Aircraft
First New-Build ATR 72 Freighter Takes Flight
The first purpose-built regional freighter from ATR took off for the first time on Wednesday from Toulouse.
The first ATR 72-600F turboprop takes off from the company's Saint-Martin site in Toulouse. (Photo: ATR)
The first ATR 72-600F turboprop takes off from the company's Saint-Martin site in Toulouse. (Photo: ATR)

ATR took its new ATR 72-600F purpose-built regional freighter on its first flight on Wednesday from its Saint-Martin site in Toulouse, France, the company said in a statement. The flight took off at 2 pm local time and lasted two hours. During the flight, crewmembers onboard performed a number of tests to measure the new aircraft’s flight envelope and flight performance. ATR plans to deliver the first of the new model by year-end to FedEx Express, which placed a firm order for 30 aircraft and reserved options on another 20 in November 2017.