The C212 made its first flight in March 1971, and deliveries began in May 1974. It is built under license by Indonesian Aerospace (IAe). Some 476 C212s (of all versions) were built through 2011. The C212 is an unpressurized, 21-28-passenger regional turboprop. The -200 model is powered by two Honeywell TPE331-10R-511C or -512C turboprop engines rated at 900 shp each. The -300 used two TPE331-10R-513C turboprops, also rated at 900 shp each. The latest model, the -400, uses two TPE331-12JR-701C engines rated at 925 shp each.

In the remaining months of 2012 and first part of 2013, attention in the commercial aircraft sector will be focused on narrowbodies, as Airbus and Boeing continue to rack up orders for their reengined A320NEO and 737 MAX families and Bombardier works to get the CSeries into the air.

Initially, the new ARJ21 regional jet from Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (Comac) is to be available in the ARJ21-700 78-90-seat variant, while later introduction of the 98-105-seat ARJ21-900 is a possibility. Power is provided by two General Electric CF34-10A turbofans producing 18,500 lb. thrust each. Rollout of the first ARJ21-700 occurred in December 2007, followed by first flight in November 2008. The ARJ21 faces competition from Bombardier and Embraer.

Many a Western airline or airport manager, begging for better infrastructure, must gaze wistfully at China. There, it is so often said, “the government just gets things done.” And it often seems that when any level of government in China sees a need for roads, power stations, airports and the like, not much time passes before trees are crashing down and excavators are at work. A “Nimbyism” stance does not stand much chance.

Last December, Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) bought labor peace with its machinists when it quietly negotiated a contract extension that will see it through a big buildup in deliveries of its popular 777 and 787 widebodies, peak deliveries in its 737 Next Generation narrowbodies and initial production and certification of the NG's successor, the reengined 737 MAX.

Think tanks, analysts and politicians have been predicting the rise of Africa's economies and subsequent opportunities for air travel for many years. The forecasts, for various reasons, have often not turned into reality. But now it seems that foreign airline investors are gaining confidence in the region's growth potential.

The TBM 850 is a single-engine, 4-6-passenger turboprop-powered aircraft that replaced the earlier TBM 700 in 2006. Power is provided by a single 850-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D engine. The aircraft has a range of 1,585 nm. Through 2011, production totaled 260 aircraft; 418 more units are forecast for the 2012-21 period.

Viking Air owns the manufacturing rights to a number of out-of-production de Havilland aircraft, including the DHC-6 Twin Otter. The Series 400 is an all-metal, non-pressurized, high-wing, twin-engine turboprop utility aircraft. In April 2007, Viking Air launched a program to restart production of the 19-passenger Twin Otter. The updated Series 400 incorporates more than 800 changes to the Series 300 and is now powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34s or optional PT6A-35s.