ATR 42

The ATR 42 is a regional airliner produced by Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR, with final assembly in Toulouse, France.

On 4 November 1981, the aircraft was launched with ATR, as a joint venture between French Aérospatiale (now Airbus) and Aeritalia (now Leonardo S.p.A.).
The ATR 42-300 performed its maiden flight on 16 August 1984 and type certification was granted during September 1985.
Launch customer Air Littoral operated its first revenue-earning flight in December of that year.

The high-wing airliner is powered by two turboprop engines, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120s.
The number "42" in its name is derived from the aircraft's original standard seating capacity of 42 passengers.

Later variants are upgraded with new avionics, a glass cockpit, and newer engine versions.
The ATR 42 is the basis for the stretched ATR 72, introduced in October 1989.

Development

During the 1960s and 1970s, European aircraft manufacturers had, for the most part, undergone considerable corporate restructuring, including mergers and consolidations, as well as moved towards collaborative multinational programmes, such as the newly launched Airbus A300. In line with this trend towards intra-European co-operation, French aerospace company Aérospatiale and Italian aviation conglomerate Aeritalia commenced discussions on the topic of working together to develop an all-new regional airliner. Prior to this, both companies had been independently conducting studies for their own aircraft concepts, the AS 35 design in the case of Aerospatiale and the AIT 230 for Aeritalia, to conform with demand within this sector of the market as early as 1978.

Initial development

On 4 November 1981, a formal co-operation agreement was signed by Aeritalia chairman Renato Bonifacio and Aerospatiale chairman Jacques Mitterrand in Paris. This agreement signaled not only the merger of their efforts, but also of their separate concept designs together into a single complete aircraft design for the purpose of pursuing its development and manufacture as a collaborative joint venture.
The consortium then targeted a similar unit cost, but a fuel consumption over a sector, nearly half the required by its 40-50 seat competitors, the British Aerospace HS.748 and Fokker F.27, and planned a 58-seat ATR XX stretch.

This agreement served not only as the basis and origins of the ATR company, but also as the effective launch point of what would become the fledgling firm's first aircraft, which was designated as the ATR 42. By 1983, ATR's customer services division has been set up, readying infrastructure worldwide to provide support for ATR's upcoming aircraft to any customer regardless of location."Company milestones."
'' ATR'', Retrieved: 29 July 2017.
On 16 August 1984, the first ATR 42 conducted its maiden flight from Toulouse Airport, France. During September 1985, both the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Italian Italian Civil Aviation Authority awarded type certification for the type, clearing it to commence operational service.

Introduction

On 3 December 1985, the first production aircraft, designated as the ATR 42-300, was delivered to French launch customer Air Littoral, with the first revenue service, between Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport and Paris Orly airport taking place on 23 December. During January 1986, already confident of the ATR 42's success and of the demand for an enlarged version of the aircraft, ATR announced that the launch of a programme to develop such an aircraft, which was designated as the ATR 72 to reflect its increased passenger capacity.

By the end of 1986, the ATR 42 had accumulated a sizable backlog of orders, which in turn led to a ramping up of the type's rate of production. During August 1988, ATR's marketing efforts in the lucrative North American market resulted in the securing of a large order of 50 ATR-42-300s from US operator Texas Air Corporation; that same year, another American regional carrier, Trans World Express, received the 100th production aircraft. On 1 July 1989, ATR opened their new global training centre for the type in Toulouse, which provided centralised and modern facilities for the training to airline staff and other personnel across the world. During June 1999, the ATR global training center became one of the first European institutions to be recognised as a Type Rating Training Organization, as defined by the Joint Aviation Authorities.

During September 1989, ATR announced it had achieved its original target of 400 sales of the ATR. That same year, deliveries of the enlarged ATR 72 commenced; shortly thereafter, both types commonly were ordered together. Since the smaller ATR 42 is assembled on the same production line as the ATR 72, along with sharing the majority of subsystems, components, and manufacturing techniques, the two types support each other to remain in production. This factor may have been crucial, as by 2015, the ATR 42 was the only 50-seat regional aircraft that was still being manufactured.Sheppard, Ian
"ATR Continues To Drive Turboprop Revolution."
''AIN Online'', 8 November 2015.

ATR 42-320

To maintain a technological edge on the highly competitive market for regional airliners during the 1990s, several modifications and improved versions of the ATR 42 were progressively introduced. The initial ATR 42-300 model remained in production until 1996, while the first upgraded (and broadly similar) model, designated as the 'ATR 42-320, was also produced until 1996. The -320 variant principally differed in that it was powered by a pair of the more-powerful PW121 engines, giving it improved performance over the 300. Another variant, the ATR 42-300QC, was a dedicated quick-change (convertible) freight/passenger version of the standard -300 series.

ATR 42-500

The next major production version was the ATR 42-500 series, the development of which having been originally announced on 14 June 1993. Performing its maiden flight on 16 September 1994, and awarded certification by the British Civil Aviation Authority and France's DGCA during July 1995; the -500 model was an upgraded aircraft, equipped with new PW127 engines, new six-bladed propellers, improved hot and high performance, increased weight capacity, and an improved passenger cabin. On 31 October 1995, the first ATR 42-500 was delivered to Italian operator Air Dolomiti; on 19 January 1996, the first revenue service to be performed by the type was conducted.
On 19 November 2000, 120 min ETOPS were approved.

In addition to new aircraft models, various organisational changes were also implemented. On 10 July 1998, ATR launched its new asset management department. In June 2001, EADS and Alenia Aeronautica, ATR's parent companies, decided to reinforce their partnership, regrouping all industrial activities related to regional airliners underneath the ATR consortium. On 3 October 2003, ATR became one of the first aircraft manufacturers to be certified under ISO 9001-2000 and EN/AS/JISQ 9100, the worldwide quality standard for the aeronautics industry. During July 2004, ATR and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer announced a cooperation agreement on the AEROChain Portal for the purpose of delivering improved customer service. During April 2009, ATR announces the launch of its 'Door-2-Door' service as a new option in its comprehensive customer-services range.

ATR 42-600

The current production version is the ATR 42-600 series. On 2 October 2007, ATR CEO Stéphane Mayer announced the launch of the -600 series aircraft; the ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 featured various improvements to increase efficiency, dispatch reliability, and lower fuel burn and operating costs. While broadly similar to the earlier -500 model, differences include the adoption of improved PW127M engines, a new glass cockpit, and a variety of other minor improvements. Using the test registration ''F-WWLY'', the prototype ATR 42-600 first flew on 4 March 2010. The first aircraft was delivered to Tanzanian airline Precision Air in November 2012.

As a consequence of strong demand for the -600 series, ATR decided to invest in the establishment of a second, more modern final-assembly line and acquisition of more hangar space at their Toulouse site, along with a new large completion and delivery area; overall, the manufacturing operation expanded to four times the footprint that it had in 2005. Speaking in October 2015, ATR CEO Patrick de Castelbajac stated that the firm was set to produce in excess of 90 aircraft that year, and that the new manufacturing facilities could support a production rate of up to 120 per year. At the time, the company had a backlog of orders for 300 aircraft, sufficient for three years' of production. During 2017, a new in-house financing and leasing division was established by ATR to offer customers a greater degree of support and expand the company's range of services.

Considerable emphasis has been placed upon the continuous development of ATR's aircraft models.
Additionally, during the mid-2010s, reports emerged that the development of a further stretched 90-seat ATR model was under consideration as well; allegedly, shareholder Airbus was relatively unenthusiastic on proceeding with such a development, while ATR CEO Fabrice Brégier favoured a focus on resolving manufacturing issues.

42-600S STOL

During the late 2010s, ATR conducted a feasibility study into developing the ATR 42's short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities, potentially enabling the type to make use of runways as short as 800 m (2,625 ft) via the adoption of enhanced brakes and a drastically modified tail unit; the company viewed this measure as expanding the aircraft's potential and opening new sales possibilities.Sheppard, Ian
"ATR Creates Leasing, Asset Management & Freighter Unit."
''AIN Online'', 7 June 2017. It could introduce a steep approach capability and operating costs that compare to 30-seaters.

STOL improvements should be launched in 2019 to reduce landing distance from .
Existing control surfaces would be re-engineered with takeoff flaps extended to 25°, and both spoilers deploying at landing and not only for inflight turns, adding an autobrake system, while the rudder is modified to increase its maximum deflection and the vertical stabilizer's size is increased, to counter an engine failure, lowering the minimum control speed.

ATR estimates a market for STOL 20–42 seaters of 800 over 30 years, to serve islands and deliver cargo to short runways.
The ATR 42-600S empty weight will be reduced with lighter seats and galley fittings. The variant was officially announced at the June 2019 Paris Air Show. Irish lessor Elix Aviation Capital will be the launch customer, taking 10 aircraft from 2022 to 2024; commitments from Air Tahiti and another undisclosed customer bring the total order book to 17.

On 9 October 2019, ATR launched the ATR 42-600S at the European Regions Airline Association General Assembly, with 20 commitments including from Elix Aviation Capital (10 aircraft) and Air Tahiti (two aircraft).
Capable of operating from runways with up to 42 passengers, certification is expected for the second half of 2022 before first delivery.
The ATR 42-600S can access close to 500 airports with an runway, expanding its addressable market by 25%.

The variant made a 2h 15min maiden flight on 11 May 2022, while the larger rudder will be fitted at the end of 2022 before the certification phase start in 2023.

Design

The ATR 42 is a straight high-wing airliner with twin turboprops and a T-tail, certified in the transport category, and powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120s.
It has deicing boots to fly in icing conditions and a retractable landing gear in fairings under the fuselage, with wheel sides visible in flight.
It has no Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), but can still be autonomous in ground operations, as it has a propeller brake on the starboard engine, allowing the engine to remain running to provide power on the ground.

It has a pressurized cabin with a circular cross-section, with a inside width for four-abreast seating, allowing 48 seats at a seat pitch.
It has a wing area and a wing span, for a wing aspect ratio.
It has a MTOW, for a wing loading.
It can reach a cruise speed of 300 kt (556 km/h) true air speed, with a fuel flow of 811 kg/h (1,788 lb/h): a fuel economy of kg/km ( lb/nmi) or per seat with 48 seats and a jet fuel density of 0.8.

Operational history

On 21 August 1990, US airline American Eagle placed a large order for ATRs, composed of 41 ATR 42s and 59 ATR 72s, further consolidating ATR's position in North America. On 5 September 1997, American Eagle took delivery of the 500th ATR to be built. On 5 June 1998, Tarom, the national carrier of Romania, accepted delivery of its first two ATR 42-500s, of a batch of seven aircraft ordered a year earlier. On 28 June 1998, ATR gained a foothold in the Cuban market following an order from airline Cubana de Aviacion for the ATR 42. During 2000, the combined global ATR fleet attained its 10,000,000th flight, during which a cumulative distance around 4 billion km (2.5 billion statute miles) had been traversed, and around 450 million passengers had flown onboard ATR-built aircraft. In 2007, a new record was set for the programme's sales; 113 new ATR aircraft having been ordered during a single year.

2011 was another record-breaking year for sales at ATR.Alcock, Charles
"ATR's Record Year Set To Get Better."
''AIN Online'', 11 November 2011. According to ATR's CEO Filippo Bagnato, sales had continued to grow during the Great Recession despite the downturn experienced by most aviation companies as "fuel consumption that can be half that of the alternatives and ithlower maintenance costs". Bagnato noted the strength of Africa as a market for the type, as well as the firm's aircraft being capable of serving destinations that would otherwise be inaccessible with other aircraft due to the austere conditions of many airstrips and runways in the region, as well as the ability to operate autonomously without any reliance upon ground support equipment. For 2013, ATR claimed a 48% global market share for regional aircraft deliveries between 50 and 90 seats (comprising both turboprops and jets), making it the dominant manufacturer within this sector of the market. That same year, during which firm orders for 10 ATR 42-600s and 79 ATR 72-600s were recorded, leasing companies were responsible for 70% of these; according to ATR's CEO Filippo Bagnato: "Years ago, we were not even considered by the lessors; now they see ATRs as a good investment".

During May 1997, ATR had achieved its first breakthrough sale in China, placed by operator China Xinjiang Airlines

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