MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine Air Force replaces ageing F-27s with SAAB 340B

4 SAAB 340B for LADE

The first two, of a total of four, SAAB 340B aircraft acquired by Argentine Air Force for passenger transport operations in Patagonia will arrive in Buenos Aires by the end of the year it was announced in Buenos Aires.

"They're in very good condition and have about half their useful life ahead of them, which SAAB (the Swedish manufacturer of the aircraft) will extend." said the Air Force Colonel Walter Ortellado, the officer in charge of the acquisition programme. The newly purchased aircraft have the capacity to carry approximately thirty passengers each and will be operated by the Argentine Air Force for the state-owned LADE airline and will replace the existing fleet of Fokker F-27s Defence Minister Nilda Garré authorized the Air Force to seek offers to replace the aging Fokkers in February 2007 and the decision to acquire the SAABs was made at the end of last year. The lease package includes training for flight crew and engineering staff as well as spare parts and the aircraft themselves will have been fully overhauled prior to delivery. They will also have been fitted with additional communications equipment required by the Argentine Air Force as well as an up-to-date avionics suite. Improvements will also have been made to the passenger cabin. The overall cost of the package is some 30.9 million US dollars, spread over five years. The 340Bs are a category 2 aircraft which means that they will be able to operate in poorer weather and visibility conditions than the aircraft which currently cover routes in Patagonia. Increased operation offers the additional advantage that the pilots flying the 340B will be able to fly around thirty hours a month rather than the nine or ten they fly at present. Twelve pilots will be trained to fly the new aircraft this year and twelve more in 2009 said the Air Force. (BAH).-