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ATR triples 2017 orders; hopes to confirm Chinese orders
January 26th 2018
European turboprop manufacturer, Toulouse-headquartered ATR, secured firm orders for 113 aircraft and 40 options in 2017, a much improved result on 2016, when the OEM booked 36 commitments. Read More » Almost two thirds of ATR’s 2017 orders were from Asia-Pacific and Gulf airlines.
The OEM’s largest single order was from India’s largest carrier, Gurgaon-based IndiGo Airlines. The low-cost carrier signed for 50 ATR 72-600s for domestic flights to second- and third-tier cities. Deliveries have commenced.
Other orders from the two regions were 20 72-600s for Iran Air, six -600s for Taiwan’s Mandarin Airlines, one -600 for Air Tahiti Nui and a smaller ATR 42-600 for Japan Air Commuter, a Japan Airlines (JAL) subsidiary.
At the Paris Air Show last June, ATR inked tentative deals with Shaanxi Tianju Investment Group and Xuzhou Hantong Aviation Development for 42-600s. The two entities signed Letters of Intent for 10 and three jets, respectively. ATR delivered 70 72-600s, eight 42-600s and two second hand aircraft to customers in 2017.
The manufacturer said it had “stabilised its annual turnover at US$1.8 billion” and added this was “among the best performing results of its 35-year history”.
The OEM introduced two new training simulators to support airline training of its aircraft and more than 300 of its aircraft are enrolled in its comprehensive total care support Global Maintenance Agreement.
ATR CEO, Christian Scherer, said this week that the OEM hoped to firm up Letters of Intent with the two Chinese customers this year. This has become more likely after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) accepted ATR’s application to certify the 42 and 72 series jets, he said.
Scherer explained the CAAC’s acceptance to certify the ATR aircraft was a result of a bilateral aviation safety agreement signed by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and CAAC in December, with the objective of achieving mutual recognition of the two regulators' certification standards.
The ATR boss believed China’s certification will be “a matter of months” and would pave the way to “firm up the declarations of intent from the Chinese customers”.
On Monday, ATR announced its first deal in 2018, an order for 16 42s and four 72s from U.S. airline, Silver Airways. The Florida-based regional carrier will acquire the aircraft on lease from Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC). Silver Airways will be the first operator of ATR -600 series aircraft in the U.S.
