Air Mauritius (MK, Mauritius) has issued a Request for Proposals for the dry lease of an ATR72-500 or ATR72-600, as its current fleet of three -500s struggles with persistent technical issues and AOGs.

The carrier gave interested parties until November 24, 2022, to submit offers for the lease, although it did not provide any further details publicly. It is not clear whether the airline has any requirements regarding the age of the turboprops.

The ch-aviation fleets module shows the Indian Ocean carrier operates three ATR72-500s, which are 14.9 years old on average. While the poor ADS-B coverage in Mauritius does not allow the verification of their current status, L'Express daily has reported that technical issues have become increasingly common of late, forcing Air Mauritius to cancel flights and adjust its schedule. The ch-aviation schedules module shows the ATR - Avions de Transport Régional turboprops operate domestic services between Mauritius and Rodrigues Island, as well as international flights to St. Denis de la Réunion. They are the only regional aircraft in Air Mauritius's fleet.