Industry ATR delivers 1,500th turboprop aircraft

By delivering the 1,500th turboprop aircraft in the history of the company, ATR has reached yet another milestone. In July this year, the manufacturer celebrated the delivery of the 1,000th ATR 72 and of the 500th ATR -600 Series in August.

ATR Chief Executive Officer, Stefano Bortoli, celebrated the achievement: “This is a momentous occasion for ATR and a moment of pride for all of our colleagues, past and present, who have contributed to the evolution and success of this fantastic aircraft."

The turboprop portfolio from ATR has been the most popular on the market for years. Since 2010, 75% of all turboprop sales have been ATR aircraft. The company furthermore holds the largest market share of all regional aircraft.

"We thank all of our suppliers, clients and operators for accompanying us on this journey and we look forward to continuing to take this wonderful programme further into the future, connecting more people all over the world. ATR is the benchmark in regional aviation and we have the ambition to further develop our contribution to and position in this market,” Bortoli added.

200 worldwide operators in 100 countries have received a total of nearly 500 50-seat ATR42s and over 1,000 72-seat ATR 72s. The first aircraft programme was the ATR42 series, followed by the ATR72 programme. In 2009, ATR launched the ATR72-600 series.

About its turboprop aircraft, ATR stated: "ATR’s prolonged success is a consequence of this policy of continuously developing its product and striving to go further with its customer service offer. The aircraft provides operators with unbeatable economics, operational flexibility, and state-of-the-art avionics, while passengers can enjoy the widest and most comfortable cabin in regional aviation."

The manufacturer predicts, that the market is in need for over 3,000 turboprop aircraft in the next 20 years. This could reflect in 3,000 new routes and a 10% increase in regional flights.

Operator of the 1,500th delivered ATR aircraft is Japan Air Commuter. ATR placed special stickers in order to celebrate the occasion. Japan Air Commuter is a wholly JAL owned subsidiary airline from Japan. The regional carrier flies with a fleet of five ATR42, one ATR72, two Dash 8-400s and six Saab 340s.