ISTAT Jetrader - Summer 2022 - 38

APPRAISAL
ATR 72-600
Amit Tyagi
ISTAT Certified Appraiser
Chief Intelligence Officer
Acumen Aviation
amit.tyagi@acumen.aero
acumen.aero
Photo courtesy of Juan Pablo Munoz.
T
he ATR 72-600
is a twin-engine
turboprop aircraft
originally powered by
the PW127M and is
a stretch of the ATR
42. The ATR 72-600
is typically configured with between 72
and 78 seats. The ATR 42-600 and ATR
72-600 share a substantial number of
components, but only one out of the 10
largest operators of the ATR 72-600
utilizes both variants.
The ATR 72 program was first
announced in 1986 and, in 1989,
Finnair became the first operator.
The ATR 72-600 was launched in
2007, with the first delivery to Royal
Air Maroc in 2011. Deliveries stood
at 564 as of February 2022, with the
combined ATR 72-600 and ATR 42-600
backlog at 167. The -600 features
improved operating economics versus
its predecessor, the ATR 72-500,
through the adoption of the PW127M
powerplant, a lighter structure featuring
carbon-fiber components, and a
modern Thales avionics package with
wide-format displays, thus providing
operational convenience, better
operating performance and higher
payload capability.
Certification of the aircraft with
Category II landing capability along with
an Required Navigation Performance
(RNP) of 0.3 brings flight deck
technology of the ATR 42 and 72-600
38 * THE OF F I C I AL PUBL I CAT I ON OF ISTAT
up to jet aircraft standards. In November
2021, ATR announced the re-engining
of both the ATR 42-600 and the ATR
72-600 with the PW127XT. Air Corsica
is the launch customer with the new
engine for five ATR 72-600s, and
first delivery is expected by year end.
According to ATR and Pratt & Whitney,
the PW127XT will extend time on wing
by 40%, reduce engine maintenance
cost by 20% and reduce fuel
consumption by 3% versus the PW127M.
Just over half of ATR 72-600s reside
in the Asia-Pacific region, with a quarter
in Europe/CIS region. Latin America has
approximately 14%, with the remainder in
North America and Africa. The operator
base is also concentrated with the top
10 operators accounting for 44% of the
current fleet, although none accounts for
more than 8%.
The primary competitor of the ATR
72-600 for new orders has historically
been the Q400, but its production has
been paused and a restart is uncertain,
leaving ATR as the only manufacturer
of commercial turboprops in the 50-80
seat range. While the Q400 has longer
range and higher speed, the market
clearly determined that the better
economics and, to a lesser extent,
the shorter runway requirements, of
the ATR72-600 mattered far more.
As for an expected potential rival
in the near-term, the 70-seat AVIC
Xian MA700 is in jeopardy, according
to FlightGlobal, after the Canadian
government withheld an export
license for its Pratt & Whitney Canada
PW150C powerplant.
Longer term, Embraer expects to
decide later this year or early next
Operator
Wings Air
Indigo
Largest ATR72-600 Operators as of 1 March 2022
Country
Indonesia
India
Region
Nordic Aviation Capital
Azul
Mount Cook Airlines
Alliance AIR
Binter Canarias
Garuda Indonesia
Iran Air
Uni Airways
Source: Airfinance Journal
Denmark
Brazil
New Zealand
India
Spain
Indonesia
Iran
Taiwan
Southeast Asia
South Asia
Europe
Latin America
Oceania
South Asia
Europe
Southeast Asia
Middle East
Northeast Asia
Aircraft
47
34
32
32
28
18
16
14
13
13
http://www.acumen.aero
ISTAT Jetrader - Summer 2022

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