Tecnam is targeting 2019 for the first customer shipments of their twin-engined P2012 Traveller.
The company has said the project is on schedule for certification in 2018, with the first deliveries of 20 airframes to launch customer Cape Air set down for January 2019.
US-based Cape Air has ordered a total of 100 aircraft to renew their ageing charter and public transport fleet.
“It’s a historic day for Tecnam," said Tecnam CEO Paolo Pascale after settling the delivery schedule with Cape Air. "We are so proud to have fulfilled the needs of Cape Air, one of world’s largest regional airline operators.
"Our response has been to produce not only a beautiful aircraft but one which enables operators to offer better and modern service along with reduced operating and maintenance costs. We warmly welcome Cape Air to the Tecnam family, and thank the board for their trust."
The charter industry world-wide has shown strong interest in the Traveller, which was designed to replace legacy twins such as the Piper PA-31 series and the Cessa 400 series. According to Tecnam, they have existing orders for the aircraft from Argentina, Russia, Europe and Australia.
The P2012 is fitted with the with latest G1000 Nxi avionics from Garmin, is powered by two 375-HP Lycoming piston engines. It was designed from the start to be a versatile airframe that could be used also in multi role operations such including VIP transport, cargo, parachuting and medevac.