“In 2021, 39 new routes have been created in India with ATR aircraft”

The ATR 72-600 is the proven benchmark in the regional aviation market with the lowest seat mile cost in its category, while the ATR 42-600 has the lowest trip cost in its category, explains JEAN-PIERRE CLERCIN, ATR's Head of Region Asia Pacific, in this exclusive interaction with CRUISING HEIGHTS.

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ATR has proven very popular in the Indian market, what are the reasons for its continued success?

ATR aircraft have been flying in India for more than 20 years, and the reasons for their success back in 1999 remain the same today, because the fundamentals of the regional aviation market are the same. India is a growing economy, and Indian communities are asking for quick, reliable connections, especially between Tier II and Tier III cities, to benefit from all the opportunities of a connected world. This need has been truly recognised by the Indian government, through the launch of the UDAN scheme, the very objective of which is to make air travel affordable and widespread, to boost the national economy. ATR aircraft have been playing and will continue to play a significant role to make air transport more accessible and inclusive in India, because they offer unparalleled economics, comfort, reliability, airport accessibility and sustainability, and the combination of these parameters is unique to ATR. In 2021, 39 new routes have been created in India with ATR aircraft. With a 25 per cent break-even load factor, they are the ideal aircraft to stimulate demand and consolidate existing markets with minimal risk. The ATR 72-600 is the proven benchmark in the regional aviation market with the lowest seat mile cost in its category, while the ATR 42-600 has the lowest trip cost in its category.

We have also been very much focused for the past years on driving costs down for airlines. In 2019, we escalated A checks from 500 flight hours (FH) to 750 FH, and in 2021 we did the same with C checks, from 5000 FH to 8000 FH. In November 2021, we launched the new PW127XT engine, which consumes above 3 per cent less 3 fuel than ATR's current engines and enable a 20 per cent reduction in engine maintenance costs, which further reduces the aircraft carbon footprint while improving its economics.