Caribbean Airlines Orders 9 ATR 72-600s

Trinidad and Tobago’s flag carrier, Caribbean Airlines, has signed a contract for the purchase of 9 ATR 72-600 aircraft, valued at some US$ 200 million.

The signing of this deal, which follows a Memorandum of Understanding announced in 2010, will enable the airline to become a new ATR operator. First deliveries will start in October 2011.

The aircraft are configured with 68 seats and equipped with the new ATR -600 series avionics suite and with the new Armonia Cabin, which features new lighter seats and larger overhead bins.

With its fleet of brand new ATR 72-600s, Caribbean Airlines will replace its current fleet of 5 Dash-8 300 aircraft in its domestic routes, and add new frequencies linking Trinidad and Tobago and surrounding destinations. In addition, some of the new ATRs will be operated in the route network of Air Jamaica, which was recently acquired by Caribbean Airlines.

ATR has today more than 160 aircraft in operation and on order with nearly 30 airlines in the Caribbean and Latin American region.

Filippo Bagnato, Chief Executive Officer of ATR, said, “In the last months we have experienced a strong commercial success in the Americas, which has represented almost 50% of our order intakes in 2010. The growing economies of the region are strongly developing their regional connectivity. Our ATR aircraft are optimally positioned to answer to their needs by providing unrivalled performances on routes under 400 nautical miles, both in terms of operating costs and environmental impact. Also, the ATR aircraft provide the right answer to the increasing demands in terms of passenger comfort level.”

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