On Monday, ATR celebrated the delivery of its 1,700th regional turboprop. The aircraft that symbolizes the milestone is an ATR 72-600 delivered to the airline Air Corsica.
The ATR is the most successful regional turboprop of recent decades, being practically the only aircraft of its type in continuous production since the 1980s.
ATR, a partnership between Leonardo and Airbus, was founded in 1981 to launch the ATR 42, around 40 seats.
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The first prototype flew for the first time 40 years ago, on August 16, 1984. The aircraft entered service in December of the following year by Air Littoral.
In 1989, ATR launched an extended variant, the ATR 72, with more than 70 seats and which became the manufacturer’s most successful type.
In the meantime, competitors such as the de Havilland (Bombardier) Dash 8, BAe ATP and Jetstream 41, Saab 340 and 2000, Embraer EMB-120 and Dornier 328 ended up abandoning the category.
Without competitors, ATR has so far been the sole operator in the turboprop market, but Deutsche Aircraft, the German manufacturer that is developing the D328eco (based on the Dornier 328) is expected to debut in 2027.
French airline Air Corsica was the first operator to take delivery of an ATR 72-600 equipped with the new PW127XT engine in November 2022. It currently operates a fleet of eight ATRs, one ATR 42 and the rest ATR 72s.
“Completing our fleet renewal with the ATR 72-600 is a pivotal moment for Air Corsica, reflecting our commitment to providing the best possible service to our passengers and supporting the economic vitality of our island,” said Marie-Hélène Casanova-Servas, President of Air Corsica’s Supervisory Board.
“Delivering our 1,700th aircraft to Air Corsica marks a major milestone in our partnership and highlights our joint commitment to setting the standard for regional connectivity. This achievement also underscores ATR’s resilience, unmatched suitability for the regional market, and capacity to provide highly-efficient, versatile aircraft that empower airlines to thrive in the dynamic regional aviation sector,” celebrated Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, ATR’s Chief Executive Officer.
