T

oulouse-Blagnac Airport is home

to the production facility of Avions

de Transport Régional (ATR),

which has been making turboprop

regional airliners since late 1985.

Aérospatiale of France and Italian

aerospace company Aeritalia signed a

co-operative agreement on November 4,

1981 to produce the twin-engined ATR 42

• the designation derived from the number
  of passengers it was expected to carry –
  which was aimed at regional or commuter
  airlines and those working as ‘feeder’
  carriers, ferrying passengers to the hubs for
  onward connections.
  The two partners established ATR three
  months later as a 50:50 joint venture.
  Aeritalia was subsequently renamed Alenia,
  and is currently Leonardo, while Aérospatiale
  was incorporated into EADS, which became
  Airbus SE in 2017.

By the time the  rst of two ATR 42-200

prototypes (F-WEGA) had taken its maiden

 ight, on August 16, 1984, the type was

offered with a standard 46 seats – with a

maximum of 50.

French and Italian civil aviation authorities

certi ed the new airliner in -200 and -300

variants on September 24, 1985. Physically

identical, the -300 had a higher maximum

operating weight and so became the baseline

version from the outset, with the  rst delivery

going to Air Littoral on December 3, 1985.

From 1987, operators requiring better

hot and high performance could opt for the

-320,  tted with Pratt & Whitney Canada

PW121 turboprops instead of PW120s of

the earlier variant.

EXPANSION

The ATR 42 had been designed with growth

in mind, and studies for the company led to

the ATR 72, launched on January 15, 1986.

It had a 14ft 9in (4.50m) longer fuselage,

an 8ft 1¼in (2.47m) larger wingspan – with

an additional 140 imp gal (637 lit) of fuel

in tanks in the outer sections – and more

powerful engines than the ATR 42.

The  rst of three development models

took to the air on October 27, 1988. Initial

production variants were the 72-101/201 and

72-102/202, certi ed in France on September

25 and December 14, 1989, respectively.

The 100- and 200-series differed only

in maximum operating weights, with all

customers opting for the heavier 201/202

models. (The differences between the 101

and 102, 201 and 202, and subsequent 211

and 212 were limited to the types of doors

and emergency exits, and their location on

the aircraft.)

Kar Air of Finland received the  rst ATR

72 (OH-KRB) on October 27, 1989. Hot and

T

the ATR 72, launched on January 15, 1986.

It had a 14ft 9in (4.50m) longer fuselage,

ATR

Propelling Forward

T

de Transport Régional (ATR),

which has been making turboprop

regional airliners since late 1985.

Aérospatiale of France and Italian

 ight, on August 16, 1984, the type was

offered with a standard 46 seats – with a

maximum of 50.

French and Italian civil aviation authorities

an 8ft 1¼in (2.47m) larger wingspan – with

an additional 140 imp gal (637 lit) of fuel

in tanks in the outer sections – and more

powerful engines than the ATR 42.

T

oulouse-Blagnac Airport is home

to the production facility of Avions

By the time the  rst of two ATR 42-200

prototypes (F-WEGA) had taken its maiden

the ATR 72, launched on January 15, 1986.

It had a 14ft 9in (4.50m) longer fuselage,

Propelling ForwardPropelling ForwardPropelling Forward

Dave Willis profi les ATR, the successful French-based

company that builds turboprop airliners.

30 Aviation News incorporating Jets August 2018

30-34_atrDC.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 30 03/07/2018 15:08