These will be the first ATRs under an Austrian carrier livery

Berlin, 13 September 2012

On the occasion of the ILA Airshow, the Austrian carrier InterSky, INTRO Group, -major shareholder of the airline (49%)-, and the European turboprop aircraft manufacturer ATR are pleased to announce the signature of a contract for the purchase of 2 ATR 72-600s, valued at some US$ 47 million. The first of the 70-seat ATR 72-600s will be introduced in December this year, with the second one following in March 2013. These aircraft will become the first ATRs to be operated by an Austrian carrier.

With the introduction of these two new ATR 72-600s, InterSky will almost double the seat capacity of its fleet, which currently consists of three 50-seat turboprop aircraft. These new ATR 72-600s will provide passengers with the most modern standards of comfort and updated technologies. The ATR aircraft will be stationed at the company’s base in Friedrichshafen, Germany and will enable InterSky to propose more frequencies on main routes, such as to Berlin and Dusseldorf.

Peter Oncken, Managing Director of InterSky, commented: “The new ATR 72-600 will bring us the opportunity of expanding our business with the most fuel-efficient and eco-friendly regional aircraft. This aircraft fits perfectly with our aim of combining very high-quality service for our passengers with low operating costs. We are pleased to set up this new partnership with ATR and also to benefit from their knowledge and experience in the day-to-day operations support”.

Hans Rudolf Wöhrl, Managing Director of INTRO Group, stated: “In the last years we have seen the outstanding success of the ATR aircraft all over the world and we are convinced that this is definitely the optimal solution for our 70-seat regional requirements. ATR aircraft have a proven efficiency and value and we are pleased to be associated with such a well-reputed brand”.

Filippo Bagnato, Chief Executive Officer of ATR, declared: “We are pleased to include InterSky in our portfolio of European operators and to expand our presence in the European market with the newest ATR -600s. This mature market will bring many replacement opportunities in the near future, both for previous generation turboprops and increasingly inefficient regional jets. We are glad that European carriers and passengers will have the opportunity to experience the many advantages of the ATR -600 series aircraft, and to count Austria as a new country of operation for ATRs.”

Source and image: EADS