Mandarin Airlines (AE, Taichung Ching Chuan Kang) has taken delivery of the first of six ATR72-600s that were ordered in mid-2023 at the Paris Air Show. ATR handed over the aircraft to the operator at Toulouse Blagnac late last week, and at the time of publication, is ferrying to Taiwan via Cairo International, Abu Dhabi International, and Hyderabad International.
B-16861 (msn 1682) is the tenth ATR72-600 to join the regional carrier, but the first of its type to include the Pratt & Whitney PW127XT engines, which ATR - Avions de Transport Régional says will "set new standards for fuel consumption, carbon and NOx emissions, as well as operating economics for regional aviation."
When deliveries of the six new aircraft are complete by the close of calendar 2025, Mandarin Airlines will fly fifteen ATR72-600s, with the first nine using PW127M engines. The airline also has four B737-800s in service, all wet-leased from parent entity China Airlines (CI, Taipei Taoyuan).
“Expanding our ATR fleet will enable us to add capacity on existing routes and create new services to continue stimulating the local economy and tourism across Taiwan with the lowest emission regional aircraft”, said Kao Shing-Hwang, Chairman of Mandarin Airlines, when ordering the new planes.
According to ch-aviation schedules data, Mandarin's ATRs link seven Taiwanese towns and cities, including its Taichung Ching Chuan Kang hub, Hualien, Kaohsiung, Penghu, Kinmen, and Taitung. In addition to operating some services on local Taiwanese routes, the B737-800s link the island with Fuzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Xiamen, and Wuhan.
