On Friday night, TAROM announced that the purchase contract for those was signed 9 ATR 72-600 aircraft. The order was placed in the summer of 2019 and was received with great speed among the fans of airplanes and passengers. Personally, I was more skeptical.
According to the announcement, the first ATR 72-600 aircraft will arrive in the TAROM fleet by February 2020 at the latest. They will be configured in a 72-seater cabin and will operate on short and regional routes. They will replace the current ATR 42 / 72-500 aircraft.
Because the old TAROM management did not sign the contract according to the agreement, the planes were not delivered on the date announced initially. Why was the contract not signed? It's hard to say why. Some say they would have wanted another type of plane. As with many state-owned companies, some actions remain a mystery.
Hopefully, things will get on a normal track at TAROM and procurement announcements or new routes launches are not just at the "will" stage. But how often do we repeat these words?
And another news, this time less good for TAROM. "Tarom will close with losses of 190 million lei this year, but a rescue aid of 47 million euros and a restructuring aid of about 110 million euros will be required. " The statement was made by the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications, Lucian Bode.