Dubai, Thai firms to buy 48 ATR 72-600 planes

[SINGAPORE] Aircraft manufacturer ATR inked two contracts worth nearly US$1.2 billion for up to 48 ATR 72-600 turboprops at the Singapore Airshow yesterday.

The first deal, valued at US$988 million at list prices, was signed with United Arab Emirates' leasing firm Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), with 20 firm orders and another 20 planes on option.

The second was with Thai carrier Bangkok Airways for six aircraft, with another two on option. List prices for this deal are almost US$200 million, ATR said.

Khalifa Al Daboos, the managing director for DAE, said ATRs are widely adopted by carriers worldwide, giving it many opportunities to lease the regional aircraft out.

"The low operating cost of the ATR 72-600 makes it a compelling choice for operators who need to offer a differentiated product on short-haul sectors," he said.

Captain Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, the president of Bangkok Airways, said the ATR 72-600 was a logical continuation of the carrier's long-standing partnership with ATR. The airline has eight ATR 72-500s and could replace its older planes with these new ones, he said.

The ATR 72-600 seats between 68 and 74 people, and can fly 1,665 km when fully loaded.

Filippo Bagnato, the chief executive officer of ATR, said: "Thanks to the contribution of lessors, many more airlines can benefit from the advantages of the newest ATR 600 series aircraft."

He added: "We are very grateful that Bangkok Airways has renewed its confidence in ATR and we are proud to continue to move forward with them."