Microflite Group Selects Two Tecnam P2012 STOL Aircraft for Par Avion Tourism Operations in Tasmania

Tecnam announced that Melbourne-based Microflite Group has selected the Tecnam P2012 STOL for its Par Avion tourism operations in Tasmania and will shortly take delivery of two aircraft. The order was facilitated by Hallmarc Aviation, Tecnam's Australian representative.

The P2012 STOL, certified in 2024, is an 11-seat, high-wing, twin-engine, short take-off and landing aircraft. It is certified to CS-23 by EASA and FAA IFR certified, and is designed for short runways and demanding environments. The flight deck is built around the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite with a Garmin GFC-700 autopilot, tailored to reduce workload and support single-pilot operations. The P2012 is offered with Continental or Lycoming engine options and in STOL, medevac, survey, freight, combi and VIP versions.

Rodney Higgins, CEO of Microflite Group, which includes Microflite Aviation, Par Avion, Airlines of Tasmania and Cambridge Airport, said the group looked at all currently available options for extended fixed-wing services in Tasmania's remote and rugged terrain and other locations, and that the P2012 STOL was the clear winner. He named the support and guidance of local representative Hallmarc Aviation and a delivery time of within six months as other key factors.

Francesco Sferra, Tecnam P2012 Sales & Business Development Manager, said the STOL variant suits Par Avion's operations in southwest Tasmania and provides a long-term air access solution to the remote Bathurst Harbour region. Michael Loccisano, CEO of Hallmarc Aviation, said the order brings the number of P2012 aircraft in Australia to seven, with more operators in discussions to add the type.

Microflite Group is 100% Australian owned and operated. It grew from a single-aircraft charter operation in 2005 into a national group with more than 30 aircraft and more than 175 staff, operating from bases across Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Hallmarc Aviation, part of the Hallmarc Group, is based in Melbourne with operations at Essendon Fields Airport (YMEN) and provides sales and support services for Tecnam.

Operators running scenic and access flights into remote country tend to buy against a short list of practical constraints: runway length, crew workload, how quickly an aircraft can arrive, and who will look after it locally. Higgins's own reasoning follows that order. He cited the type's fit for rugged terrain, the six-month delivery window and the local representative's guidance, and none of those is about brand loyalty. For a newer entrant such as the P2012, a dealer able to promise near-term delivery and in-country support is a competitive asset in its own right.

The order also shows how a young type builds a regional footprint: one operator at a time, with each sale visible to the next prospect. Loccisano's statement that Australian P2012 numbers reach seven, and that other operators are in discussions, frames this sale as part of a growing cluster. For piston and light-twin operators weighing replacement of ageing fleets, that clustering matters because shared spares, training and maintenance knowledge lower the cost of being the second or third operator rather than the first.

The next milestone is the delivery itself, which Higgins puts within six months. Entry into service on the southwest Tasmania and Bathurst Harbour routes will be the first real test of the STOL variant against the conditions that drove the selection, and any further Australian orders Loccisano says are under discussion would show whether this sale was a one-off or the start of a trend.