Rising fuel prices are boosting the value of used turboprop regional aircraft and pushing down their availability, according to Saab Aircraft leasing president Michael Magnusson. In the first quarter, the company placed 16 aircraft, including two 50-passenger Saab 2000s to Carpatair of Romania and two to the UK’s Eastern Airways. All Saab’s 340Bs are back in service, and the company has sold four cargo-modified aircraft in recent months to RAF-AVIA of Riga, Latvia. “It’s difficult to disregard the economics of turboprops when you are paying $1.50 a gallon,” says Magnusson.
