BRUSSELS, Belgium — As fuel prices soar to record highs and airlines struggle to maintain profitability, the unglamorous but fuel-efficient turboprop regional airliner is making a remarkable comeback.
The revival of the propeller-driven planes — which typically consume a quarter to a third less fuel than equivalent jets — marks a significant new trend in the industry.
Until recently, many commuter airlines had been determined to consign the planes to history and convert to all-jet fleets that offer greater passenger comfort.
Although the latest generation of turboprops has addressed some of the comfort issues by flying above turbulence and providing quieter cabins, analysts say the airlines’ money worries about their bottom line now outweigh any passenger preferences.
With jet fuel prices 60 percent to 70 percent higher than a year ago, regional jets no longer offer good economics for short-haul flights, said Michael Dyment, an aviation analyst at Nexa Capital Partners, a Washington, D.C., corporate finance group.
“Nowadays, operating efficiency trumps any passenger considerations,” Dyment said.
The world’s remaining manufacturers of turboprops for commuter airlines, Canada’s Bombardier and France’s ATR, have ramped up production to 140 of the planes this year, after making 100 deliveries in 2007. This compares with only 26 in 2002.
“There has been a clear reversal of trends in the regional airline business over the past three to four years,” said Richard Maslem, an editor of Airliner World, a British trade magazine.
“Airlines that only a short time ago were championing the cause for the regional jet and suggesting the end of the line for turboprop models are now having to eat their words.”
Denver-based Frontier Airlines is among those participating in the turbo prop renaissance with the launch of its Lynx Aviation subsidiary, which uses Bombardier Q400s to fly regional routes.
