France after refuelling in Egypt and Masqat.
The new aircraft raised the current fleet number of the airlines to eight along with four Boeing 737-800 and three DASH8-Q400.
‘We are proud to procure a brand new aircraft as the first ever of any private carrier of Bangladesh,’ US-Bangla airlines CEO Asif Imran told BSS.
The new aircraft will start its operation in domestic routes from March 31, he added.
The carrier will add three more same modelled ATR 72-600 to its fleet gradually, US-Bangla officials said.
The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR (Aerei da Trasporto Regionale or Avions de transport r,gional), a joint venture formed by French aerospace company A,rospatiale now Airbus and Italian aviation conglomerate Aeritalia now Leonardo Sp A.
Currently, the airlines is operating international flights to Muscat, Doha, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Kolkata.