LONDON – GOAL Aircraft Leasing has announced the delivery of two ATR72-600 aircraft to Emerald Airlines, which operates the Aer Lingus Regional network.
It is understood the two aircraft were delivered between August 25 and September 23 and are believed to be in commercial service already.
GOAL said the following in a statement:
“GOAL is excited to welcome Emerald Airlines as its newest customer. Emerald has successfully commenced commercial operations in February 2022 with an all ATR72-600 fleet and currently operates fourteen ATR72s under the exclusive Aer Lingus Regional franchise.”
ATR For The Long-Term?
Emerald seems very committed to the ATR program, especially after signing a Global Maintenance Agreement (GMA) with the European planemaker.
Through this eight-year pay-by-the-hour contract, the airline will benefit from the repair, overhaul, and pooling services of Line Replaceable Units.
The contract also covers propeller availability and maintenance services for the carrier’s entire fleet of ATR 72-600 aircraft.
Commenting on the maintenance agreement brokered with ATR, Richard Spencer, Director of Engineering and Fleet at Emerald Airlines, said:
“We are very pleased to have signed a Global Maintenance Agreement with our partners at ATR. Entering into an agreement and forging a close working relationship with the aircraft manufacturer, will prove to be significantly advantageous in all aspects of our airline.”
“We will no doubt benefit from the team’s vast experience and operational support as we continue to develop Emerald’s network. We look forward to working closely with the team at ATR.”
David Brigante, Senior Vice-President of Customer Support and Services at ATR, responded, saying:
“An aircraft is only valuable when it is flying. For over 20 years, ATR has been reducing operators’ maintenance costs and increasing time in the air through maintenance and repair”
“This contributes to making regional air transport ever more reliable, accessible and sustainable. We will be supporting Emerald Airlines at every step of its expansion plan, offering our expertise to ensure it can make the most of its ATR fleet.”
The growing regional turboprop market
In an earlier statement this week, manufacturer ATR observed that the regional turboprop market will grow considerably in the next 2 decades. The reasoning for this is explained in a recent AviationSource article.
Several significant purchases of high-end airliners are currently being brokered at Farnborough Airshow by both airlines and leasing companies.
The size of direct orders from airlines themselves, as opposed to finance and leasing companies, perhaps speaks of the level of confidence operators have in the industry, moving beyond the pandemic era.
Beyond this, the news of developments in the turboprop market, and the impacts on regional operators like Emerald Airlines cannot be underestimated.
The regional market is clearly moving out of the lull period, and similarly, confidence and general optimism come as a good sign.
Driven by regional demand and factors like cargo and freight movements, the turboprop sector is certainly worth watching in the short-term future.
