January 27, 2011 - Discovery Air Technical Services (DATS), a Discovery Air company, announced it has received its Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) Certificate from Transport Canada for the SAAB 340 aircraft.  

DATS is also announced that it has signed maintenance agreements for multiple aircraft with Sky Bahamas, a Caribbean operator based in Nassau, The Bahamas, and Transwest Air, a Canadian operator based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. 

Sky Bahamas operates four SAAB 340A, and flies throughout the Bahamas and the Caribbean. David Hvizdos, Director of Maintenance for Sky Bahamas said,

Founded in 2004, Discovery Air Inc. is a specialty aviation services company operating across Canada and in select locations internationally. With over 140 aircraft, it is one of the largest air operators in Canada, employing 450 flight crew, maintainers and support staff to deliver a variety of air transport, maintenance and logistics solutions to a wide range of government, airline and business customers. 

The Company's Government Services segment includes two subsidiaries: Top Aces Inc., which delivers airborne training and special mission services to the Canadian military, and Hicks & Lawrence, a supplier of airborne fire management services to the Ontario government and charter services to government agencies and corporate customers. The Company's Northern Services segment includes three subsidiaries: Great Slave Helicopters, the second-largest VFR helicopter operator in the country.

Air Tindi, a fixed-wing aircraft charter provider operating throughout Northern Canada; and Discovery Mining Services, which constructs and rents all-weather exploration camps and provides expediting and logistics support services. Discovery Air also provides a range of maintenance, repair and overhaul solutions to airline customers through Discovery Air Technical Services Inc., based in Quebec City. 

The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65,35 ratio. Under the initial plan Saab built the all aluminum fuselage and vertical stabilizer, and also performed final assembly in Linköping, Sweden, while Fairchild was responsible for the wings, empennage, and wing-mounted nacelles for the two turboprop engines. After Fairchild ceased this work, production of these parts was shifted to Sweden.

The aircraft first flew on 25 January, 1983, but due to declining sales, production of the Saab 340 ended in 1998. Originally designated as the SF340, the aircraft first flew on 25 January 1983. When Fairchild exited the aircraft manufacturing business in 1985 after about 40 units, Saab dropped the name Fairchild from the project and continued aircraft production under the designation Saab 340A and 159 A models were built.  

An improved version, the second generation 340B, introduced more powerful engines and wider horizontal stabilizers in 1989 and the later 340Bs also had an active noise control system. Two hundred aircraft were built. The final third generation version, the 340B Plus, was delivered for service in 1994 and incorporated improvements that were being introduced at the same time in the Saab 2000.