De Havilland Canada's Twin Otter Program Gains New Momentum with Deliveries, EASA Certification, and Life-Extension Offerings

What happened

De Havilland Canada and [Island Aviation Services Limited](/entities/7549f5756fdc528f89443a5094490ecb), the parent company of [Maldivian](/entities/099d68b835cd559d921aa06199fdeaea), signed a Letter of Intent at the 2026 Farnborough Airshow for two DHC-6 Twin Otter Classic 300-G aircraft. If converted into a firm order, these would become the first new-generation Twin Otters operated in the Maldives, which De Havilland Canada described as the world's largest market for the type.

The Classic 300-G program was launched at the 2023 Paris Air Show with combined purchase agreements and Letters of Intent covering 45 aircraft, including Zimex Aviation and Jetcraft Commercial for ten aircraft each and India's flybig also expressing interest in ten aircraft. [Ethiopian Airlines](/entities/328bb97be50e518184643d7ab96784eb) ordered two aircraft in 2025; the first was delivered in June 2026 to serve remote communities and tourist destinations in Ethiopia and East Africa, with the second expected during 2026. Zimex Aviation then received aircraft serial number 998, described by De Havilland Canada as the first production Classic 300-G to enter commercial service; Zimex has operated Twin Otters for more than fifty years.

On July 22, 2026, the Classic 300-G received certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, opening the way for deliveries to European customers and to operators in markets that recognize EASA approval, and Zimex became the first operator of an EASA-certified Classic 300-G. In March 2026, De Havilland Canada delivered the 1,000th Twin Otter ever produced to Colombian state-owned carrier [SATENA](/entities/9ac6c5eba4735fd1a04e88a113592744), which had signed a 2024 firm order for eight new aircraft to improve connectivity with remote regions of Colombia. The Classic 300-G features a Garmin G1000 NXi integrated flight deck, modernized systems, a new lighter passenger cabin, and a reduced empty weight of approximately 400 to 500 lb (180 to 225 kg) compared to earlier variants, with a takeoff distance over a 50-foot obstacle of approximately 366 metres and a landing distance around 320 metres. Separately, De Havilland Canada announced at Farnborough that its Twin Otter Re-Life programs are now available worldwide through Supplemental Type Certificate approvals validated with Transport Canada, targeting Series 100, 200, and 300 aircraft still in service, with structural life extensions of up to 33,000 additional flight hours or 66,000 cycles for the wing centre box, up to 66,000 hours or 132,000 cycles for flight controls, and up to 45,000 hours or 90,000 cycles for engine nacelles.

How it unfolded

Industry impact & what to watch

A single utility airframe is being pushed on two tracks at once: new production for operators serving remote and tourist markets, and a life-extension path for the large in-service fleet of older Series 100, 200, and 300 aircraft. Pairing an EASA certification with a global Re-Life offering lets a manufacturer serve both buyers who want a modernized cockpit and payload gains and buyers who would rather add flight hours to airframes they already operate.

In utility and regional turboprop markets, certification in an additional jurisdiction such as EASA functions as a gate rather than a guarantee: it enables sales into recognizing markets but does not itself convert Letters of Intent, like the Maldives agreement, into firm orders. Structural life-extension figures such as the 33,000 additional flight hours offered for the wing centre box matter most to operators with older Series aircraft still flying utility routes, since new hours or cycles directly change how long an existing airframe can stay in revenue service.

Whether the Island Aviation Services Letter of Intent converts into a firm order, and how many of the 45 aircraft covered by the original 2023 agreements and Letters of Intent actually convert, will show whether Classic 300-G demand is following through at the pace the program's early customer list implied.