ATR, the European manufacturer of turboprop aircraft, and Atlantic Air Industries (AAI), a French company specializing in aircraft maintenance, have signed a collaboration agreement making AAI a new member of ATR’s network of partner maintenance centers. Adding AAI to ATR’s MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) network attests to the compliance of its maintenance station at Toulouse-Francazal airport, specializing in the heavy maintenance of ATR airframes, in line with the aircraft manufacturer’s quality standards. Presently, about 60 airlines operate some 320 ATR aircraft in Europe.

The arrival of AAI in ATR’s maintenance network follows the recent introduction of Germany’s Rheinland Air Service (RAS) for the European market. The partnerships with AAI and RAS in Europe, plus the existing partnership with Fokker Services for the Asian market, reflect ATR’s ambition to grow and to offer a worldwide network of independent and highly qualified aircraft maintenance service providers for its operators.

According to the terms of these agreements, ATR’s partners commit to offering maintenance solutions to operators through compliance with the fundamental customer service rules defined by ATR. ATR’s MRO network is an important part of the regional policy implemented by ATR’s Customer Support Department, which aims to offer high-quality, local solutions to ATR operators in terms of maintenance, logistics and training.

AAI’s Chief Executive Officer, Didier Bernardeau, stated that he is “delighted to join the network of approved ATR maintenance centers. We have been familiar with ATR’s aircraft for more than 10 years now, so we are in a position to offer a quality of service that meets the manufacturer’s demands. This agreement heralds a very important new phase in our cooperation that will allow us to offer our expertise to even more ATR operators in Europe.”

Lilian Braylé, ATR Product Support and Services Senior Vice-President, stated: “It is very important to support our operators as they grow, by also providing assistance and advice in the field of aircraft maintenance. The development of this network of ATR-approved centers fits in perfectly with our wish to guide our operators towards maintenance centers, like AAI, that are well experienced with our aircraft.”

ATR has a strong presence in Europe, with over 320 aircraft in operation in 25 countries on the continent.  The presence of ATR Customer Support in Europe includes pilot training centers in Toulouse and Paris, as well as a spare parts distribution logistics platform also located in Paris.