On June 18, ATR unveiled at the Paris Air Show an order from Brazil-based TOTAL Linhas Aereas for 5 new ATR aircraft (3 ATR 42-500s + 2 ATR 72-500s) plus options for 5 additional aircraft (3 ATR 42-500s + 2 ATR 72-500s). The contract is valuated at over US$160 million, options included.

These new ATR aircraft will be equipped with the new "Elegance Cabin" and with the newest technological innovations in the field of communications and navigation aid tools.

TOTAL Linhas Aereas has been an ATR operator for many years, but this marks the first time the airline has signed for new ATR aircraft. The ATR 42-500s and ATR 72-500s will be delivered in a 48 and 68-seat configuration respectively.

TOTAL Linhas Aereas Chairman Alfredo Meister Neto underlined that "the ATR aircraft are the perfect solution for the fast growing Brazilian regional market and contributed fundamentally to the development of our airline. We have been successfully operating ATR aircraft with success for now 11 years. This order is another very important step in our long-standing partnership. Thanks to ATR's new generation aircraft, our passengers will benefit from the highest standards of service, comfort and performance."

Stephane Mayer, who on June 1 succeeded Filippo Bagnato as ATR CEO, said: "This order is further proof of the adaptability and quality of our product and reinforces the continuous worldwide success of ATR on the regional market. The rapidly growing regional market in Brazil has been an important success story for ATR. It's also a demonstration of the advantages of the family concept, with a high degree of commonality between the ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft that results in major cost savings and flexibility for the operator."

Since the beginning of the year, ATR has received orders for 53 new aircraft, some of them not yet unveiled. Since the beginning of the programme, ATR has sold 890 aircraft (416 ATR 42s and 474 ATR 72s) and has delivered 727 (393 ATR 42s and 334 ATR 72s), thus posting a current backlog of 163 aircraft.