Sunday, June 10, 2007

IAS signs agreement to purchase new plane for Rf 105 million

Island Aviation Services (IAS) has signed an agreement with a Norway company to purchase a 50-seat Dash airplane for Rf 105 million, Thursday. The plane being purchased is a Dash Q300 model.

At the signing ceremony held at Nasandhura Palace Hotel the agreement to purchase their largest airplane so far was signed on behalf of the IAS by the company’s Managing Director Ibrahim Saleem. The Norway company, Widerøe, which will deliver the plane for IAS was represented by the company’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Lars Kobberstad.

According to IAS, the new plane which has previously been used in colder climates, is not that much different from the current 37-seat Dash-8 model being used by IAS, although more spacious. The company also said that the new plane will be brought to Male by the final week of October this year.

“The new plane will also be used for flying to regional airports,” the Managing Director of IAS said. “When we receive the authorization to fly to India we will fly there too.” The company has made arrangements to begin flights to Trivandrum, India sometime during the course of the year.

IAS is purchasing the new plane a million Rufiyaa cheaper than the 37-seat Dash-8 plane they had purchased earlier. With the addition of the new plane to their fleet the effective passenger capacity of the company will be raised from 106 to 156.

The IAS fleet currently consists of a Dash-8 plane on rent from the bankrupt Air Maldives airlines, a Dornier purchased in 2003 for Rf 19.27 million, another Rf 59 million Dornier brought into service in July 2005, and the 37-seat Dash-8 purchased last year.

Source: haveeru

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