ATR plans to increase turboprop aircraft production this year. The company highlighted the «solid backlog» and the current fleet of aircraft in service, which is close to the pre-pandemic level, as the main positive elements to return to growth in 2023.
See also: The ATR 72 consolidates its position as a regional cargo aircraft
ATR expects to deliver more than forty aircraft this year
The French-Italian manufacturer remarked that, despite the supply chain problems that affected the industry in 2022, it delivered 25 new aircraft and eleven pre-owned airplanes during that year.
As the company reported in a press release, around 1.200 of its production aircraft are currently operational worldwide. In addition, the firm order backlog amounts to 160 units of different models. During 2023, it expects to deliver more than 40 aircraft.
Furthermore, the company aims to increase production to deliver more than eighty aircraft per year during the second part of this decade.
See also: First flight for the STOL version of the ATR 42
Good prospects for the near future
ATR highlighted the strong demand for regional turboprops expected in the near future. Operators could demand around 2.500 new passenger aircraft over the next twenty years, as well as half a thousand freighters. In this regard, the company highlighted the possibilities in underserved markets with high potential, such as the United States.
It will also explore alternatives in segments that maintain good growth prospects, and in which it could increase its presence, such as air cargo, executive and government services, and humanitarian operations. In this regard, Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, ATR CEO, said the manufacturer has «the right product» to adress these opportunities.
«With their unbeatable economics, latest technologies and unrivalled environmental performance, ATR aircraft are what customers need to operate their routes profitably, despite inflation and energy uncertainty», Tarnaud Laude said.
See also: ATR and Pratt & Whitney will work to offer engines run by 100% of SAF by 2025
