ATR has brought a 29-foot-long mock-up to this year’s RAA Conference. This event is ground zero for their target customers. Hard-pressed US regional airlines should be very interested in what’s on display. No new aircraft technology has emerged in the…
Air Insight•Addison Schonland18h ago
Indian airline is evaluating aircraft that could complement or replace its 44 ATR 72 turboprops, with Embraer offering a jet to fill the large capacity gap below the Airbus A320 family
Air Data News•Ricardo Meier21 Sept
On September 1, 2026, an ATR aircraft took to the skies over Toulouse, France, which caught the attention…
AeroTime•Miquel Ros21 Sept
Toulouse, France-based Kepplair Evolution is targeting a 2027 entry into service for its water bomber conversion of the ATR 72-200F platform, pending European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification. The multipurpose conversion — dubbed the Kepplair 72 — modifies ATR 72-200Fs into aircraft capable of carrying out firefighting, humanitarian support, medical evacuation and cargo flights, David […]
Croatia Airlines has tentatively scheduled the retirement of its remaining Airbus A319 aircraft for next month as it accelerates its transition towards an all-A220 in-house fleet. Based on the carrier’s current schedule filing, the type is due to operate its final commercial service on October 11. The A319’s last day of operations is presently scheduled to involve flights from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, continuing to Rome, before returning to Dubrovnik and finally Zagreb. However, the allocation remains tentative and is highly likely to change as the airline adjusts its fleet deployment. Nevertheless, the filing provides an indication that Croatia Airlines plans to end A319 operations imminently. The carrier currently has four active A319s, registered 9A-CTG, 9A-CTH, 9A-CTL and 9A-CTN. The type has formed part of Croatia Airlines’ fleet since 1998 and has been deployed extensively across its domestic and European network. The aircraft are configured with 144 seats. Their withdrawal will follow the retirement of Croatia Airlines’ final Airbus A320 earlier this year. The last aircraft of the type, registered 9A-CTO, operated its final commercial service between Zagreb and Amsterdam on January 26, bringing an end to almost three decades of A320 operations at the airline. The accelerated phase-out of the A319s comes as Croatia Airlines continues the largest fleet renewal programme in its history. The carrier currently operates eleven A220s, comprising nine A220-300s and two smaller A220-100s. It expects to take delivery of a further three A220 aircraft by the end of this year, subject to the manufacturer’s delivery schedule. The fifteenth and final jet from the current order is due to arrive in 2027. Croatia Airlines will continue operating its remaining three Dash 8 Q400 turboprops during the 2026/27 winter season. They are expected to be retired at the end of the scheduling period in late March 2027. The airline will then operate an all-A220 in-house fleet, supplemented by wet-leased ATR72 turboprops. Its ATR operations are expected to expand next summer , with a second aircraft planned and the number of flights operated by the type set to increase significantly. EX-YU Aviation News
For ATR Senior Vice President Commercial Alexis Vidal, the recent $1 billion order from Indian regional carrier FLY91,…
AeroTime•Jean Carmela Lim18 Sept
LARA•Satu Dahl16 Sept
Tom Boon of Simple Flying sits down with ATR Chief Commercial Officer Alexis Vidal at the 2026 Farnborough Airshow to explore the future of regional aviation. From restoring lost air routes and identifying untapped demand through mobility data to premium cabin innovations and higher production targets, ATR outlines how it plans to reconnect communities and expand regional air travel worldwide.
Published at 0900PDT / 1600GMT 11SEP26 Air Saint-Pierre in the fourth quarter of 2026 schedules addition service on Saint-Pierre – St. John’s NFLD route, with the addition of 3rd weekly flight on Fridays. Additional flight, operated by ATR42, is scheduled on following dates 30OCT26, 27NOV26, 04DEC26, 11DEC26. PJ1128 FSP1400 – 1415YYT ATR 7 PJ1128 FSP1600 – 1615YYT ATR 35 PJ1127 YYT1500 – 1615FSP ATR 7 PJ1127 YYT1700 – 1815PSP ATR 35
Croatia Airlines plans to expand its wet-leased turboprop fleet during the 2027 summer season by adding a second ATR aircraft, which is expected to be sourced from Croatian carrier ETF Airways. The additional capacity will result in a significant increase in ATR operations next year, with Croatia Airlines already scheduling exactly double the number of flights with the type compared to the 2026 summer season. The extent of the planned increase is visible in the existing 2027 summer timetable. In July of next year for example, Croatia Airlines has scheduled 544 ATR-operated flights, offering 38.080 seats, up 100% on July 2026. Zagreb accounts for the bulk of the flying next summer. The turboprop is currently most frequently scheduled on flights between Zagreb and Sarajevo, followed by services from the Croatian capital to Munich, Vienna and Zurich. The ATR will also be deployed from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, Mostar, Pula, Split and Zadar. Furthermore, the aircraft will operate a number of services outside Zagreb. Based on the current schedule, the ATR will be used between Munich and both Osijek and Rijeka, as well as on the Pula - Zadar route. A limited number of Dubrovnik - Rome flights are also currently scheduled with the type. The deployment is likely to undergo further changes before the start of the 2027 summer season. Croatia Airlines is expected to continue its cooperation with ETF Airways for the additional wet-leased aircraft. ETF, which has been developing its turboprop operations alongside its existing jet business, is itself expected to grow its ATR fleet. The arrangement gives Croatia Airlines access to lower-capacity aircraft suited to thinner regional markets at a time when its own fleet is being standardised around the Airbus A220. The Croatian carrier is expected to complete its transition to an all-A220 fleet before the start of the 2027 summer season. EX-YU Aviation News
Fly91’s firm order for 40 ATR 72-600s lands at a moment when its own fleet stands at just six aircraft, a bet that India’s regional and Tier 2/3 markets have room to run. It’s worth checking that bet against the last decade of data, because the headline growth numbers and the metro concentration numbers tell […]
NetworkThoughts•Network Thoughts8 Sept
Abelo has completed the delivery of three new ATR 72-600 aircraft to Bangladeshi carrier Air Astra, marking the completion of an agreement supporting the airline’s fleet expansion and efforts to strengthen domestic air connectivity. The latest aircraft is the third and final ATR 72-600 delivered under the deal. The turboprops will support the carrier’s regional […]
AviTrader•Heike Tamm7 Sept
Trip Report Last week, I flew TAROM from Belgrade to Bucharest. It was my first time with the airline, although I have travelled between the two cities several times this year, each time with Air Serbia. This time around, I chose TAROM because its 9AM departure suited me much better than Air Serbia’s two flights that day - one just after midnight and the other in the early afternoon. I had an unrelated onward flight from Bucharest with another airline, so the TAROM service was really the only practical option. I could have taken Air Serbia’s midnight departure, but I did not particularly feel like flying in the middle of the night and then spending around twelve hours in Bucharest. I booked the flight roughly two weeks in advance. A one-way ticket without checked luggage cost 90 euros, while adding a bag would have been another 50 euros. TAROM was also selling business class on the ATR for something like 350 euros. I chose the light fare, remembering at the last minute that I still had SkyTeam status through Kenya Airways as a result of a status match I had done with another programme several years ago. That meant I was entitled to complimentary checked luggage. I was also lucky because my tier status was due to expire just a few days after this flight. I thought there might be an issue explaining to the Belgrade Airport check-in agent that I was entitled to free luggage through this status, and I was not particularly convinced it would be honoured. However, I need not have worried. I arrived at the airport two hours before departure and, for the first time in quite a while, it was remarkably peaceful. It was just after Air Serbia’s morning wave, leaving a roughly two-hour period during which there are comparatively few departures. There were around ten people ahead of me at check-in. To my surprise, the agent immediately mentioned that I had status without me having to say anything. She apologised that she did not have a priority baggage tag at her desk and offered to go to the KLM counter to get one, which I told her was obviously unnecessary. She also said she would block the seat next to me, although she noted that there were only 25 passengers booked on the ATR 72-600. This was quite a contrast to all four Air Serbia flights I have taken to or from Bucharest this year, all of which were full to the very last seat. Admittedly, those were all afternoon services. Before heading through passport control and security, both of which were quick, I had a short walk around the airport. The new cafés that appear ready to open are still closed, including the WHSmith shop, although I did notice some progress in Terminal 1, where it looks like several new cafés and restaurants are being prepared. The aircraft arrived in Belgrade slightly behind schedule, although the delay was not significant. It parked opposite Terminal 1. A China Southern Boeing 787 was also parked across the terminal at the time and was later towed to the gate, as the aircraft has several hours on the ground between arrival and departure. Boarding took place from gate A7A, followed by a very short bus ride to the ATR. There were two middle-aged female cabin crew members, neither of whom was particularly welcoming, although that was hardly an issue. Boarding was completed quickly and I overheard the crew saying there were 23 passengers onboard, meaning there had presumably been two no-shows. I was seated in the second-last row. There was one passenger in business class and I was somewhat surprised to see that TAROM places its business class in row one. During the Jat era, business class on the ATR was located in the final two rows, which Air Serbia still sells as preferred seating today. That arrangement always made sense to me because those rows are closest to the aircraft’s exit, lavatory and galley. It was also interesting to see that TAROM has a proper curtain separating business class from economy. Later during the flight, I saw one of the crew members bring the business class passenger a large, full meal tray - it actually looked bigger than the tray table itself. The passenger declined it and the crew member returned with the tray seconds later. Still, the whole setup felt very old school, in a good way. As for us, we were provided with a packaged cup of water. There does seem to be a buy on board menu, but it was not offered on this flight. The flight itself was smooth and uneventful, lasting around one hour and fifteen minutes. I spent some time looking through TAROM’s inflight magazine and was surprised by just how small the airline’s network has become. I am aware of the financial difficulties TAROM has faced over the years, but I have never really followed the airline closely. The lavatory was small, as is standard on ATRs, but it was clean and, thankfully, odourless. Bucharest Airport remains a complete mystery to me. In my personal opinion, it makes Belgrade Airport look like Changi. It seems to consist of various buildings, or at least what feel like various buildings, connected by numerous elevated corridors and air bridges. Passport control, both on arrival and departure, has somehow been placed in some of the narrowest sections of the terminal. The camera used at passport control is positioned so low that many passengers actually have to bend down for their photo to be taken. That said, I have found the Romanian border police to be very friendly on every occasion I have passed through the airport, unlike their colleagues in Belgrade. Perhaps I have simply been lucky. Once you leave baggage reclaim, there is around a ten-minute walk to reach the check-in hall, which is in another part of the airport and connected by yet another elevated corridor. Departures have their own problems. Every passenger has to scan their boarding pass before entering the security area, but the scanners are positioned in such a way that queues for them mix with the queues of passengers checking in nearby. At busy times of the day, it becomes quite a mess. Passport control for non-Schengen departures is again situated in a narrow section of the building, while the non-TAROM lounge is somehow worse than the Belgrade Airport lounge, which says quite a lot. I simply find the airport and its infrastructure surprisingly poor considering the volume of traffic it handles. Overall, TAROM was perfectly fine for such a short flight. I am glad I had the opportunity to try the airline before it discontinues its Belgrade service next month. The very light load on this particular flight might offer some indication as to why the route is being dropped, although obviously no conclusions can really be drawn from a single one-way journey. Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com EX-YU Aviation News
India’s FLY91 and ATR announced the purchase of 40 ATR 72-600 aircraft for around $1 billion, marking the largest ATR firm order in almost a decade, and the largest ever […]
From the Philippines to Northern Canada, this ATR 72 traveled the world, even after 17 years of use. Why is an aircraft like this needed?
FLY91 has announced the purchase of 40 ATR 72-600 aircraft for around $1 billion, marking the largest ATR firm order in almost a decade, and the largest ever by a regional airline. Deliveries are scheduled from 2027 to 2032. The landmark agreement lifts ATR’s 2026 order intake to 54 aircraft, already surpassing the company’s total...
LARA•Satu Dahl4 SeptAviation News – European turboprop manufacturer ATR has secured a landmark firm order from fast-growing Indian regional carrier FLY91 for 40 ATR 72-600 aircraft. The...
India’s FLY91 orders 40 ATR 72-600s worth about $1 billion as regional carrier plans to expand its fleet from six to 60 aircraft
Air Data News•Ricardo Meier3 Sept
PR: New Delhi, 03 September 2026 – FLY91 and ATR today announced the purchase of 40 ATR 72-600 aircraft for around
Air Insight•Addison Schonland3 Sept
