ATR has suspended development of the ATR 42-600S, a Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) variant, the Franco-Italian company announced on Wednesday.
The turboprop was intended for operations at airports with short runways such as islands in Southeast Asia and promised operations from 800 meters in length.
According to the manufacturer, which is controlled by Airbus and Leonardo, the focus will be on improving the ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 variants.
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“We are now entering the next phase of growth and improvement where we will focus on further investing in the competitiveness of our market-leading products, the ATR 42-600 and 72-600. Delivering strong value propositions to regional airlines has always been central to our success,” explained Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, ATR’s Chief Executive Officer.
The ATR 42-600S was announced in 2019 and would inherit a market that had been left without options after the end of production of the Dash 8 Q200. The company estimated that 500 airports could receive the version worldwide.
However, in announcing the end of the variant, ATR stated that market conditions had changed, with technological and infrastructure advances that reduced the aircraft’s potential.
Customers
ATR’s aircraft could carry 40 people within 200 nautical miles (370 km). To improve performance on short runways, the aircraft manufacturer made minor changes such as increasing the ruder area to allow better control of the aircraft at low speeds.
While maintaining the same engine power as other versions, pilots could choose two power modes, one for STOL operations and one for prioritizing efficiency.
At least three customers have announced orders for the ATR 42-600S: Air Tahiti, PNG Air and lessor Elix Aviation.
