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Viking Air Limited of Victoria, B.C., and First Flying Co., Ltd. of Osaka, Japan, have entered into an agreement for the purchase of two Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft, making First Flying the premiere Twin Otter Series 400 customer in the country.
The two aircraft, scheduled for delivery starting in early 2015, will be configured as standard 19-passenger commercial landplanes and put into operation as domestic carriers based in Okinawa and operated throughout the Ryukyu Islands in the southernmost region of Japan.
“We are pleased to add First Flying to our growing list of international customers, not only as a new member of the Series 400 family, but as a leader in opening up the Japanese market,” commented David Curtis, Viking president and CEO. He continued, “We are confident that the aircraft will be well received in this new market, and First Flying will be successful in introducing the Twin Otter Series 400 to Japan.”
Masanobu Nishikawa, First Flying president, stated “We are very happy to be bringing the Twin Otter Series 400 back to Japan again, as it has been approximately eight years since the last Series 300 Twin Otter retired from the Japanese sky.” He added, “Our company has put forward considerable effort to maintain the routes among the Ryuku Islands in Okinawa, and the addition of our new Series 400 aircraft will enable us to develop new routes and bring more passengers and cargo to the area. We are sure that our determination will be great news not just for Okinawa citizens, but for all the people of Japan.”
First Flying Co., Ltd. is a regional air carrier and flying club based at Yao Airport, in Osaka, and operates a mixed fleet of fixed wing and rotary aircraft for flightseeing, aerial survey and flight training services between Yao Airport and Hiroshima-Heliport.
With Viking aircraft sold and delivered to 23 countries worldwide, the Series 400 Twin Otter is confirmed as the best-selling next generation turbo-prop aircraft in its class. Viking provides OEM support for the worldwide fleet of de Havilland legacy aircraft (DHC-1 through DHC-7) and forms part of Westerkirk Capital Inc., a Canadian private investment firm with substantial holdings in the hospitality, aviation, and real estate sectors.
