Air New Zealand, the third largest ATR operator, has taken delivery of the 1,600th ATR aircraft as the company celebrates their 40th anniversary. The delivery marks the last of Air New Zealand’s ATR 72-600s out of 29 ordered.
On Friday (December 17, 2021), ATR announced the delivery of the last of 29 ATR 72-600s on order by Air New Zealand, the world’s third largest ATR operator. The aircraft marks ATR’s 1,600th delivery, as the company celebrates their 40th anniversary this month. The ties between the companies started 25 years ago with the delivery of first generation ATRs. The introduction of the RNP AR 0.3/0.3 feature as part of ATR’s latest Standard 3 avionics suite helped the airline and pilots with the accuracy of the approach into Queenstown Airport. The ATR 72-600 also burns 40 percent less fuel and emits 40 percent less CO2 than a similarly sized regional jet.
In Friday’s announcement, Air New Zealand’s Chief Executive, Greg Foran, said,
“We really value our longstanding relationship with ATR and this will be the 29th to join our fleet since 2012. During that time the fleet of ATRs have boosted the airline’s regional network by over 50 per cent and they have proven extremely efficient. Our ATRs have helped us build one of the best domestic networks in the world and have flown an estimated 33.5 million passengers on more than 636,000 flights around New Zealand.”
Also commenting on the company's 1,600th delivery, ATR’s CEO, Stefano Bortoli, said,
“We are of course proud of this achievement and I recognise the hard work and dedication of every ATR employee, past and present, in getting us here. As we have recently celebrated 40 years of making a difference, it is the perfect moment to think about how the ATR has supported communities throughout New Zealand. Passengers really depend on our aircraft to access opportunities to do business, study or simply see their loved ones. An aircraft needs to be efficient and versatile to thrive in New Zealand, so it makes perfect sense to build a fleet of turboprops. And while today there are many ATR’s in New Zealand, there is now also an important part of New Zealand in many ATRs, thanks to their input into the RNP AR 0.3/0.3 approach technology. Meaning that operators all over the world can benefit from yet another innovative product evolution.”
Celebrating their 40th anniversary, ATR has reached major milestones including 1,800 aircraft orders and 1,600 deliveries. During 2021, the company delivered 16 aircraft, and expects to deliver triple the number of deliveries compared to 2020 by the end of the year. ATR sees strong potential for growth in regional aviation, including a replacement wave of over 900 turboprops in the 30-50 seat categories. The company’s turboprop aircraft represent the optimal and most sustainable choice for regional deployment at the lowest operating costs, and offer the ability to serve isolated communities living near challenging airfields. Over the last decade, ATR has held 75 percent of the turboprop market and 36 percent of the overall regional aircraft market.
Source: ATR
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