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The ATR 72-500, approved to operate at the London City Airport

10^th February 2009	Print this article
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ATR has received from the London City Airport (LCY) the approval to operate the ATR 72-500 in this downtown airport, after the aircraft successfully completed steep-approach trials and noise tests.

According to the LCY specific requirements due to the presence of obstacles, ATR has demonstrated the ability of the ATR 72-500 to approach the airport at 5.5°, while complying also with the strict limitations of the airport in terms of noise.

The ATR 72-500 joins the ATR 42-300 and the ATR 42-500, which are already approved to operate at LCY.

The Irish carrier Aer Arann becomes today the first operator of the ATR 72-500 aircraft at the London City Airport, with inaugural flights from and to the Isle of Man.

Luigi Lombardi, ATR SVP Operations, declared:

LCY certification approval

“We are proud to see that both the ATR 42 and the ATR 72 are now approved to operate in such a unique airport. We are also very pleased to contribute to the preservation of the environment in London with aircraft featuring very clear advantages in terms of CO2 and noise emissions.” He added: “We are very satisfied with this approval because it will provide our ATR 72-500 operators with the opportunity to expand their network to the financial heart of the United Kingdom.”

Richard Gooding Obe, Chief Executive of London City Airport, declared:

“We welcome the introduction of the ATR 72-500 at London City Airport. This new addition completes the ATR family at the airport and provides a wider choice of aircraft types for our customer airlines to operate. We are committed to working with aircraft manufacturers to bring future aircraft into London City Airport, a popular choice for business-focused airlines due to our location on the doorstep of London’s financial district.”

Paul Schütz, Chief Executive of Aer Arann, said:

“The introduction of the ATR 72-500 was a major element in our plans to offer a high quality product on this key business and leisure route. The standards of comfort, the quiet interior and the environmentally friendly performance of the aircraft mean that it is ideally suited to our regional air transport business model.”

The ATR –500 series:

With its ATR 42-500 and ATR 72-500, ATR supplies state-of-the-art aircraft with the highest standards of comfort. The advanced six-blade propeller provides remarkably low noise levels. All ATR models are compliant with noise regulations and have a large margin with regard to Chapter IV (ICAO) noise regulations. The ‘-500 series’ feature the lowest fuel consumption per passenger and CO2 emissions of the regional aviation, thus contributing to make ATR the “Green Player” of the regional aviation.

About ATR

Toulouse, Southern France-based regional aircraft manufacturer ATR is the world leader in the 50 to 74-seat turboprop market. ATR is an equal partnership between Alenia Aeronautica (a Finmeccanica company) and EADS. In 2008, ATR posted an annual turnover record, with US $ 1.3 billion. Since the beginning of the programme, ATR has sold 979 aircraft.

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