This article was originally published on simpleflying.com
By Luke Peters
As this year’s Paris Air Show gets underway, Canadian manufacturer De Havilland has announced that it will produce an all-new Twin Otter – its trusty two-engined utility aircraft that first flew in 1965 and has served in a multitude of roles over five decades of operations.
The Twin Otter returns!
On the opening morning of this year’s Paris Air Show, one of the notable announcements grabbing the early headlines is that longstanding Canadian aircraft manufacturer De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (De Havilland) will be producing an entirely new version of the ever-popular utility workhorse that it is arguably most famous for – the DHC-6 Twin Otter.
The new variant, to be known as the DHC-6 Classic 300-G, will be launched officially today in Paris, with the manufacturer set to reveal purchase agreements plus letters of intent for an initial 45 aircraft.
Although the identities of the new customers have not yet been revealed at the time of writing, executives at De Havilland have assured Simple Flying that more details will be released as the week-long Paris Air Show progresses.
More details of the all-new model
The launch of the DHC-6 Classic 300-G marks the latest milestone in the momentous life story of one of commercial aviation’s truly great aircraft. The Classic 300-G is the fifth generation of the Twin Otter aircraft and joins the current Series 400 currently in production by the company through its parent, Viking Air.
All DHC-6 Twin Otters can operate in various roles, according to the company. Twin Otters have been known to carry passengers, transport VIPs, move cargo, conduct medivac operations, and perform special missions in many of the world’s most unforgiving environments.
Stay updated with all the latest announcements from the Paris Air Show with Simple Flying.
The aircraft’s versatility can be increased further with conversion for water-based operations with the addition of amphibious floats. The plane can move seamlessly between paved surfaces and water-landing areas when mounted on floats.
Image: De Havilland Canada
Proudly Canadian and as part of its announcement, De Havilland also revealed that with production of the new Twin Otter model getting underway, the company would bolster the local economies of Calgary (Alberta) and Victoria (British Columbia) through the creation of 80 and 91 permanent production jobs respectively.
Speaking in advance of today’s official launch of the DHC-6 Classic 300-G, Brian Chafe, CEO of DeHavilland Canada, said,
“For over 50 years, the DHC-6 Twin Otter has stood alone as the most reliable and versatile aircraft in its class. After extensive consultation with our customers, we are poised and proud to take this iconic aircraft to new heights with the new DHC-6 Twin Otter Classic 300-G.”
He continued,
“With the same rugged airframe, propelled by Pratt & Whitney technology, the lighter weight Classic 300-G will deliver increased payload range and decreased operating costs for our customers. Along with an all-new cabin interior and flight deck featuring the Garmin G1000® NXi fully integrated avionics suite, De Havilland Canada is once again driving the utility transport aircraft market forward.”
Jetcraft Commercial to become launch customer
Following on from the reveal of the new airplane, De Havilland shared that the first customer for the new Twin Otter will be Jetcraft Commercial. The sales and leasing specialist has signed a purchase agreement at the air show today for 10 of the new models. Deliveries will begin in 2024, but the value of the contract has not been disclosed.
Photo: Tom Boon / Simple Flying
Jetcraft is buying the fleet of De Havilland’s latest aircraft for the purposes of leasing them out. It’s the first time Jetcraft has bought a brand new airplane, but CEO Raphael Haddad noted that the firm has a strong belief in the aircraft, which is why it decided to purchase.
More about the new model
The new Twin Otter mode takes the original design but makes various improvements to bring the aircraft completely up-to-date. The new design will feature a new electronic flight deck featuring the Garmin G1000 NXi suite of avionics, an all-new cabin interior design, plus a choice of two different engine types.
Image: De Havilland Canada
According to De Havilland, the aircraft will also be able to carry more payload over an increased range while still offering operators lower operational costs and higher despatch reliability.
The plane will still be capable of STOL operations, taking off from runways just 1,200ft (366m) in length and landing in just 1,050 ft (306m). Despite its upgraded performance, the new aircraft would still be capable of landing on the world’s shortest commercial runways, such as that located at Saba Airport in the Caribbean, into which its older sisterships operate regularly.
Image: De Havilland Canada
New beginnings for the Twin Otter
With the Twin Otter set for something of a renaissance with today’s launch of the DHC-6 Classic 300-G, it will be interesting to see how the market unfolds for the latest version of this veritable workhorse of world aviation.
With over 800 airframes already built over the past 57 years, this latest model continues a long line of provenance for the trusty Twin Otter.
The newest incarnation is likely to prove popular with a wide range of operators, offering the capability of operating in all passenger, all-cargo, quick change, passenger/cargo, VIP, medivac, and special mission configurations both from water and land-based runways.
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