The ATR 42-600, certified by EASA
ATR, sole manufacturer of 50-seater regional aircraft, continues to invest in this niche market
ATR, manufacturer of turboprop aircraft, is pleased to announce that the ATR 42-600, new member of its family of airplanes, just obtained certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This certification, prior to the aircraft’s entry into service and for the plane’s new equipment, marks the end of a series of ground and in-flight tests which were performed on the ATR 42-600 prototype. It demonstrates ATR’s willingness to continue investing in the 50-seater aircraft segment, a niche market for which it is the lone manufacturer.
Within the framework of the test campaign, the ATR 42-600 benefited from its similarity to the ATR 72-600, which was certified in May 2011. As for the ATR 72-600, all of the tests on the ATR 42-600 were used to validate that the new systems and equipment installed on board operate correctly, especially the new “glass cockpit” avionics suite with 5 LCD screens, new communication, navigation and monitoring systems, flight management system (FMS), automatic pilot, alert management and multi-purpose computer (MPC, which integrates aircraft maintenance and protection functions in particular).
Since the launch of the “-600” program in October 2007, ATR has already received orders for a total of 250 ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 aircraft.
Entry into service of the new ATR 42-600 is scheduled for summer 2012. The ATR 72-600, it has been in service since August 2011 and is currently operated by 7 airlines worldwide.
Filippo Bagnato, Chief Executive Officer of ATR, said: “We are very pleased to see that the entire ATR “-600” family is now ready to operate for our customers. Today we are the only manufacturer of 50-seater aircraft in the world and we estimate that, over the next twenty years, there will be a substantial potential market in this category. Therefore, we must offer the market an aircraft equipped with all the latest technology and the highest levels of comfort.
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About ATR
ATR is the world number one regional aircraft manufacturer with its ATR 42 and 72, the best-selling aircraft in the below 90-seat market segment. The unifying vision of the company is to accelerate sustainable connections for people, communities and businesses, no matter how remote. Flown by some 200 airlines in over 100 countries, ATR aircraft opened 160 new routes in 2023, facilitating the development of territories and enabling access to crucial services like healthcare and education. Thanks to ATR’s focus on continuous innovation and the intrinsic efficiency of the turboprop technology, ATR aircraft are the most advanced, versatile, cost-effective and lowest-emission regional aircraft on the market, emitting 45% less CO2 than similar-size regional jets. In January 2022, we flew the first ever commercial aircraft using 100% SAF in both engines. ATR is a joint-venture between Airbus and Leonardo.