Daher delivers first Asia based TBM 930

Daher TBM 930 in Thailand

Daher has delivered the first TBM 930 to be based in Asia. It was delivered in December to Anutin Charnvirakul, who previously owned a TBM 850 turboprop aircraft.

The new TBM 930 was ferried by Charnvirakul from Daher’s Tarbes, France production facility to Bangkok in December, departing from Europe after a ritual Thai Buddhist blessing.

Charnvirakul’s 5,914 nm ferry flight involved stopovers in Corfu (Greece), Aqaba (Jordan), Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) and Nagpur (India). The trip’s average cruise speed was 277.5 kts, and the fuel consumption averaged 41.6 gallons per hour.

“I very much enjoyed my previous TBM 850 for its versatility and flexibility,” Charnvirakul said. “When the time came to replace it after four years and some 900 flight hours, I chose the latest TBM model: the TBM 930.”

“I very much enjoyed my previous TBM 850 for its versatility and flexibility,” Charnvirakul said. “When the time came to replace it after four years and some 900 flight hours, I chose the latest TBM model: the TBM 930. My ferry flight confirmed that I made the right decision: this is the TBM at its best in terms of performance, state-of-the-art avionics and the handling.”

Shortly after the TBM 930 received its Certificate of Airworthiness from The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, Charnvirakul performed the maiden flight as a volunteer to deliver a heart transplant for the Thai Red Cross organisation.

Charnvirakul is the current leader of the country’s Bhumjaithai Party.

“We congratulate Anutin Charnvirakul for being the first to operate the TBM 930 in Asia,” said Nicolas Chabbert, the senior vice president of Daher’s Airplane Business Unit. “We’re particularly honored by his renewed confidence in our TBM very fast turboprop’s quality and performance.”