FedEx takes first ATR 72-600F, ATR expects new customer in 2021

FedEx Express has begun the renewal of its feeder fleet with the delivery of the first ever ATR 72-600F. The aircraft (1653) will be handed over to ASL Airlines Ireland for CMI operation and, according to Scot Struminger, EVP and CEO of aviation at FedEx Express, it will initially be deployed between Paris (CDG) and Prague (PRG) — a route currently being flown by an ATR 72-200F. During the virtual delivery ceremony, Stefano Bortoli, CEO of ATR, told Cargo Facts the company had seen a surge in interest in the new ATR 72-600F — ATR’s first factory-built freighter — and that, amid ongoing discussions, he is confident in securing at least one new customer for the model. [caption id="attachment_415097" align="alignright" width="2560"] The ATR 72-600F is ATR’s first factory-built freighter. (Photo: ATR)[/caption] For now, FedEx remains the only customer — having firm-ordered thirty aircraft plus twenty options in 2017 — and expects to receive six or seven ATR 72-600Fs per year for the next five years. While ASL will operate at least four more of the type in 2021, Struminger said the second aircraft will make its way to the U.S., where FedEx’s converted ATR 42Fs and ATR 72Fs are operated by Empire Airlines and Mountain Air Cargo. The third, fourth and fifth aircraft will be operated in Latin America. Later deliveries will also be flown within Canada, where Morningstar Air Express recently took three FedEx ATR 72-200Fs (224, 229 and 292) previously operated by ASL Airlines Ireland. Ahead of the integration of the ATR 72-600F into the fleet, FedEx has already removed two older aircraft from service and donated them to Madrid’s airport for firefighting training. The integrator confirmed to Cargo Facts the two aircraft are ATR 42-300Fs (327 and 282), previously operated by ASL Airlines Ireland and donated in late November. [caption id="attachment_415096" align="alignnone" width="1252"] The virtual delivery ceremony featured Stefano Bortoli (left), CEO of ATR, and Scot Struminger (on screen), EVP and CEO of aviation at FedEx Express.[/caption] Unit 1653, the prototype ATR 72-600F, made its first flight in mid-September 2020, was painted in late October, and obtained European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification at the end of November. According to Stephane Viala, ATR’s SVP of engineering and head of design organization, the second ATR 72-600F is nearing completion in Toulouse, and the third frame has begun assembly. FedEx’s ATR 72-600Fs will be delivered without a cargo-loading system (CLS), but Ancra confirmed to Cargo Facts that it will provide the CLS to be installed on the aircraft before it enters into service, allowing it to carry seven LD3 containers. The ATR 72-600F is also capable of carrying around 9 tonnes in bulk, secured by nine vertical nets. ATR said the existing in-service fleet of almost 130 converted freighters was a clear advantage in developing the new-build aircraft. Discussions with operators resulted in improvements to lighting, floor panels and ground power. Eleven operators have now opted for the temporary cargo reconfiguration announced in late April, according to ATR. Like other plane manufacturers, ATR launched the package to enable airlines to transport goods instead of people during the severe downturn in the passenger market. This entails either affixing AKKA cargo bags to seats or removing seats to enable the loading of cargo on the cabin floor, secured by nets attached to the seat rails.

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