News Release - Air Mauritius enhances its regional fleet with the arrival of an additional ATR 72-600 in replacement of an ATR 72-500 aircraft

Press Communique

15 August 2025

Air Mauritius enhances its regional fleet with the arrival of an additional ATR 72-600 in replacement of an ATR 72-500 aircraft

Air Mauritius welcomes the arrival of an additional leased ATR 72-600 aircraft, named “Les Mascareignes”, which marks a significant milestone in the strengthening of Air Mauritius’ regional operations. The aircraft, which has been certified to perform Extended Twin Engine Operations Performance Standards (ETOPS), will leave Toulouse next week with stopovers in Luxor, Nairobi, and Nosy Be before landing in Mauritius.

The aircraft which will bear the registration mark 3B-NCU, will start its regional operations initially to Rodrigues and subsequently to Reunion.

The ATR 72-600 aircraft is the world’s most efficient regional aircraft in its category, offering up to 70 seats with enhanced cabin features, including a redesigned interior, larger cabin storage, upgraded air conditioning and cabin airflow, enhanced cabin lighting, and an overall more soundproof cabin. With a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 23 tonnes and a range of around 1,370 km, it combines excellent operational performance with optimized fuel efficiency.

On the technical front, it features an enhanced flight deck with five wide LCD screens, which represents an improvement on the Electronic Flight Instrument System of the outgoing ATR 72-500 aircraft. The flight deck also embarks the latest New Avionics Suite 3.1, which contributes to improving situational awareness and approach capabilities, offering pilots a more user-friendly interface.

This ATR 72-600 aircraft has been specifically modified for Air Mauritius with flexible cargo handling and special transport capabilities to allow for the carriage of stretchers and medical evacuation equipment, especially on the Rodrigues route. 

The cockpit crew for the Air Mauritius ATR 72 fleet, comprises of forty-one pilots, including thirty Mauritians.

Air Mauritius will take delivery of a third leased ATR 72-600 aircraft by the end of September 2025 in replacement of another ATR 72-500 aircraft.  The ATR 72 fleet will then comprise of one ATR 72-500 and three ATR 72-600 aircraft.