Toulouse, February 6, 2018 - ATR, the world’s leading manufacturer of turboprop aircraft, sees that there is huge growth potential for the company in the Asia Pacific region. The manufacturer anticipates a demand for some 750 turboprops within the next two decades in the region (excluding China).

On the occasion of the Singapore Airshow, a contract signing ceremony will be held at the ATR stand (E01) on Wednesday, February 7, at 1:30 pm. The event is open to media.

Asia Pacific is ATR’s largest market globally accounting for over one third of the global fleet. As of today, there are nearly 1,200 ATRs around the world, of which some 420 are in Asia Pacific. The region ranks first in terms of number of ATRs in operation. Of the top ten countries in the world, in terms of ATR fleet size, four are in the Asia Pacific region. The biggest country globally, in terms of number of ATR aircraft in operation, is Indonesia with 99 aircraft. The other countries in Asia Pacific that made the global top ten are: Malaysia with 47 aircraft (No. 5 globally), India with 46 aircraft (No. 6 globally) and Myanmar with 34 (no. 10 globally). In addition, about one half of the ATR’s order backlog is from operators in Asia Pacific.

“Asia Pacific is a fast-developing region of the world with strong economies, but there is a real need for greater air connectivity in the region to further drive economic growth,” says ATR CEO Christian Scherer.

“Many cities and towns in Asia Pacific need more air services and there are many places that still have no or very few air services. ATR are the best aircraft for developing new air routes and new markets. In 2017, our aircraft created 70 new routes in Asia Pacific alone, thus bringing regional connectivity to new places and expanding business opportunities for regional carriers”’.

The versatile and fuel-efficient ATR 72-600 and ATR 42-600 are the right size for many of the destinations in Asia Pacific. ATR aircraft can also land and take off from airports with short runways that other aircraft are unable to serve.

ATR -600s are fitted with ATR’s award-winning Armonia cabin, which was designed by renowned Italian designer Giugiaro. The Armonia cabin has won awards for its ergonomic design, innovation and comfort. Some of the new features of this cabin include larger overhead bins, new lighting systems and lighter, more ergonomic seats for better passenger comfort.

As the market leader in the 50 to 90-seat market, ATR has got also the most comprehensive customer support network in the region. ATR has spare parts warehouses, training centres, customer service centres, representative offices, regional customer support representative offices and field service personnel across the Asia Pacific region.