Europe’s endorsement of single-engine turbine aircraft in Commercial Air Transport (CAT) operations has been commented by Daher, whose TBM very fast turboprop family is increasingly used for such flights worldwide.

During a committee meeting last month, the European Commission voted for an amendment to regulations that should lead to authorization of commercial trips with single-engine turbine aircraft within six months. The remaining technical steps include a formal scrutiny period by the European Parliament and European Council to ensure the change in regulations is legally compliant.

“The committee’s positive vote reflects the well-established safety record of single engine turbine aircraft, and enables continental Europe to join other regions of the world - including the U.S. - where commercial air transport operations have been approved for some time,” said Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of the Daher Airplane Business Unit.

Chabbert noted that various versions of the TBM are increasingly deployed in charters for on-demand transportation - especially from community airports, with operators benefitting from the aircraft family’s speed, economical operating costs and the ability to serve smaller runways.

Commercial charter and corporate services are being flown by some 40 TBM family aircraft today. Operators include Little Hawk Logistics, based at central Virginia’s Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport in the United States; Wagga Air Centre in Australia’s New South Wales region; and France’s Voldirect - the first to operate a TBM in the framework of this country’s regulations enabling the use of TBM aircraft for public transport passengers in instrument flight conditions.

Daher TBM - 2016

Further enhancing the TBM family’s attractiveness for commercial and charter flights is the new “Elite Privacy” quick-change lavatory compartment option, to be available for new-production aircraft from 2017.

The Elite Privacy configuration integrates a lavatory area in the TBM’s aft fuselage. It consists of a bench-type seat with a low divider wall when not in use, and converts to a fully private toilet compartment at the simple touch of a button. The Elite Privacy installation’s 29-inch-long (738-mm) bench seat section is aligned along the aft fuselage’s right wall. When not being used in the lavatory configuration, its compact design enables easy passenger circulation from the forward seats to the rear luggage zone. To ensure style continuity within the cabin, Elite Privacy installations will match the customers’ interior color selection, with its leather finish complemented by stitching and carbon trim for the bottom fittings. The closure’s door is made of ultralightweight carbon fiber, and an area carpet tailored for the compartment’s use as a lavatory also is provided.