Leonardo has reached a new, important and historic milestone with the delivery of the 1,500th fuselage to the ATR consortium. The handover ceremony took place today at the Leonardo’s facility in Pomigliano D’Arco (Naples) with representatives from Leonardo’s and ATR’s management, personnel involved in the programme and various institutions all present.

“The ATR’s commercial success proves how the aircraft’s performance, operational flexibility, cost-effectiveness in-service and reduced environmental impact have represented, for over the last 30 years since the beginning of the programme, a reference point for the regional air transport industry thanks to the excellent project’s characteristics and also to the continuous technological upgrades”, said Mr. Alessandro Profumo, Leonardo’s Chief Executive Officer. “This important milestone” adds Profumo “provides further evidence of the excellence of our role in the commercial aviation industry as well as of our facilities in Southern Italy with their highly qualified personnel”.

 “The success of ATR worldwide reflects the continuous commitment of our shareholders toward the programme” declared Christian Scherer, ATR’s Chief Executive Officer. “Today, we can proudly say that our aircraft are operated by 200 airlines in nearly 100 countries. The contribution of Leonardo over the last ten years to double the production of fuselages and match the increasing market demand has been crucial to securing our market leading position. We congratulate all employees on achieving this significant milestone together and to continue building the future of regional aircraft.”

The 1,500th ATR’s fuselage will shortly leave Leonardo’s Pomigliano D’Arco production line, where it has been built to be shipped to Toulouse, headquarters of the Italian-French ATR consortium. The aircraft will be assembled in France and delivered to the final customer, Japan Air Commuter, whose management attended today’s ceremony.

With close to 1,700 orders and over 1,400 aircraft already delivered, ATRs are among the most successful commercial airplanes in the history of civil aviation. An ATR takes-off or lands every 8 seconds somewhere in the world. Since the beginning of the programme, ATR aircraft have completed over 30 million flights. ATR, which boasts a solid order backlog with three years of production secured, has been the leader of the regional turboprop aircraft market since 2010, with some 75% of all the orders for this category of aircraft.

The latest ATR 600 series aircraft feature a new cockpit with digital avionics and the most modern navigation aid tools. The ATR 600 series are the most fuel and cost-efficient aircraft in their seat categories, and feature the lowest operating and maintenance costs. The ATR 600 series are also equipped with the new “Armonia” cabin, specifically designed in Italy by Giugiaro. The cabin features larger overhead bins, larger and lighter seats and LED lighting for an optimal passenger experience.