ATR’s New Pratts Get EASA Nod
Plans call for the PW127N to progressively roll into Avianca’s ATR fleet throughout this year and next.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified the new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127N turboprop to power the ATR 72-600. The PW127N offers 4.5 percent more takeoff power for better hot-and-high performance. Plans call for the PW127N to progressively roll into Avianca’s ATR fleet throughout this year and next. ATR expects to deliver the first Avianca ATR 72-600 equipped with the new engines “in the coming weeks,” allowing the airline to benefit from better takeoff performance at high-altitude airports such as its hub in Bogota, Colombia. Meanwhile, minor hardware modifications will allow field conversions from the PW127M to the PW127N for any ATR 72-600 operator.