Zil Air, operating in the Seychelles, has placed an order for Tecnam's twin piston P2012 Traveller, and is considering ordering a second. A provider of 'aerial limo' services in the archipelago, Zil Air is eagerly anticipating the entry into service of the 11-seat Traveller, which it views as the logical replacement for heritage aircraft in the FAR23/CS23 category.

"The Tecnam P2012 Traveller is the perfect aeroplane to help our business grow, and enables us to meet the Seychelles tourism sector's demand for affordable and reliable air access," states executive director Francis W Savy.

"We are delighted with the number of orders and the wide range of customers who will receive the eagerly anticipated P2012," adds Tecnam CEO Paolo Pascale. "This next-generation aircraft will not only deliver profits, but reliability, efficiency and passenger comfort."

Equipped with the latest avionics from Garmin – the G1000 Nxi – and powered by two 375 HP Lycoming piston engines, the P2012 Traveller will debut its passenger capabilities with US company Cape Air in early 2019. It has been designed with flexibility in mind and can be used for hydro, VIP, cargo shipping, parachuting and medevac services.

Zil Air is expected to take delivery of its first one in July 2019, and launch commercial operations later that year. It currently flies four EC120Bs and an EC145, in addition to a twin engine fixed wing Vulcanair P68C.