PRESS RELEASE
Skylander SK-105 in the French West Indies February 22, 2012Passion for excellence and innovation
Skylander SK-105 in the French West Indies CAIRE (Compagnie Aérienne Inter-Régionale Express) signs MoU for two Skylander aircraft
On February 8, Compagnie Aérienne Inter-Régionale Express, or
CAIRE, signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with GECI
Aviation's subsidiary, Sky Aircraft, for the acquisition
of two passenger versions of the Skylander SK-105, with the
first delivery scheduled in 2014. The contract is due to be
signed in April 2012.
CAIRE is a French airline operating in the French West Indies
and French Guiana. Founded in 2002, CAIRE and its
subsidiaries carried 260,000 passengers in 2011, of which 86%
to the French West Indies and 14% in Guiana. CAIRE is the
fourth largest airline in the French West Indies, with a 10%
share of the local market. The airline flies to
Saint-Barthélémy, Saint-Martin, Fort-de-France, Pointe-
à-Pitre, Sainte-Lucie and Saint-Domingue.
The Skylander was chosen to replace the airline's Twin
Otter and Let 410 because it is ideally suited to the
company's operations, in particular in terms of
performance, cabin volume, flexibility, range and operating
costs.
The SK-105's performances are especially well suited to
regional island-hopping, in particular thanks to its ability
to use short runways that are difficult to access.
Designed to operate in extreme environments, the Skylander
offers unmatched performance in terms of takeoff, landing and
climbing speed, which allows the aircraft to use airports
that are reputed to be difficult to access, such as
Saint-Barthélémy, while carrying up to 19 passengers over
long-mission ranges. Moreover, thanks to its specific
corrosion-proof treatment, the Skylander is also well suited
to the salty and humid conditions that prevail in
inter-island transport in the French West Indies and Guiana.
Most of Skylander's successes have been scored with
passenger or cargo transport operators.
Since the 2011 Paris air show, agreements with air transport
operators have been coming thick and fast. As of today,
business agreements have been signed for 413 aircraft,
including 10 orders.
The air transport industry is currently booming, thanks to
the economic development of a large part of the planet, where
the needs of millions of new consumers are on the increase
and economic exchanges are being driven by globalization.
These latest success stories are further proof that the
Skylander is very well positioned and confirm the ambition of
the GECI International Group and its subsidiary, GECI
Aviation, to produce 1,500 aircraft by 2030 and its aim to
play a leading role in the global light turboprop aircraft
market.
About GECI International
For 30 years, GECI International has been established as a specialist in high technology engineering, with a preponderant presence in the world of aeronautics. Working in the four corners of the world, GECI International's 1,000 staff, engineers and researchers are constantly ready to meet today's and tomorrow's technological challenges.
GECI International combines excellence, passion to innovation to propose, on the one hand, via its GECI Engineering division an offer of expertise and global solutions in the fields of aeronautics, transport and infrastructures and, on the other, via its GECI Aviation a range of twin turboprop aircraft: the F406 and the Skylander SK-105.
The F406, produced by Reims Aviation Industries, is recognised by operators worldwide as an aircraft that is particularly suited to surveillance missions. The Skylander SK-105, produced by Sky Aircraft, stands out due to its exceptional performances, its
ability to operate in extreme environments and its very competitive purchase and maintenance costs.
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