Toulouse, August 9, 2017– After ten years of cooperation, ATR, the world’s leading turboprop manufacturer, and the Irish regional airline Stobart Air announce the extension of their Global Maintenance Agreement (GMA). This new six-year contract covers the repair, overhaul and pooling services of Line Replaceable Units, along with Propellers’ availability and maintenance.

The entire ATR fleet of Stobart Air is covered by this maintenance agreement: 2 ATR 42-300s, 2 ATR 72‑500s and 13 ATR 72-600s. Flying in the United Kingdom, Ireland and continental Europe, these aircraft are operated by Stobart Air under the Aer Lingus Regional and Flybe brands, on behalf of their respective owners. Stobart Air also operates charter flights and offers wet-leasing solutions.

Mick Conlon, Stobart Air Director of Engineering commented: “As one of Europe’s leading regional aviation specialists, servicing 32 regional routes with up to 860 weekly flights, we demand industry leading reliability, availability and operating economics; ATR GMA has been a key enabler of these results.”

“Stobart Air is a historical GMA customer for ATR, with whom we have been partnering since 2007, and we are really pleased to announce the extension of our agreement for six additional years.” declared Tom Anderson, Senior Vice-President Programs and Customer Services of ATR. “Our market forecast estimates that 400 new routes will be created in Europe by 2035. Stobart Air GMA renewal is a strong message to European airlines, saying we have the expertise required to provide airlines customised maintenance services.”

ATR’s Paris Training Center, opened in 2011, also offers essential support to ATR’s customers, providing operators with easy-to-access training solutions, thanks to its ideal location close to one of Europe’s main hubs. Already home to an ATR 72-500 FFS, the Paris Training Center will be equipped with a brand new ATR -600 Full Flight Simulator as of November 2017.