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ATR (aircraft manufacturer)

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Avions de Transport Régional GIE.
Company typeJoint venture
ATR
IndustryAerospace
Founded1981; 43 years ago (1981)
HeadquartersToulouse Blagnac International Airport,
Blagnac
,
France
Key people
Nathalie Tarnaud Laude (CEO)[1]
ProductsATR 42, ATR 72
RevenueIncreaseUS$1.2 billion (2023)[2]
Number of employees
1,300+ (2017)[3]
ParentAirbus (50%)
Leonardo (50%)
Websiteatr-aircraft.com
ATR 42, 22.67 m long
ATR 72, 27.17 m long

ATR (French: Avions de transport régional; Italian: Aerei da Trasporto Regionale; or "Regional Transport Airplanes" in English) is a Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Blagnac, France, a suburb of Toulouse.[4]

The company was founded in 1981 as a joint venture between Aérospatiale of France (now Airbus) and Aeritalia (now Leonardo) of Italy.[5] Its main products are the ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft. ATR has sold more than 1,600 aircraft and has over 200 operators in more than 100 countries.

Manufacturing

Leonardo's manufacturing facilities in Pomigliano d'Arco, near Naples, Italy, produce the aircraft's fuselage and tail sections. Aircraft wings are assembled at Sogerma in Bordeaux in western France by Airbus France. Final assembly, flight-testing, certification and deliveries are the responsibility of ATR in Toulouse, France.[6]

History

1980s

During the 1960s and 1970s, European aircraft manufacturers had, for the most part, undergone considerable corporate restructuring, including mergers and consolidations, as well as moved towards collaborative multi-national programmes, such as the newly launched Airbus A300. In line with this trend towards intra-European cooperation, French aerospace company Aérospatiale and Italian aviation conglomerate Aeritalia commenced discussions on the topic of working together to develop an all-new regional airliner. Prior to this, both companies had been independently conducting studies for their own aircraft concepts, the AS 35 design in the case of Aerospatiale and the AIT 230 for Aeritalia, to conform with demand within this sector of the market as early as 1978.[7]

On 4 November 1981, a formal Cooperation Agreement was signed by Aeritalia chairman Renato Bonifacio and Aérospatiale chairman Jacques Mitterrand in Paris, France. This agreement signaled not only the merger of their efforts but of their separate concept designs together into a single complete aircraft design for the purpose of pursuing its development and manufacture as a collaborative joint venture.[7] The consortium targeted a similar unit cost but a 950 lb (430 kg) fuel consumption over a 200 nmi (370 km) sector, nearly half the 1,750 lb (790 kg) required by its 40-50 seat competitors, the British Aerospace HS.748 and Fokker F.27, and planned a 58-seat ATR XX stretch.[8]

This agreement served not only as the basis and origins of the ATR company, but also as the effective launch point of what would become the fledgling firm's first aircraft, which was designated as the ATR 42. By 1983, ATR's customer services division has been set up, readying infrastructure worldwide to provide support for ATR's upcoming aircraft to any customer regardless of location.[7]

On 16 August 1984, the first model of the type, known as the ATR 42–200, conducted its maiden flight from Toulouse Airport, France.[7] During September 1985, both the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Italian Italian Civil Aviation Authority awarded type certification for the type, clearing it to commence operational service. On 3 December 1985, the first production aircraft, designated as the ATR 42-300, was delivered to French launch customer Air Littoral; the first revenue service was performed later that same month.[9] During January 1986, already confident of the ATR 42's success and of the demand for an enlarged version of the aircraft, ATR announced that the launch of a programme to develop such an aircraft, which was designated as the ATR 72 to reflect its increased passenger capacity.[7]

During 1988, the 200th ATR was delivered to Thai Airways.[10] During September 1989, it was announced that ATR had achieved its original target of 400 sales of the ATR.[9] That same year, deliveries of the enlarged ATR 72 commenced; shortly thereafter, it became common for both types to be ordered together.[7] Since the smaller ATR 42 is assembled on the same production line as the ATR 72, along with sharing the majority of subsystems, components, and manufacturing techniques, the two types support each other to remain in production. This factor may have been crucial as, by 2015, the ATR 42 was the only 50-seat regional aircraft that was still being manufactured.[11][12]

1990s

During September 1992, the 300th ATR was delivered to Finnish airline Karair.[13] The 500th ATR was delivered to American Eagle, USA on 5 September 1997.[14]

In order to maintain a technological edge on the highly competitive market for regional airliners during the 1990s, several modifications and improved versions of the ATR 42 were progressively introduced. The initial ATR 42-300 model remained in production until 1996, while the first upgraded (and broadly similar) model, designated as the ATR 42-320, was also produced until 1996. The -320 variant principally differed in that it was powered by a pair of the more-powerful PW121 engines, giving it improved performance over the 300. Another variant, the ATR 42-300QC, was a dedicated 'quick-change' (convertible) freight/passenger version of the standard −300 series.[15][9]

The next major production version was the ATR 42−500 series, the development of which having been originally announced on 14 June 1993.[9] Performing its maiden flight on 16 September 1994, and awarded certification by the British Civil Aviation Authority and France's (DGCA) during July 1995;[9] the -500 model was an upgraded aircraft, equipped with new PW127 engines, new six-bladed propellers, improved hot and high performance, increased weight capacity and an improved passenger cabin. On 31 October 1995, the first ATR 42-500 was delivered to Italian operator Air Dolomiti; on 19 January 1996, the first revenue service to be performed by the type was conducted.[7] In addition to new aircraft models, various organisational changes were also implemented. On 10 July 1998, ATR launched its new Asset Management Department.[9]

2000s

On 28 April 2000, the 600th ATR, an ATR 72-500, was delivered to Italian operator Air Dolomiti.[16] The 700th aircraft, an ATR 72-500, was delivered to Indian airline Simplify Deccan, on 8 September 2006.[17]

In June 2001, EADS and Alenia Aeronautica, ATR's parent companies, decided to reinforce their partnership, regrouping all industrial activities related to regional airliners underneath the ATR consortium.[7] On 3 October 2003, ATR became one of the first aircraft manufacturers to be certified under ISO 9001-2000 and EN/AS/JISQ 9100, the worldwide quality standard for the aeronautics industry. During July 2004, ATR and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer announced a cooperation agreement on the AEROChain Portal for the purpose of delivering improved customer service.[7] During April 2009, ATR announces the launch of its 'Door-2-Door' service as a new option in its comprehensive customer services range.[7]

On 2 October 2007, ATR CEO Stéphane Mayer announced the launch of the −600 series aircraft; the ATR 42–600 and ATR 72–600 featured various improvements to increase efficiency, dispatch reliability, lower fuel burn and operating costs. While broadly similar to the earlier -500 model; differences include the adoption of improved PW127M engines, a new glass cockpit, and a variety of other minor improvements. Using the test registration F-WWLY, the prototype ATR 42–600 first flew on 4 March 2010.[18][19]

2010s

The 900th aircraft, an ATR 72-500, was delivered to Brazilian airline TRIP Linhas Aéreas on 10 September 2010.[20] During 2011, Royal Air Maroc took delivery of the first ATR 72-600. The 1,000th aircraft was delivered to Spain's Air Nostrum on May 3, 2012.[21] On 15 June 2015, Japan Air Commuter signed a contract for ATR's 1,500th aircraft.

On 1 February 2016, ATR signed a major agreement with Iran Air for 40 ATR 72-600s. The 1,300th ATR, an ATR 72-600, was delivered to NAC for operation by Irish airline Stobart Air on 14 June 2016; that same year, ATR delivered the first ever ATR 72-600 High Capacity aircraft (78 seats) to Cebu Pacific. In October 2016, Christian Scherer was appointed CEO.[22]

In 2017, ATR celebrated its 35th anniversary. On 1 February, ATR and Sweden's BRA performed the first ATR biofuel flight. During August 2017, US regional carrier Silver Airways signed a letter of intent for up to 50 ATR 42, a return in the continental US market since 1997 when American Airlines converted 12 ATR 72 options, due to the rise of regional jets and the American Eagle Flight 4184 crash in 1994.[23] ATR lowered its output to 80 deliveries a year from 2017 and boasts a nearly three-year backlog after FedEx Express' November 2017 order.[24] In 2017, ATR booked 113 firm orders and 40 options, and delivered 80 aircraft: 70 new ATR 72-600s, 8 new ATR 42-600s and 2 second hand ATRs.

By April 2018, the fleet was flying more than 5,000 times per day and had operated 30 million flight hours.[3] By the end of June 2018, Leonardo had shipped the 1,500th ATR fuselage while nearly 1,700 airliners had been ordered; ATR reportedly led the turboprop regional airliner market since 2010 with a 75% share. The company's aircraft were being operated in nearly 100 countries by 200 airlines and 30 million flights has been completed; it was also claimed that an ATR airliner takes off or lands every 8 seconds.[25]

On 13 September, Scherer left its CEO role to replace Eric Schulz as Airbus' Chief Commercial Officer.[22] ATR replaced Scherer as its chief executive with Stefano Bortoli, president of ATR's board and Leonardo aircraft's senior vice-president for strategy and marketing.[1] At the end of October, the 1,500th ATR was delivered, an ATR 72-600 to Japan Air Commuter, after nearly 500 ATR 42s and more than 1,000 ATR 72s deliveries to over 200 operators in 100 countries.[26] During 2018, ATR delivered 76 aircraft; the rate of production has held at a stable rate. The company opted to pursue a low-risk strategy, avoiding disruptive measures while opting to integrate relatively straightforward enhancements onto its aircraft, such as the Elbit Systems ClearVision wearable enhanced vision system.[27]

Previous ATR logo

2020s

In May 2022, ATR started studying an Evo hybrid-electric variant, aiming for a 2023 launch and service entry before 2030.[28] An optimized turboprop running on SAF would be supplemented by a mild hybridation during the take-off and climb phases for a 20% lower fuel burn.[28] Other improvements could include an eight-bladed propeller, thermal de-icing to replace the current pneumatic boots, a single lever FADEC for both engine and propeller and an aerodynamic clean-up of the secondary structures like the nacelle-wing junction.[28] A cabin revamp would save weight with recycled carbonfibre or bio-sourced resin and natural fibres.[28]

On September 17, 2022, Stefano Bortoli was succeeded as CEO of ATR by Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, former president of NHIndustries and Senior Vice President Head of the NH90 Programme for Airbus Helicopters.[29] On 21 June 2022, ATR completed its first flight as a 100% SAF-powered regional aircraft.[30]

Products

ATR family booklet[31]
ATR 42-600 ATR 72-600
Flight crew 2
Seating 48 70
Length 22.67 m (74' 5") 27.166 m (89' 1.5")
Wingspan 24.57 m (80' 7") 27.05 m (88' 9")
Height 7.59 m (24' 11") 7.65 m (25' 1")
Wing area 54.5 m2 (586 sq.ft) 61 m2 (657 sq.ft)
Aspect ratio 11.1 12
Typical empty 11,700 kg - 25,794 lb 13,500 kg - 29,762 lb
MTOW 18,600 kg - 41,005 lb 23,000 kg - 50,705 lb
Max Payload 5,300 kg - 11,684 lb 7,500 kg - 16,534 lb
Fuel capacity 4,500 kg - 9,921 lb 5,000 kg - 11,023 lb
Engines (×2) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M
Power 2,160 shp (1,611 kW) 2,475 shp (1,846 kW)
Cruise speed 300 kn - 556 km/h 275 kn - 510 km/h
max pax range 716 nmi (1,326 km) 825 nmi (1,528 km)

Proposed aircraft

ATR 52
The ATR 52 was a 50-seat airliner proposed in parallel with the military ATR 52C[32]
ATR 52C
The ATR 52C was a military variant of the ATR 72-100 that included a rear ramp-type cargo door and strengthened cabin floor.[33]
ATR 82
Beginning in the mid-1980s, the company investigated a 86-seat derivative of the ATR 72. The ATR 82 would have been powered by turboprops, after an airline survey concluded that the market preferred turboprops instead of turbofans for aircraft that seated fewer than 90 passengers. The 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) powerplants would have been chosen from the Allison AE2100G, Textron Lycoming LP512, or the General Electric GLC38.[34] The aircraft would have a cruising speed as high as 330 knots (610 km/h; 380 mph). The ATR-82 project (as it was dubbed) was suspended when Aero International (Regional) (AI(R)) was formed in early 1996.[35]
ATR 92
The company proposed a five-to-six abreast, 95–105 seat airliner at the 1988 Farnborough Air Show. The aircraft would have cruised at 400 kn (740 km/h; 460 mph), and it would have been powered by a turbofan, high-speed turboprop, or an unducted fan.[36]
ATR stretch
In 2007, as a response to the Q400X proposal, ATR floated the idea of a 90–99 seater stretch.[37] As of 2009, it was considered part of the future -900 series ATR family.[38] In 2011, the 90-seater was proposed to shareholders.[39] As of 2012, a new clean-sheet design was considered in the 90-seat segment, for a 2017 launch.[40]

As of 2017, development of a 90-seater for an expected demand of 2,000–2,500 units over 20 years was expected to cost more than $5bn. Fuel burn would need to be reduced by at least 30%, and the unit price would need to stay in the low-to-mid-$20m range, below small jets.[41] Leonardo preferred a clean-sheet 90-100 seater with new turboprops, wings and cockpit available soon but Airbus favoured a medium-term introduction with disruptive hybrid electric engines, structural advanced materials and automation.[24] In January 2018, Leonardo abandoned the 100-seater prospect, favouring existing ATR 42 and 72 models which dominate the turboprop market with a 75% share.[42]

References

  1. ^ a b ATR Press Office (17 Sep 2022). "ATR appoints Nathalie Tarnaud Laude as Chief Executive Officer". ATR.
  2. ^ "ATR Achieves Robust Growth in 2023". ATR. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Company Profile". ATR. Archived from the original on 2019-07-14. Retrieved 2018-06-30.
  4. ^ "Contact". ATR. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2010..
  5. ^ "Milestones". ATR. Archived from the original on 1 August 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  6. ^ "ATR home page". Atraircraft.com. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Company milestones." ATR, Retrieved: 29 July 2017.
  8. ^ "ATR42 promises low-cost operations". Flight International. 19 December 1981.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Milestones". ATR. 2006. Archived from the original on 17 October 2006.
  10. ^ ATR 200th aircraft, archived from the original on 14 September 2013
  11. ^ Sheppard, Ian. "ATR Continues To Drive Turboprop Revolution." AIN Online, 8 November 2015.
  12. ^ Sheppard, Ian. "ATR Creates Leasing, Asset Management & Freighter Unit." Archived 30 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine AIN Online, 7 June 2017.
  13. ^ ATR 300th aircraft, archived from the original on 13 June 2013
  14. ^ ATR 500th aircraft, archived from the original on 13 June 2013
  15. ^ "ATR ATR-42". Airliners.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  16. ^ ATR 600th aircraft, archived from the original on 13 June 2013
  17. ^ ATR 700th aircraft, archived from the original on 13 June 2013
  18. ^ "Defense & Security Intelligence & Analysis: IHS Jane's — IHS". Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  19. ^ "Photos: ATR ATR-42-600 Aircraft Pictures". Airliners.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  20. ^ "ATR makes 900th delivery". 10 September 2010.
  21. ^ ATR 1000th aircraft, 2012
  22. ^ a b "Commercial Aircraft Christian Scherer appointed Airbus Chief Commercial Officer" (Press release). Airbus. 13 September 2018.
  23. ^ Russell, Edward (3 August 2017). "Has ATR finally ended its two-decade US drought?". FlightGlobal.
  24. ^ a b Stephen Trimble (14 Nov 2017). "ATR considering new corporate structure for flexibility". Flightglobal.
  25. ^ "Leonardo delivers 1,500th fuselage to ATR, historic milestone" (Press release). Leonardo. 6 June 2018.
  26. ^ "ATR delivers 1,500th aircraft" (Press release). ATR. 29 November 2018.
  27. ^ Dubois, Thierry (4 February 2019). "ATR Maintains Its Low-Risk Strategy". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  28. ^ a b c d Dominic Perry (18 May 2022). "ATR powers ahead with hybrid-electric Evo". FlightGlobal.
  29. ^ "ATR appoints Nathalie Tarnaud Laude as Chief Executive Officer". ATR. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  30. ^ "ATR completes first flight of 100% SAF-powered regional aircraft - The AeroNation". The AeroNation. 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
  31. ^ "family booklet" (PDF). ATR. September 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-30.
  32. ^ Lambert, Mark; Munson, Kenneth; Taylor, Michael J.H., eds. (1992). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1992-93 (83rd ed.). Coulson, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group. p. 708.
  33. ^ Penney, Stewart (3 August 1999). "Military aircraft directory part 1". Flight International. ISSN 0015-3710.
  34. ^ Burgner, Norbert (June 1994). France-Italian ATR consortium plans two new aircraft models. West Europe: Corporate Strategies. Science & Technology: Europe/International (Report). JPRS Report. Vol. JPRS-EST-94-017. Translated by Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) (published 28 July 1994). pp. 30–31. hdl:2027/nyp.33433016823886. {{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  35. ^ "ATR 82 information". Airliners.net. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  36. ^ "ATR plans 100-seater" (PDF). Farnborough First News. Flight International. Farnborough, England, United Kingdom. 10 September 1988. p. 16. ISSN 0015-3710. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2019.
  37. ^ Kingsley-Jones, Max. "ATR floats idea of stretched model to tackle 90-seat sector". Flight International, 2007 November 14. Retrieved: 13 February 2009.
  38. ^ O'Keefe, Niall. "Prop manufacturers ponder larger offerings" Flight International, 8 June 2009; retrieved 29 September 2012.
  39. ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David. "ATR more certain over prospects for 90-seat turboprop" Flight International, 18 June 2011; retrieved 29 September 2012.
  40. ^ Trimble, Stephen. "IN FOCUS: Turboprop engine duel strikes up for 90-seater", Flight International, 2012 February 27. Retrieved: 29 September 2012.
  41. ^ "New ATR CEO favors clean-sheet design turboprop". Leeham news. March 30, 2017.
  42. ^ Dan Thisdell (30 Jan 2018). "ATR parent Leonardo rules out 100-seat turboprop". Flightglobal.

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