ATR, manufacturer of turboprop aircraft, is pleased to announce that the ATR 42-600, new member of its family of airplanes, just obtained certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This certification, prior to the aircraft’s entry into service and for the plane’s new equipment, marks the end of a series of ground and in-flight tests which were performed on the ATR 42-600 prototype. It demonstrates ATR’s willingness to continue investing in the 50-seater aircraft segment, a niche market for which it is the lone manufacturer.
 
Within the framework of the test campaign, the ATR 42-600 benefited from its similarity to the ATR 72-600, which was certified in May 2011. As for the ATR 72-600, all of the tests on the ATR 42-600 were used to validate that the new systems and equipment installed on board operate correctly, especially the new “glass cockpit” avionics suite with 5 LCD screens, new communication, navigation and monitoring systems, flight management system (FMS), automatic pilot, alert management and multi-purpose computer (MPC, which integrates aircraft maintenance and protection functions in particular).
 
Since the launch of the “-600” program in October 2007, ATR has already received orders for a total of 250 ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 aircraft.
 
Entry into service of the new ATR 42-600 is scheduled for summer 2012. The ATR 72-600, it has been in service since August 2011 and is currently operated by 7 airlines worldwide.
 
Filippo Bagnato, Chief Executive Officer of ATR, said: “We are very pleased to see that the entire ATR “-600” family is now ready to operate for our customers. Today we are the only manufacturer of 50-seater aircraft in the world and we estimate that, over the next twenty years, there will be a substantial potential market in this category. Therefore, we must offer the market an aircraft equipped with all the latest technology and the highest levels of comfort.
 
About the ATR 42-600:
 
 •Passenger capacity: 46 to 50 seats
•Engines: Pratt & Whitney 127M
•Maximum take-off power: 2400 horsepower per engine
•Maximum take-off weight: 18,600 kg
•Maximum load: 5,500 kg
•Maximum flight range when fully loaded: 800 nautical miles (1,483 km)

Source and photo: EADS