ATR registers Record Year of Orders with 113 new Aircraft

On the occasion of the ATR annual press conference, which took place today in Paris, Stéphane Mayer, ATR CEO, announced orders for 113 new ATR aircraft in 2007, the record sales for a single year since the beginning of the programme. This outstanding commercial success is coupled with a 2007 turnover of some US $ 1.1 billion dollars, a growth of 56 % compared to 2006 (US $ 700 million).

“This commercial record of 2007 represents a real milestone in ATR’s history, and, coupled with the announcement of the launch of the ‘–600 series aircraft, it makes 2007 a memorable year”, stated Stéphane Mayer. “We are also proud of having almost doubled our deliveries in one year, and of having delivered the first turboprop aircraft equipped with In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) in the passenger cabin. Consolidating our success over the long term is a real challenge. We know that to maintain this success we must continue offering our customers the technological innovations and product improvements that make our aircraft the most cost effective in the market as well as to offer the high level of customer service they expect. This continuous improvement is our commitment to the market”

ATR has booked orders for 113 new aircraft (see figure 1) and options for 26 aircraft. 74 out of the total order intakes come from new ATR customers. Some 52 % of the new ATRs orders of the year have been booked with carriers in the Asia Pacific region. In 2007 ATR has also expanded its commercial success to new markets such as the Philippines (10 new aircraft) and Malaysia (24), while consolidating its strong worldwide market share.

Since the recovery of the turboprop market starting in the beginning of 2005, ATR has booked orders for 266 new aircraft. From the beginning of the programme, ATR has sold 950 aircraft (417 ATR 42s and 533 ATR 72s).

ATR portfolio is today composed of more than 130 operators in some 80 countries.

ATR has delivered 44 new aircraft in 2007 (see figure 2) versus 24 in 2006, thus representing a production increase of over 80 %. From the beginning of the programme, ATR has delivered 757 aircraft (397 ATR 42s and 360 ATR 72s) through 31st December 2007.

ATR has a backlog of 195 aircraft through 31st December 2007, an increase of some 120% compared to 2005 (see figure 3).

ATR has also recorded a strong increase in the annual turnover, reaching an amount of 1,1 US $ billion, billion in 2007. The turnover has doubled since 2005 (see figure 4).

ATR market share in 2007 is over 50% of the 50 to 74-seat turboprop market.

ATR has significantly developed in 2007 its support and services capabilities worldwide. With the aim of being more reactive and closer to its customers, ATR has opened two spare parts distribution centers in Auckland and New Delhi, and a customer support center and a training center, both in Bangalore. Spare parts and services activities posted a turnover of some 209 US $ million, a strong increase of 37% compared to 2006. During 2007 ATR has also inked Global Maintenance Agreements (GMA) with 4 companies, covering more than 20 ATR aircraft.

To face the challenges of the increased activity, ATR has increased its staff up to a level of 780 employees through 31st December 2007, a growth of some 13%. An additional increase is also planned for 2008.

ATR plans to deliver more than 60 new aircraft in 2008 and prepare a larger production capacity in order to answer the expected market demand, while increasing its turnover over US $ 1.3 billion.

In the regional market, the new turboprop aircraft has a very important and growing potential in different world regions such as Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America and Europe. The activity is increasing with both sales to new customers and with the growth and replacement of existing turboprop fleets. There are also additional turboprop sales opportunities developing in North America. ATR will focus on maintaining its market share of over 50% and achieving between 50% and 60% of the market.

Concerning the support and services activities, in 2008 ATR is establishing a new MRO policy. Under this project, ATR will recognise certain MRO providers in key areas of the world, to provide guidance and ensure the best quality of maintenance to the family of ATR operators.

In 2008, ATR’s customer support will also be launching a “door-to-door” service, while enhancing its technical support worldwide. At the same time, ATR is evaluating further developments of its regional policy launched in 2006, with a larger presence in the world. This mainly includes new spare parts distribution centers and training centers in current and future key zones, such South America.

According to its principle of continuous innovation, ATR is generating important results in 2008 on maintenance cost reductions. In order to enhance the competitive advantages of the aircraft, ATR is currently working on the optimization of the maintenance procedures, thus allowing an extended time, in flying hours, between the C-checks. ATR is also planning an extension of the time between the landing gear inspections and between the propellers checks.

In a world that is more and more concerned about sustainable development and global warming, and where authorities are moving to implement drastic measures (for example, the European Emission Trade Scheme has been extended to the aeronautics), ATR is the “Green Player” of the regional market. On a 200 Nm, the fuel consumption per passenger of an ATR 72 is about 15% less than a European standard car and 60% less than a 70-seater jet. These figures appear even more important when related to gaseous emissions: 1 tonne of burned fuel represents 3 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Toulouse, Southern France-based regional aircraft manufacturer ATR is the world leader in the 50 to 74-seat turboprop market. ATR is an equal partnership between Alenia Aeronautica (Finmeccanica group) and EADS. ATR is certified NF EN ISO 9001:2000 and AS 9100 revision B:2004 / JIS Q 9100:2004 / EN 9100:2003, the worldwide quality standard in the field of aeronautics.

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