Australia’s First ATR 42-500 Takes Flight with MacAir Airlines

MacAir Airlines of Queensland, Australia, today introduced into service Australia’s first ATR 42-500 turboprop aircraft, launching a new era for Australian regional aviation, and further expanding the ATR presence in the Australasia-Pacific Islands region.

The aircraft commenced service at 11:30 am, operating a flight from the coastal city of Townsville to the regional mining centre of Cloncurry. The MacAir ATR 42-500 – the largest aircraft in the carrier’s fleet - will also be used to support several “fly in-fly out” services to remote mining communities in outback Queensland.

“The introduction by MacAir of Australia’s first ATR 42-500 is a milestone for the airline and for Australia’s regional air transport industry. We are glad of their choice”, said Stéphane Mayer, ATR CEO. “Although the MacAir ATR 42-500 is the first of its type to be stationed in Australia, there are already some 30 ATR 42 and larger ATR 72 aircraft operating elsewhere in the South Pacific region, with operators in markets including New Zealand, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Vanuatu and Fiji” he added. “The decision by MacAir to introduce Australia’s first ATR 42-500 is yet another vote of confidence in our aircraft, and a major gain for passengers”.

The Managing Director of MacAir Airlines, Randal McFarlane, said the ATR 42-500 was selected after a detailed review of options in the 50-70-seat aircraft market. “Not only did we need a high-capacity aircraft to accommodate growing demand in key markets,” said McFarlane. “We also needed an aircraft which could perform effectively in Queensland’s harsh outback climate. The ATR 42-500 performs strongly in ‘hot and high’ conditions, which can impede performance and reduce the revenue payload on some aircraft types. This aircraft can also operate from short or unpaved airstrips, providing valuable additional flexibility for outback operations, in particular to some mine sites.”

McFarlane said another major benefit of the ATR 42-500 was the fact that this aircraft type is still in active and expanding production, which ensures that there will be a strong support from the manufacturer and a continued development of the product with the introduction of the latest technological features.

“The ATR 42-500 also has a spacious 2 x 2 seating configuration, a galley, a toilet and a washroom, as well as excellent air conditioning – a major factor for aircraft operating in the outback or tropical heat,” said McFarlane. “It also has the most fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly engines of any aircraft in this category”, he concluded.

ATR has established a regional sales office in Sydney, Australia, and a regional spare parts centre in Auckland, New Zealand, to support the growing number of ATR aircraft in the region, and from September this year, Air New Zealand Subsidiary Mount Cook Airline – which operates 11 ATR 72-500s – will establish a fixed-base ATR pilot training simulator in Christchurch, on New Zealand’s South Island.

Since the beginning of the year, ATR has received orders for 77 new aircraft, some of them not yet unveiled. Since the beginning of the programme, ATR has sold 914 aircraft (414 ATR 42s and 500 ATR 72s) and has delivered 735 (395 ATR 42s and 340 ATR 72s), thus posting a current backlog of 179 aircraft.

With its ATR 42-500 and ATR 72-500, ATR supplies state-of-the-art aircraft with jet-like comfort. The advanced six-blade propeller provides remarkably low noise levels. Low fuel burn and gaseous emissions contribute to make the ATR environment friendly. All ATR models are compliant with noise regulations and have a large margin with regard to Chapter IV (ICAO) noise regulations, effective 1st January 2006.

MacAir Airlines is Queensland’s largest privately owned airline, operating a fleet of modern propjets and servicing 30 destinations throughout regional Queensland in addition to providing fly in fly out services for their many mining partners. MacAir is a Qantas Frequent Flyer partner and bookings on MacAir can be made online at www.macair.com.au, through your local Travel Agent or by contacting Qantas Reservations on 131313.

Toulouse, Southern France-based regional aircraft manufacturer ATR is the world leader in the 50 to 74-seat turboprop market. In 2006, ATR posted a turnover of US $ 700 million, an increase of 30% compared to 2005. ATR is an equal partnership between Alenia Aeronautica (Finmeccanica group) and EADS.

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