Aircraft
ATR Surveys Growth Prospects in U.S. and China
The Franco-Italian airframer sees a bright future for turboprops, as it finalizes STOL and pure freighter variants.
ATR chief executive Stefano Bortoli says the U.S. market again presents a prime opportunity to market his company's turboprops. (Photo: ATR)
ATR chief executive Stefano Bortoli says the U.S. market again presents a prime opportunity to market his company's turboprops. (Photo: ATR)

Regional turboprop manufacturer ATR has reflected on its mixed fortunes in 2018, while highlighting that the Franco-Italian company still dominates its market segment. It believes a return to the U.S. market represents a massive sales opportunity, while it continues to work on China as an emerging prospect given its airlines fly fewer than 100 regional aircraft during a time of heavy investment in regional airports. “Our next project for us is to tap into markets that are not fully exploited,” ATR CEO Stefano Bortoli told a press conference in Paris on Thursday. “We did a demo tour in China, for example landing at Shangri’La Airport with a 42-600. So the goal is to certify the 42-600 in China in 2019.”