ATR går for 90-seter

Thursday, January 23, 2014

ATR Sustains Regional Aircraft Market Domination

Woodrow Bellamy III 

ATR continued to dominate the regional air transport market in 2013, increasing revenue by 13 percent to $1.63 billion along with delivering a new record of 74 aircraft to account for nearly half of all new aircraft with up to 90 seats.

 

 

ATR Final Assembly Factory. Photo, courtesy of ATR. 

 

Speaking in Paris, the company’s Chief Executive Filippo Bagnato said he expects ATR to post an Earnings Before Interest (EBIT) profit figure of nearly $150 million for 2013. The Airbus Group-Finmeccanica SpA (FNC) joint venture has seen resurgence in demand for its 50-seat and 70-seat turboprop aircraft, which are more fuel-efficient than jetliners, and is now considering building a larger 90-seat airplane.  

 

Bagnato said there is growing interest coming from Asia Pacific regional carriers in a new 90-seat variant.Airbus has not shown as much interest as Finmeccanica in building a 90-seat version of the ATR series turboprops; however, Giuseppe Giordo, the head of Finmeccanica’s Alenia Aermacchi unit involved in ATR, said in June that the company will pursue the larger aircraft with or without Airbus.

 

Since 2008, ATR has accounted for nearly 85 percent of sales of all aircraft under 90 seats to airlines based in Latin America and Southeast Asia. Last year the airframe manufacturer’s backlog increased to 221 aircraft valued at $5.3 billion.  

 

ATR’s 74 deliveries in 2013 compares to rival manufacturers of regional aircraft such as Bombardier, which delivered 55 regional jets, and Embraer which reported total deliveries of 28 regional aircraft within up-to-90 seats segment. 

 

"We continued to expand our presence worldwide and consolidate the attractiveness of our products and our services to some 190 operating companies. We are very proud to have the largest portfolio of operators out of all the manufacturers of regional aircraft,” said Bagnato.