Ideal Equipment for end mile aviation reach
Regional air connectivity is of paramount importance for any country allowing tier III and IV cities to connect to larger air connectivity hubs. Indian central and state government initiatives in this regard are showing results. Many small towns in India are now connected to Tier I and II cities. New type of aircraft is used by some operators to cater to these routes. One such aircraft is De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.
Twin Otter aircraft is of Canadian origin and have capability of STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing). The aircraft was developed in the mid-1960s and still in production. De Havilland Canada manufactured it from 1965 to 1988. Thereafter, Viking Air purchased the type certificate and restarted production in 2008, before re-adopting the DHC name in 2022. In 2023 DHC restarted production of the 300 series, in addition to the Series 400 produced by Viking. The aircraft is high wing, tricycle fixed landing gear and powered by two turbo prop engines. Seating capacity is usually of 18–20 passengers. Seating is in 2 X 1 pattern with last row has 3 seats. The aircraft is used for short routes and does not have lavatory.
There are only few such aircraft available in India. Geological survey of India used to have one such aircraft for survey. The same is with some private operator now. Fly Big airline is now operating few aircraft for regional connectivity. Amphibian version of this aircraft is expected to start operations as sea planes using water bodies for take-off and landing.