Uni Air will take delivery of the ATR72-600 planes from September 2012 for its routes to the offshore islands of Kinmen, Penghu and Matsu in the Taiwan Strait, the company said.

The new aircraft will replace DH8-300 and MD-90 it currently uses to help enhance flight safety, it said in a statement.

Uni Air will buy more ATR 72-600 aircraft depending on the demand for its local and China routes, it added.

ATR is the turboprop airplane venture between European defence group EADS and Alenia Aeronautica, part of the Italian industrial group Finmeccanica.