ATR Spearheads Research on Low-Emission Regional Aircraft Technology

ATR has been entrusted by France’s CORAC with leading the consortium driving the PARIDES* research project. This unprecedented study involves over 10 partners exploring new technologies aiming at developing the next generation low-emission regional aircraft.

As part of its ‘France 2030’ investment plan, the French government set itself the ambitious goal of developing in France a low-emission aircraft for the next decade. A significant portion of this investment is feeding the technological roadmap of the National Council for Civil Aviation Research – CORAC. Bringing together leading manufacturers, research institutes and laboratories, CORAC supports research projects focusing for instance on the development of new ultra-efficient engines, electric hybridisation, and the 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel capability.

Subsidised by France’s Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), PARIDES is one of these innovative projects, which ATR has been leading for the past two years. Through the exploration of disruptive technologies, PARIDES’s aim is to develop a new regional aircraft with a 30% reduced carbon footprint, meeting the operational needs of the regional market. To accomplish this, various workflow streams were thoroughly examined, including new propulsive hybrid-electric architectures, enabling the use of alternative energy on board, new-generation low-noise and high-performance propellers, the incorporation of bio-sourced materials and recycled carbon-fiber parts in the cabin, an optimised de-icing system, as well as innovative avionic features for regional operations. 

Spearheading this wide-ranging research and innovation project with the support of the French institutions, ATR significantly expanded its knowledge, laying a solid foundation for the preparation of its next generation aircraft concept, the ATR ‘EVO’. It also rallied key stakeholders around a common objective to preserve essential air connections while safeguarding our planet.

*PARIDES – (Project of a Decarbonised and more Energy-efficient Incremental Regional Aircraft)