(FORTUNE Magazine) – Boeing vs. Airbus it's not, but with regional airline traffic set to lift off in the next decade, the market battle among commuter-plane makers is escalating. The newest ace in this lower-altitude competition could be Saab-Scania's Saab 2000. The Swedish 50-seat turbo prop costs $12.8 million, flies around 430 mph, and has already earned rave reviews as a fast, comfortable aircraft. Regional carriers have ordered 200 of them. Delivery starts next year. Canada's de Havilland Dash 8 planes also get high marks. The 100-model turboprop goes for around $9.6 million, seats 39, and cruises up to 300 mph. De Havilland was recently bought by Bombardier of Montreal, owner of minijet maker Canadair. That company's Canadair Regional Jet is having a hard time breaking into a market dominated by props. So far the two American players, Fairchild and Raytheon's Beech, have not ventured above planes with 19 seats, which have been popular with carriers, since those with 20 or more seats require a flight attendant. But the strong growth in this business is expected to be in larger planes, which could crimp the Yanks' market share. The workhorse of the 19-seat fleet is British, the BAe Jetstream Super 31 (see chart), a $4.1 million plane that cruises up to 290 mph. Experts are certain that the 1,990-plane commuter fleet will climb steadily. ''We see traffic doubling and the fleet growing to 2,600 in the next ten years,'' says Deborah McElroy, vice president of the Regional Airline Association. More than 42 million passengers flew on 144 regional airlines last year, up almost fourfold since deregulation began in 1978. But what about safety? After hitting a record low in 1990, accidents per 100,000 departures climbed from 0.35 to 0.62 last year. The National Transportation Safety Board found no pattern in the causes of the accidents. Commuter plane crashes killed 77 passengers and crew in 1991, including former Senator John Tower, who died in a Brazilian Embraer (EMB-120) Brasilia, one of the most popular models in the U.S.

CHART: NOT AVAILABLE CREDIT: FORTUNE TABLE/SOURCE: REGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATION CAPTION: BIG SELLERS IN LITTLE PLANES