The Right Choice?

Regional airlines are often in a dilemma about whether to choose jets or turboprops, as they prefer sturdy aircraft that require less maintenance than their mainline counterparts

Regional aviation is often a challenging world of small aircraft operating from rough runways over short distances. How short? Scottish airline Loganair recently won a contract to operate a flight between two Scottish Islands, Westray and Papa Westray. The distance is slightly more than a mile and the journey lasts only 47 seconds when the wind is favourable. It is the world’s shortest scheduled flight. The return fare is just £21 ( Rs. 1,760). Most regional flights, however, are much longer. In fact, the average trip length for the US regional flights that was 210 km in 1980 is now 770 km. The distinction between regional and mainline aviation is getting increasingly blurred.

When small regional jets appeared on the scene in the early 1990s, they quickly became a firm favourite. After all, they were replacing the noisy, lumbering, bone-rattling turboprop aircraft that, till then, had been a standard for short-haul flights. Travellers as well as airlines embraced the nifty new jets, so much so that they became ubiquitous all across North America and most of the western world. The US regional jet fleet with a capacity of 30-90 passengers now carries more than thrice as many travellers as in 2000.

History

Regional jets owe their origin to the innovative streak of Canada’s Bombardier Aerospace. When Bombardier acquired Canadair in the late 1980s, it inherited the Challenger 600 business jet which was a commercial failure. Bombardier opted to make a stretched version called the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) for the short-haul commercial market. The critics did not think much of the potential of the 50-seat CRJ100. However, they were proved wrong because, following the plane’s entry into service in October 1992, Bombardier’s order book grew steadily. Eventually, over a thousand CRJ100 and CRJ200 aircraft were sold. Perceiving an opportunity, Embraer of Brazil hurriedly developed the Embraer regional jet and it entered service in December 1996. This set off an enduring rivalry between the Bombardier CRJ and the Embraer ERJ.

But realisation soon dawned on the industry that the seatmile costs and fuel burn figures of the CRJ100/200 and ERJ140/145 were unacceptably high. Bombardier elected to stretch, reengine and re-wing the CRJ200 into the CRJ700/900 series with maximum capacity of 78 and 90 seats respectively. The CRJ700 entered service in 2001 and the CRJ900 in 2003. The latest in this “stretching exercise” is the 90- to 104-seat CRJ1000 delivered in

December 2010. Also available in the market is the enhanced CRJ700/900 NextGen series, launched in 2008. With 621 deliveries and a firm order backlog of 107 as of December 31, 2012, the CRJ700/900/1000 series is an unquestionable success.

Embraer, on its part, chose to produce an entirely new regional jet design, the E-Jets. The smaller Embarer 170 and Embarer 175 are the base model aircraft while the Embarer 190 and Embarer 195 are stretched versions, with different engines and larger wing, horizontal stabilizer and landing gear structure. The Embarer 170 competes with the CRJ700 while the Embarer 175 rivals the CRJ900. The Embraer 190 and Embarer 195 seat 114 and 122 passengers respectively. The Embarer 190 quickly became the most popular of the E-Jets. As of March 31, 2013, the E-Jet family claims 925 deliveries, 1,136 firm orders and 624 options.

Fuel Queers the Pitch

Small regional jets were so popular because carriers could efficiently match demand with capacity and avoid flying empty seats. They permitted non-stop flights in small markets and enabled schedules with many flights on busier routes, thus providing more options especially for the business traveller. However, these aircraft have now become something of a nightmare. Their addiction to fuel was concealed when oil was available in ample and prices were low. But when the price of oil started rising steadily from 2003 onwards, they began to be seen as fuel-guzzling fiends that could easily sink a regional carrier in a sea of red ink. Travellers had their own gripes. In the early days, short-haul flights were, well, short. Passengers stoically bore the low ceilings, cramped seating and Spartan amenities of regional jets, knowing that their ordeal would soon be over. However, over the years, the time spent in the air has significantly increased and lack of comfort is a major irritant. Nowadays, the savvy passenger shuns small regional jets if standard narrow-bodied planes such as the Airbus 320 or Boeing 737 are available.

From the airlines’ point of view, the only way to keep seat-mile costs under control is to increase the number of seats to 70-90, perhaps even 100. A host of regional carriers are switching to larger planes as quickly as they can dump their 50-seat regional jets. In fact, aviation experts believe that keeping in view the high fuel prices, the 90-seat jet is the smallest economically viable unit. In Europe, the average regional aircraft size has increased from 78 to 86 seats within a year and the trend is likely to continue. For instance, the Bombardier CSeries CS300 regional jet, due to enter service next year, has a maximum seating capacity of 145 and promises comfort and performance comparable with a standard narrow-bodied jet. Earlier this year, Bombardier even announced an extra-capacity version CS300 with 160 seats. This would obscure the dividing line between large regional planes and narrow-bodied aircraft.

Jets or Turboprops?

Till perhaps a decade ago, regional Jets looked set to banish turboprops from the regional space. Embraer, for instance, stopped manufacturing its 30-seat Embraer 120 Brasília turboprop and switched exclusively to ERJs. Over the last few years, however, regional turboprops have made a spectacular comeback. The main reason is the price of aviation fuel. When oil rose above $35 ( Rs. 2,100) a barrel, fuel-efficient turboprops, even 50-seat models became attractive again. No manufacturer is making small turboprop aircraft any longer, so regional operators are loathe to retire their turboprops, seeing them as cost-effective, especially for short-haul flights, because small regional jets are prohibitively expensive to operate. Consequently, the average retirement age for small turboprop aircraft is already close to 16 years and is still increasing. Manufacturers have been quick to cash in on the trend by offering mid-life enhancements and life extension programmes.

Regional airlines are often in a dilemma about whether to choose jets or turboprops. If fuel is the main issue, the turboprop wins hands down. Every flight, whether it lasts a minute or several hours, involves a take-off and a landing. A turboprop does not need to expend as much fuel on the take-off and climb to cruise since it cruises at a lower altitude. The European manufactured ATR-72 and Bombardier’s Q400 NextGen for instance consume just two-thirds the fuel of a typical regional jet. Jets do have a speed advantage but most short-haul routes are less than 600 km, so the inescapable time spent on taxiing, take-off and landing makes cruise flying speed less significant. The Q400 even attempts to emulate jet performance. And according to one study, while a 50-seat regional jet needs at least 45 seats to be filled to break even, the 78-seat Q400 needs just 35 passengers to do so. The high cruise speed (660 kmph) of the Bombardier Q400 makes it a suitable replacement for a regional jet on short-haul routes even without altering the gate-to-gate schedule.

Only turboprops can operate from many small rural airports that have runways too short for jets. Turboprops are less susceptible to foreign object damage (FOD), bird strike and water ingestion. Their “hot and high” performance is superior to jets. Therefore, they are the planes of choice for many remote destinations in India where runways are short and conditions are difficult.

As for comfort and noise-level, regional jets are admittedly superior to turboprops. However, turboprop manufacturers are continuously striving to improve their planes. Bombardier employs noise cancellation technology, while ATR electronically synchronises the propellers so as to generate lower vibration levels. Most airlines prefer the ATR-72 for short hops while the Q400 is suitable for longer flights as a fuel-saving alternative to the regional jets.

Keeping Remote Links Going

When mainline carriers shun remote or commercially unattractive destinations, regional aviation often comes to the rescue. Regional airlines prefer sturdy aircraft that require less maintenance than their mainline counterparts. And since fuel accounts for 35 to 40 per cent of airline costs, perhaps 50 per cent in India due to high taxes, fuel efficiency is crucial. That is why there is not a single regional jet in operation in India. Instead, turboprops like the Bombardier Q400 and the ATR 72-600 are the natural choice.

Regional operators in many parts of the world are offered incentives because governments recognise the vital role they play in taking aviation services to out-of-the-way destinations. India does not have a regional airline but the major carriers are making attempts to fill the regional space. The Indian Government encourages regional operations by waiving landing and parking charges for aircraft that carry up to 80 passengers. Aircraft weighing up to 40,000 kg are also supplied fuel at sales tax of just four per cent across the country against 30 per cent in some states for heavier aircraft. While most regional turboprops and small regional jets meet these criteria, the larger regional jets may not. For the foreseeable future, therefore, turboprops are likely to spearhead the advance of regional aviation in the country.