ATR Wins Australian Certification
ATR Regional Aircraft has just achieved a major milestone in Australia, securing type certification from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for operators to introduce its 70 seater ATR 72-500 aircraft into the country.
The CASA approval means that the ATR 72-500 complies with the country’s regulatory standards, and is now approved for streamlined entry into Australian skies.
The certification of the aircraft – technically classified as the ATR 72-212A – complements that already obtained in 2007 for the 50-seat ATR-42 models. Two ATR-42s are already flying freight in Australia for Toll Holdings, and the ATR-72 is the backbone of Air New Zealand’s regional airliner fleet.
ATR (Avions de Transport Régional) says: “The ATR 72-500 provides a fresh, comprehensive and cost-effective fleet solution for both scheduled and charter airlines in Australia seeking to replace or upgrade current turboprop aircraft such as Saab 340s, Bombardier Dash 8s, Embraer Brasilias or Fokker 50s, or to scale down from older, more expensive regional jets.”
Laurent Negre, Sales Director, Australia and South Pacific, said the ATR 72-500 was ideally suited to operations in a wide variety of climates, with more than 220 of the type already flying with 43 operators worldwide.
“These aircraft already operate very successfully in diverse markets ranging from alpine New Zealand to the tropical Pacific Islands and the steamy conditions of South-East Asia, and more ATR 72-500s are currently on order for carriers in neighboring markets including Indonesia, French Polynesia and Vanuatu,” said Mr Negre.
“In Australia, we believe the ATR 72-500 is also particularly well-suited to carriers serving the resources industry with Fly In – Fly Out services to remote mine sites or scheduled flights to other challenging destinations,” he said.
“Anticipating this use we have certificated the aircraft models using the high performance Pratt and Whitney Canada PW 127 engines, designed specifically for short runways and so-called ‘hot and high’ airfield operations, which are very common in regional and outback Australia.”’
