ATR delivers first ATR 72-600 to Air Corsica with brand new PW127XT engine
Toulouse, 29 November 2022 – The world’s number one regional aircraft manufacturer ATR, today delivers the first ATR 72-600 with the brand new PW127XT engine to launch customer Air Corsica.
Following a firm order for five new ATR 72-600, announced a year ago at the Dubai Airshow, this delivery marks an important step in Air Corsica’s fleet upgrade and sustainable development, ensuring the airline will continue to fulfill its public service mission with the most economical, reliable and responsible aircraft on the market.
A clear testament of ATR’s commitment to investing in technology that brings affordable and sustainable regional mobility, the new PW127XT engine offers a 20% reduction in maintenance costs and a 3% improvement in fuel consumption compared to the PW127M – which means -45% fuel burn and CO2 emissions compared to similar-size regional jets.
Air Corsica’s passengers will benefit from high cabin comfort and further innovation as the aircraft will be equipped with USB ports for charging electronic devices during the flight – a first in ATR cabins.
The airline will also be optimising the maintenance of its entire ATR fleet through a 12-year Global Maintenance Agreement. This pay-by-the-hour contract covers the repair, overhaul and pooling services of Line Replaceable Units, and includes the propellers, landing gears and leading edges availability and maintenance, plus a long-term price agreement for the provision of over 2,000 spare parts.
Marie-Hélène Casanova-Servas, President of Air Corsica’s Supervisory Board, commented: “ATRs are central to our model of air travel in Corsica. They have proven to be the right product for our short-haul operations, enabling us to limit our impact on the island’s pristine environment and to meet our passengers’ demand for quick, frequent, reliable, and yet lower emission, air travel. Selecting both the latest generation turboprop, the newest engine on the market to equip it, and the best maintenance programme to optimise its reliability, makes perfect business sense, and moreover, is the most responsible choice.”
ATR Chief Executive Officer Nathalie Tarnaud Laude said: “Air Corsica and ATR have grown together ever since their first ATR flight in 1990. Over decades they have shown commitment to flying the latest technology and most responsible aircraft available. As our product evolves to meet new market needs and incorporates further innovations, it remains the most reliable, efficient, cost-effective aircraft on the market, as well as the most sustainable platform to operate regional routes. This makes ATR and Air Corsica a perfect match.”
Increasing fuel prices, growing carbon taxation, as well as greater passenger demand for lower emission travel all mean that the aviation industry is naturally favouring low-carbon emitting aircraft such as ATR turboprops. Studies show that, even today, if all regional jets in Europe were replaced by turboprops, the reduction of CO2 emissions would be equivalent to the amount of CO2 removed by a forest of around 5000 km2 – approximately the surface covered by forests in Corsica.
Watch the assembly and painting video:
About Air Corsica
- Corsica’s leading airline, with 44% of annual traffic (82% in the winter) from and to Corsica’s four airports: Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi and Figari.
- Corsica’s fourth bigger employer, with over 700 employees.
- Around 40 million passengers carried since first flight in 1990.
- 1.7 million passengers carried from 1st April 2021 to 31 March 2022, which makes Air Corsica the 3rd airline in France.
- Air Corsica operates 12 public service domestic connections, 12 domestic connections and 12 international routes, either annually or during the summer only – that is 19,500 flights a year.
- A fleet of 12 aircraft: five ATR 72-500, one ATR 42-500 and six Airbus A320, including two new generation A320neo.
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About ATR
ATR is the world number one regional aircraft manufacturer with its ATR 42 and 72, the best-selling aircraft in the below 90-seat market segment. The unifying vision of the company is to accelerate sustainable connections for people, communities and businesses, no matter how remote. Flown by some 200 airlines in over 100 countries, ATR aircraft opened 160 new routes in 2023, facilitating the development of territories and enabling access to crucial services like healthcare and education. Thanks to ATR’s focus on continuous innovation and the intrinsic efficiency of the turboprop technology, ATR aircraft are the most advanced, versatile, cost-effective and lowest-emission regional aircraft on the market, emitting 45% less CO2 than similar-size regional jets. In January 2022, we flew the first ever commercial aircraft using 100% SAF in both engines. ATR is a joint-venture between Airbus and Leonardo.