The Saab 2000 is a twin-engined high-speed turbopropairliner built by Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab. It is designed to carry 50–58 passengers and able to cruise at a maximum speed of 685 km/h (370 kn).[3] Production took place in Linköping, Sweden. It first flew in March 1992 and was certified in 1994. The last aircraft was delivered in April 1999, a total of 63 aircraft were built.[4] As of October 2024, a total of 31 Saab 2000s are either in airline or military service.[Note 1]
Development and design
In the 1980s, Saab decided to build a fuselage-stretched[5]: p.1 derivative of its successful Saab 340 twin-turboprop regional airliner. The new aircraft was planned to meet a perceived demand for a high-speed 50-seat turboprop with good climb performance which could operate over short- and medium-range routes with similar block times to jet aircraft while retaining the efficiency provided by turboprop engines. The new airliner, named the Saab 2000, was formally launched in May 1989, with Saab already having firm orders for 46 aircraft and options for a further 147.[6] The aircraft was assembled at Saab's Linköping factory, with major subcontractors including CASA, who built the aircraft's wings, Short Brothers, who built the rear fuselage and Valmet who built the aircraft's tail surfaces.[7] The Saab 2000 first flew on 26 March 1992[8] and entered into scheduled airline service in September 1994, a few months after its certification by the Joint Aviation Authorities in March and the Federal Aviation Administration in April.[9][10]
The Saab 2000 has a 15% greater wingspan than the Saab 340,[6] and being 7.55 metres (24 ft 9 in) longer can carry up to 58 passengers (while for European Union, the certified Maximum Passenger Seating Capacities is 53 according to the Type-certificate Data Sheet issued by EASA.[11]) in a high-density layout and 50 with a more comfortable 32 inches (81 cm) seat pitch.[6][9] The 2000 was the first commercial aircraft to use the Allison GMA 2100turbopropengines, which are derated to 3,390 kW (4,550 shp) for the plane.[12] One engine was mounted on each wing, as in the 340, with the engines placed further from the fuselage than those of the 340 to reduce cabin noise.[6] The Dowty-Rotolpropellers are 3.81 m (12.5 ft) in diameter, and they have a slow rotational speed of 1,100 rpm at takeoff and 950 rpm in cruise.[13] The aircraft was designed to operate at a maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.62.[14]
Operational history
Saab 2000 cockpitSaab 2000 cabin
Sales of the Saab 2000 were fairly limited. The major initial customer was Crossair, a regional airline at which Swissair was the majority shareholder of it since 1993.[15] Crossair dubbed the aircraft "Concordino".[8] The airline took delivery of 34 aircraft since year 1994 [8] and retired the type in year 2005.[16]
Crossair also took the delivery of the last example of newly manufactured Saab 2000 on 29 April 1999.[17] The reason for Saab to cease the production of this aircraft type is due to limited demand, and the low sales during the production period was due to the success of regional jets such as the Bombardier CRJ and Embraer ERJ 145 family which provided better passenger comfort combined with better profitability.[16]
France-based carrier Regional Airlines of Nantes took delivery of its first Saab 2000 turboprop in Paris in year 1995, which was scheduled to serve between Lyon and Madrid.[18] In year 1996, the carrier accepted its fifth Saab 2000 into service, and the aircraft was assigned for the Marseille to Amsterdam route in August 1996.[19]
The government of Marshall Islands committed to purchase two Saab 2000s (with an option to purchase two more),[20] and the first delivery was taken by Air Marshall Islands[18] to serve Micronesia Island region of the Pacific Ocean between year 1995-1998;
[20] after that the plane was leased to Air Vanuatu serving between Fiji and Vanuatu,[20]
while the lease was terminated in March 1999,[Note 2] and after that such Saab 2000 aircraft was sold to a Europe-based air carrier.[20]
General Motors operated several 36-seat versions of Saab 2000 for corporate shuttle operations out of its Detroit headquarters between 1995 and 2007[21] and during that period was in talks with startup air carrier Pro Air to launch a regional airline unit to feed flights into Detroit City Airport. GM would offer a free lease on three Saab 2000s in exchange for free flights for its employees and a share in the revenues made on routes eventually chosen by Pro Air.[22] However, the FAA grounded Pro Air on 18 September 2000
[23][24] before consummation of the deal, and on 28 September 2000 NTSB rejected Pro Air's bid to return to the skies.[25] One of the Saab 2000 aircraft previously operated by GM was delivered to the flight department of Penske Corporation in April 2008, and the aircraft was used to support the group’s NASCAR auto racing team.[21]
In the United Kingdom, Saab 2000 aircraft was once recognized as a low-ownership-cost[26]: 35 aircraft in the 2010s. In 2014, Loganair introduced the Saab 2000 aircraft for its services between Shetland and the Scottish mainland.[27]Eastern Airways introduced the Saab 2000 aircraft as early as 2004,[28] and in 2008, the airline was flying six Saab 2000s to serve domestic flights within United Kingdom and to serve the energy-industry business in southern North Sea;[29] the airline's Saab 2000 fleet was further enlarged to nine in 2014,[28] at which the new addition was assigned to serve charter operations for the oil and gas industry while the aircraft type itself served also the scheduled network of Eastern Airways and the ad-hoc charters to European destinations.[28]
Estonian airline NyxAir acquired two[30] ex-Loganair Saab 2000 aircraft in August 2020 to work with Air Leap in Sweden and serving two destinations: Malmö and Ängelholm-Helsingborg, each of them both connected with Stockholm Bromma Airport respectively.[Note 3] Starting in May 2021, NyxAir's 50-seat Saab 2000 aircraft were once assigned to Finland to operate the Kemi-Kokkola-Helsinki and Jyväskylä-Helsinki routes.[33] NyxAir operated four examples of Saab 2000 aircraft as of 7 May 2021.[Note 4]
Saab 2000 aircraft was deployed for the seasonal service of 2023 between Gothenburg and Lyon[35][36] in Europe. The 50-seat Saab 2000 aircraft also served between Finnish capital Helsinki and the Estonian resort town Pärnu in summer seasonal service of year 2023.[37]
Transition of registry of four ex-NyxAir Saab 2000 aircraft to a Danish AOC registry, obtained by Frost Air[38] at which its aircraft are home-based in Malmö,[39] occurred in July 2024.[40]
For the first converted freighter Saab 2000(F), NyxAir facilitated a 59-minute post-maintenance test flight in 6 March 2023 at Örebro for the Saab 2000(F) registered as ES-NSJ[Note 5] under NyxAir’s AOC authority.[41] In February 2024, it was reported that the breed system of Saab 2000(F) has to be redesigned.[42]
For scheduled passenger service in the United States, PenAir took the delivery of its first Saab 2000 in 2015,[43] for an upgrade of the passenger air service to Unalaska with larger aircraft.[44] Some subsequent addition of Saab 2000s to PenAir in year 2016 were examples previously serving the NASCAR teams.[45][46][47] This is the first time for a US air carrier to use Saab 2000 aircraft for Part 121 scheduled passenger operations.[43]
Sterling Airways in the United States forms a joint venture Alaska Seaplanes to operate Saab 2000 under the brand Aleutian Airways.[48] In 2022, Aleutian Airways has been granted approval to start charter and scheduled air service to Unalaska upon completion of a test-flight using Saab 2000 aircraft, and after that charter service commences in September 2022[49] and the Aleutian Airways' first scheduled flight serving Unalaska commences in 16 November 2022.[50] Extension on Saab 2000's service coverage to Sand Point, Cold Bay and, together with a seasonal scheduled service to King Salmon, commences in 2023.[51]
Freight Runners Express / ACE headquartered in Milwaukee, WI acquired ex-Eastern Airways'[Note 6] Saab 2000 aircraft in November 2022,[52][53] while in about one year before, the first[52][54] example of SAAB 2000 was delivered to Air Charter Express, the passenger division of Freight Runners Express, in October 2021.[54]
For military use, Pakistan completed, in June 2006, the purchase of six Saab 2000 turboprop aircraft equipped with the Saab-Ericsson ERIEYEAirborne Early Warning system while revised in May 2007 due to renegotiation with the Government of Pakistan that only five aircraft would be delivered and four of which to be equipped with the Erieye system. On 3 April 2008, the first Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C was rolled out and presented to Pakistan Air Force officials during a ceremony in Sweden.[55] Subsequent additional orders have been placed in 2017 and 2020,[56] which further expanded Pakistan’s Erieye fleet; and as at August 2024, Pakistan Air Force has nine Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C Aircraft.[56]
As of February 2024, there was 4 hull-loss accidents involving Saab 2000 series aircraft, and among those accidents one of them involving 1 fatality.[70]
Accidents with fatalities
On 17 October 2019, PenAir Flight 3296 suffered a runway overrun while landing at Unalaska Airport in Alaska with 42 occupants on board; 1 person died and 9 were injured. The probable cause was the incorrect wiring of the wheel speed transducer harnesses on the left main landing gear during overhaul, causing the antiskid system to malfunction. Contributing factors were Saab's failing to consider and protect against human error during maintenance, in its design of the harness; the FAA's lack of consideration of the RSA size, allowing the Saab 2000 to operate at the airport; and the flight crew's willingness to land with a tailwind exceeding the airplane's limit due to their plan continuation bias, aggravated by PenAir's failure to apply its qualification policy which allowed the pilot to operate at a challenging airport with limited experience at the airport and in the craft.[71]
Hull losses
On 8 October 1999, a Saab 2000 aircraft registered as SE-LSF and named "Eir Viking", was being taxied by two technicians while then crashed into closed hangar doors at Arlanda airport in Sweden.[72] The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
On 10 July 2002, Swiss International Air Lines Flight 850, registered as HB-IZY, was forced to make an emergency landing at Werneuchen Airfield, Germany, as a result of severe weather. One of the sixteen passengers on board suffered minor injuries. The aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair when it hit an earth bank placed across the runway, where the runway markings did not conform to standards.[73]
On 15 December 2014, Loganair Flight 6780 was struck by lightning while approaching Sumburgh Airport. When the commander made nose-up pitch inputs the aircraft did not respond as he expected. After reaching 4,000 ft the aircraft pitched to a minimum of 19° nose down and exceeded the applicable maximum operating speed by 80 kt, with a peak descent rate of 9,500 ft/min.[74]: p.1 The flight subsequently suffered from control difficulties and nosedived from 4000 feet to 1000 feet after the crew tried taking over the controls, but failed to notice that the autopilot was still engaged. The pilots then declared a mayday and returned to Aberdeen Airport. There were 33 occupants onboard and no injuries were reported. The subsequent investigation discovered that the planes' autopilot could not be overridden by pilot input, making it unique among all other aircraft in service.[74][75]AAIB reported safety actions to be taken regarding the autopilot operation;[74]: p.54 putting "Notice to Aircrew (NOTAC 123/14)" in place;[74]: p.55 and revision to Autopilot Standard Operating Procedures.[74]: p.56 This incident is featured in the first episode, titled "North Sea Nightmare", of Season 21 of Mayday.[76]
Specifications
Data from Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000[9] unless otherwise specified.
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Capacity: 50–58 passengers / 5,900 kg (13,007 lb) payload
^Wiki article Air Vanuatu refers regarding date of termination.
^Reference source[31] published in June 2020 revealed the planning while the main text follows another reference source[32] published in September 2020 reporting (some of) the operating routes by NyxAir at that time.
^ The Airline's Operation Specification of the type[34] refers.
^The airline once received 2 aircraft as recorded in rzjets.net[66] while according to another database[67] the status of both two aircraft are "history".
^The figure is obtained from the manufacturer's website.[3] Other websites offer slightly different figures, for example 1,221m "take-off distance",[79] or 1,300m [80] take-off field length.
^"Delivery of first Saab 2000 to Crossair marks manufacturer milestone". Commuter Regional Airline News. 12 (35): 2. 5 September 1994. ISSN1040-5402. GaleA15790640.
^ abcd"Saab 2000". (Manufacturer's website). Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
^Leth, Siv; Samuelsson, Fredrik; Meijer, Staffan (2–4 June 1998). Propeller noise generation and its reduction on the Saab 2000 high-speed turboprop. AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference (4th ed.). pp. 457+. doi:10.2514/6.1998-2283.
^"Saab 2000". Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
Further reading
Bénichou, Michel (May 2019). "Saab 2000: comment rater une élection" [Saab 2000: How to Miss an Election]. Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French) (594): 58–66. ISSN0757-4169.
Magnusson, Michael. Saab 340 & Saab 2000 – The Untold Story. Stockholm, Sweden: Aviatic Förlag, 2014. ISBN978-9186642-051
