First ATRs To Fly In An Austrian Carrier's Livery

The Austrian carrier InterSky and the European turboprop aircraft manufacturer ATR have signed a contract at the ILA Berlin Airshow for the purchase of 2 ATR 72-600s, valued at some $47 million. The first of the 70-seat ATR 72-600s will be introduced in December this year, with the second one following in March 2013. These aircraft will become the first ATRs to be operated by an Austrian carrier.

With the introduction of these two new ATR 72-600s, InterSky will almost double the seat capacity of its fleet, which currently consists of three 50-seat turboprop aircraft. These new ATR 72-600s will provide passengers with the most modern standards of comfort and updated technologies. The ATR aircraft will be stationed at the company's base in Friedrichshafen, Germany and will enable InterSky to propose more frequencies on main routes, such as to Berlin and Dusseldorf.

“The new ATR 72-600 will bring us the opportunity of expanding our business with the most fuel-efficient and eco-friendly regional aircraft," said Peter Oncken, Managing Director of InterSky. "This aircraft fits perfectly with our aim of combining very high-quality service for our passengers with low operating costs. We are pleased to set up this new partnership with ATR and also to benefit from their knowledge and experience in the day-to-day operations support”.

“We are pleased to include InterSky in our portfolio of European operators and to expand our presence in the European market with the newest ATR -600s," said Filippo Bagnato, Chief Executive Officer of ATR. "This mature market will bring many replacement opportunities in the near future, both for previous generation turboprops and increasingly inefficient regional jets. We are glad that European carriers and passengers will have the opportunity to experience the many advantages of the ATR -600 series aircraft, and to count Austria as a new country of operation for ATRs.”

(Image provided by ATR)

FMI: www.atraircraft.com