Indonesia’s Batavia Air orders 10 new ATR 72-500

ATR and the Indonesian low cost carrier Batavia Air have signed a contract for the acquisition of a fleet of 10 new ATR 72-500s and options for 10 additional aircraft. This major contract is the first ever signed by an Indonesian airline for new ATRs.

With its new fleet of ATRs, Batavia Air will start operating the state-of-the-art turboprops in order to optimize and expand their regional operations, currently served with Boeing and Airbus jets. The ATR72-500 will generate important cost savings, on fuel especially which will help Batavia Air to develop into new untapped markets.

These new ATR aicraft, configured with 74-seats, will be equipped with the “Elegance” cabin, Light Emitting Diode (LED), Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and the newest technological innovations in passenger comfort, communications and navigation tools. In addition, one of the aircraft will be equipped with a Quick Change VIP Kit. A Medevac configuration will also improve access to health services for remote communities. Deliveries will extend until 2010.

Commenting on the contract, Pak Yudiawan, Batavia Air CEO, said, “After a deep evaluation, we have chosen to fly ATR turboprops in our regional network because of their reliability and unbeatable economics. The high standards of comfort available on these aircraft, as well as the strong support activity of ATR in Asia were also key factors in our choice.”

Since the beginning of the year, ATR has received orders for 77 new aircraft, some of them not yet unveiled. Since the beginning of the programme, ATR has sold 914 aircraft (414 ATR 42s and 500 ATR 72s) and has delivered 735 (395 ATR 42s and 340 ATR 72s), thus posting a current backlog of 179 aircraft.

Batavia Air was created 6 years ago and has a comprehensive domestic network spreading throughout the many beautiful Islands in Indonesia. Batavia Air is also keen to develop it's international network to follow on the success of the Guangzhou route. The Batavia Training Academy is also considering acquiring an ATR Flight Simulator in order to complement its offer and propose training.

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