Air Caraïbes takes delivery of its first ATR 72-600
With the arrival of three ATR 72-600s, the company will be able
to modernize and increase its regional fleet
to modernize and increase its regional fleet
Toulouse, December 14, 2016 – French airline Air Caraïbes took delivery of its first ATR 72-600 today. The aircraft, delivered in Toulouse, is part of an order for three ATR 72-600s, placed in 2014 and delivery of which will continue until 2019.
The new 74-seater ATR 72-600s have 4 more seats than the current ATR 72-500s in operation, enabling the company to increase its capacity throughout its entire regional network. To date, Air Caraïbes operates its ATR aircraft on various connections between Pointe-à-Pitre, Fort-de-France, Saint-Martin, and Saint-Lucia, as well as on longer routes to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic).
ATR turboprops, with their outstanding performance on short runways, are a reference for inter-island operations throughout the world. An ATR 72 can take off at maximum payload on runways less than 1,200 meters long, a shorter distance than those required by jet aircraft. Thanks to this operational advantage, ATRs are operated by numerous companies offering this type of route in the Caribbean, Polynesia, New Caledonia, Mayotte, Reunion, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Canary Islands, Fiji, the Maldives and Vanuatu.
Equipped with PW127M engines, the ATR 72-600 also boasts the lowest fuel consumption per seat in its class (2.6 L/100 km). This makes it possible to save up to 5,000 tons of CO2 per year compared to a regional jet of equivalent size. Finally, the ATR 72-600 has a dispatch reliability of 99.7%, thus offering very high operational readiness to its operators.
Commenting on the delivery of their first ATR 72-600, Marc Rochet, Chief Executive Officer of Air Caraïbes, comments: “We have been using ATRs for over fifteen years and are very satisfied with their operating results. ATRs are an essential part of our fleet and our business strategy, and we are delighted to offer the most modern and comfortable version to our passengers.”
Christian Scherer, ATR's Chief Executive Officer, said: “To have a highly professional airline such as Air Caraïbes endorse ATR’s superior economics, comfort and reliability is a great testimony. It confirms we are the supplier of choice in an area of the world that relies heavily on regional turboprop aircraft.”
About the ATR 72-600:
The new 74-seater ATR 72-600s have 4 more seats than the current ATR 72-500s in operation, enabling the company to increase its capacity throughout its entire regional network. To date, Air Caraïbes operates its ATR aircraft on various connections between Pointe-à-Pitre, Fort-de-France, Saint-Martin, and Saint-Lucia, as well as on longer routes to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic).
ATR turboprops, with their outstanding performance on short runways, are a reference for inter-island operations throughout the world. An ATR 72 can take off at maximum payload on runways less than 1,200 meters long, a shorter distance than those required by jet aircraft. Thanks to this operational advantage, ATRs are operated by numerous companies offering this type of route in the Caribbean, Polynesia, New Caledonia, Mayotte, Reunion, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Canary Islands, Fiji, the Maldives and Vanuatu.
Equipped with PW127M engines, the ATR 72-600 also boasts the lowest fuel consumption per seat in its class (2.6 L/100 km). This makes it possible to save up to 5,000 tons of CO2 per year compared to a regional jet of equivalent size. Finally, the ATR 72-600 has a dispatch reliability of 99.7%, thus offering very high operational readiness to its operators.
Commenting on the delivery of their first ATR 72-600, Marc Rochet, Chief Executive Officer of Air Caraïbes, comments: “We have been using ATRs for over fifteen years and are very satisfied with their operating results. ATRs are an essential part of our fleet and our business strategy, and we are delighted to offer the most modern and comfortable version to our passengers.”
Christian Scherer, ATR's Chief Executive Officer, said: “To have a highly professional airline such as Air Caraïbes endorse ATR’s superior economics, comfort and reliability is a great testimony. It confirms we are the supplier of choice in an area of the world that relies heavily on regional turboprop aircraft.”
About the ATR 72-600:
- Passenger capacity: 68 to 78 seats
- Engines: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M
- Maximum take-off power: 2,750 horsepower per engine
- Maximum take-off weight: 23,000 kg
- Maximum disposable load: 7,500 kg
- Maximum flight range at maximum load: 900 nautical miles (1,665 km)
About Air Caraïbes:
Air Caraïbes was founded in 2000 and has its headquarters at the airport of Guadeloupe. It first operated on the regional network, providing inter-island connections, before expanding to transatlantic routes in 2003. Air Caraïbes has arranged schedules on its regional network to offer passengers from Metropolitan France optimized connections to all its destinations. In 2015, it transported more than 350,000 travelers on its domestic and regional routes. The company has an aircraft load factor of 87%.
Air Caraïbes was founded in 2000 and has its headquarters at the airport of Guadeloupe. It first operated on the regional network, providing inter-island connections, before expanding to transatlantic routes in 2003. Air Caraïbes has arranged schedules on its regional network to offer passengers from Metropolitan France optimized connections to all its destinations. In 2015, it transported more than 350,000 travelers on its domestic and regional routes. The company has an aircraft load factor of 87%.
Share this article
Press Contacts
About ATR
ATR is the world number one regional aircraft manufacturer with its ATR 42 and 72 aircraft the best-selling aircraft in the less than 90-seat market segment. The unifying vision of the company’s employees is to help everyone, no matter where they are in the world, to connect and develop in a responsible manner. Thanks to the efficiency of turboprop technology and the benefits of the company’s focus on continuous innovation, ATR aircraft open over 130 new routes every year on average, burn 45% less fuel and emit 45% less CO2 than regional jets. For all of these reasons, ATR aircraft have been chosen by some 200 companies in 100 countries around the world. ATR is a joint-venture between Airbus and Leonardo.