French-Italian regional turboprop manufacturer Avions de Transport Régional (ATR) is considering a new aircraft to complement its 46/50 passenger ATR 42 and 68/74-seat ATR 72 regional turboprop aircraft. CEO Stéphane Mayer confirmed that the airframer is studying a larger turboprop, probably to seat between 90 and 100 seats, and options including a two- or three-member family. “A stretch [of today’s ATR 72] is not a solution,” he said.
The company is “contemplating a larger, new-generation aircraft with the same capabilities as the new ATR 72-600 with lower emissions, [better] comfort, [more] concern for the environment and [better] cost-effectiveness, compared to similar-range turboprops and jets,” Mayer told AIN. “This could be in the 70- to 90-seat range or even up to 98 or 99.”
The new ATR family–two or three aircraft depending on the market–must represent a “real breakthrough” in technology and cost to the customer, Mayer added. The fuel bill is growing, he said, even for ATRs, but turboprops remain the most economic aircraft. “The big question is how the planet can afford air transport,” said Mayer. He could offer no explicit information about a potential engine, cost or a time frame, however.
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