ATR 72-600 (F-WWEY): Franco-Italian turboprop regional airliner
The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR (Avions de transport régional or Aerei da Trasporto Regionale), a joint venture formed by French aerospace company Aérospatiale (now Airbus) and Italian aviation conglomerate Aeritalia (now Leonardo S.p.A.). The number “72” in its name is derived from the aircraft’s typical standard seating capacity of 72 passengers.
During the 1980s, French aerospace company Aérospatiale and Italian aviation conglomerate Aeritalia merged their work on a new generation of regional aircraft. A new jointly owned company, ATR, was established to develop, manufacture, and market their first airliner, which was later designated as the ATR 42.
On 16 August 1984, the first model of the series, designated as the ATR 42-300, performed the type’s maiden flight. During the mid-1980s, the ATR 72 was developed as a stretched variant of the ATR 42. On 27 October 1989, Finnish airline Finnair became the first airline to operate the type in revenue service. The ATR 72 has also been used as a corporate transport, cargo aircraft, and maritime patrol aircraft.
Made in Italy and France
First flight: 1988
Crew: 4 (captain, first officer, 2 flight attendants)
Capacity: 72 seats
Engine: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127XT-M
Power: 2475 HP
Speed: 510 km/h
Range: 1,528 km (949 mi)
Ceiling: 7,600 m
Weight: 13620 kg
ATR is a Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Blagnac, France, a suburb of Toulouse.
It was formed during 1981 as a joint venture between Aérospatiale of France (now Airbus) and Aeritalia (now Leonardo) of Italy. The company’s principal products are the ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft, of which it has developed multiple variants of both types. ATR has sold more than 1,600 aircraft and has over 200 operators in more than 100 countries.
Leonardo’s manufacturing facilities in Pomigliano d’Arco, near Naples, Italy, produce the aircraft’s fuselage and tail sections. Aircraft wings are assembled at Sogerma in Bordeaux in western France by Airbus France. Final assembly, flight-testing, certification and deliveries are the responsibility of ATR in Toulouse, France.
