Page 9 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2018 Online Magazine

FUTURE

PERFECT

ATR’s new freighter aircraft will
become the new benchmark for
regional air cargo operations

Jay Menon

ranco-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR
sees an interest for its new freighter
aircraft following the selection of 30
FATR 72-600Fs plus 20 options by U.S.
cargo specialist FedEx Express in 2017. “We
see a freighter market of around 300 aircraft
immediately,” ATR CEO Christian Scherer tells
Asian Airlines and Aerospace on the sidelines
of the just concluded Singapore Airshow.
load devices. Bulk capacity will be 74.6 m3, and the aircraft will be
“When we announced the FedEx able to accommodate up to seven LD3 containers or nine large
order, the market response was pallets, which FedEx hopes will help “better serve customers in
absolutely amazing...The FedEx the airfreight market where palletized shipments are the norm.”
order couldn’t have been much more There are no changes to the structure of the wings, landing gear
of a stronger endorsement and it and engines. All the windows are removed, as are doors on the
has also stimulated the secondary right side of the aircraft. A large cargo door, measuring 3 X 1.80 m,
market,” Scherer says. is installed on the left front side. It was designed by Leonardo, one

of ATR’s shareholders with Airbus. Scherer feels the new freighter
ATR is planning on two years for development can be economical, compared to converted passenger aircraft.
and certification for its first production freighter. “The ATR 72-600F is the only new large regional aircraft available
The first aircraft is due to be delivered in 2020. on the market for freighter operations. We are convinced that, with
“The bulk of the cargo market will remain used its use by FedEx, it will become the new benchmark for regional air
aircraft and the launch of the all-new freighter cargo operations,” Scherer says ATR aircraft have been success-
is expected to provide a big boost for the sec- fully operating in FedEx service for many years. “FedEx gave us
ond-hand market, as well,” he says, adding more the challenge to demonstrate that a new aircraft can make sense
ATRs will be converted for freight use in the for a package carrier that typically operates aircraft at lower levels
near future as there will be a “strong consolida- of utilization,” he says.
tion of the asset values of used aircraft.”
The new-build freighter design was “a ATR Aiming for Success in China
big engineering job, because we’re building The leading manufacturer of turboprop aircraft sees that there is
a brand-new fuselage,” he says. The ATR huge growth potential for the company in the Asia Pacific region.
72-600F is based on the -600 passenger ver- The manufacturer anticipates a demand for some 750 turboprops
sion, but differs in some important aspects. within the next two decades in the region, excluding China. “The
It has a windowless fuselage and a forward order pipeline is about 50 per cent out of the Asia Pacific region,”
large cargo door, as well as a rear upper-hinged says Scherer. “This region accounts for more than a third of the
cargo door. ATR expects that the aircraft will worldwide market. We see the worldwide market for turboprops
offer 8,000 kg (17,600 lb.) of payload. The cabin to be in excess of 3,000 airplanes, so the math is simple — it’s
will be able to hold both bulk cargo and unit

ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE March/April 2018 | 9