Ecuador's national flag carrier TAME today has taken delivery of the first ATR 42-500 that will operate in the country. The European turboprop manufacturer ATR and TAME inked a US$ 54 million contract for three of these aircraft at the last Paris Air Show, in June 2011.

The aircraft delivered today, as well as the other two, will enable the airline to develop public service routes across the country. With these new ATR 42-500s, TAME will bring air connections to some remote Ecuadorian areas, while feeding main national airports at Quito and Guayaquil.

Commenting on this first delivery, General Gustavo Cuesta, Chief Executive Officer of TAME, declared: The ATR 42-500s are optimally suited for the type of public service routes we want to develop in Ecuador, as they provide the lowest operating and maintenance costs, and feature optimal performance in hot and high environments and short runways.

Filippo Bagnato, Chief Executive Officer of ATR, declared: "This new delivery demonstrates there is clearly a market niche for 50-seat aircraft, while we are today the only manufacturer proposing aircraft of this capacity. We are happy of adding TAME among our increasing list of operators in Latin America. ATRs are becoming really popular aircraft in this region. There is today more than 120 ATR aircraft flying daily in Latin America for almost 30 operators. Also, Latin America represents more than 20% of our current historical backlog of over 270 aircraft".

About the ATR 42-500:

Passenger capacity: 50 seats
Engines: Pratt & Whitney 127M
Maximum power at take-off: 2,400 horse power per engine
Maximum weight at take-off: 18,600 Kg
Maximum payload: 5,500 Kg
Maximum range with full passenger load: 801 nautical miles (1,483 Km)

About TAME:

TAME is the Ecuador National Airline, founded in 1962. It is the leader airline and holds more than 46% of the local market. TAME as a public company is committed to provide air connectivity between the main cities and remote destinations, where competitors don't fly, giving other Ecuadorian citizens the option to receive high quality services with comfort and safety. TAME will operate in 15 different destinations in Ecuador. It is also expanding its operations beyond Ecuador boundaries and will fly to United States and Europe in the near future.

About ATR

Formed in 1981, ATR has grown to become a leading manufacturer of 50 to 74 seat regional turboprop aircraft, has sold more than 1,200 aircraft and has 175 operators in 94 countries. ATR operators have accumulated more than 21 million flights. ATR is a joint venture and equal partnership between major European aerospace companies Alenia Aeronautica (a Finmeccanica company) and EADS. Its headquarters are in Toulouse, France. ATR is certified ISO 14001, the worldwide standard for environmental management and sustainability.

Contributed by ATR