On July 30, Jetcraft Aviation, a specialist air charter company based in Brisbane, Australia, started operations with the first of two ATR 42-300s aircraft. This ATR 42-300 becomes the first ATR aircraft dedicated to freight operations in the South Pacific region.

The two aircraft will be operated as part of the new airfreight network on services linking Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The Jetcraft ATRs can carry up to 54 cubic meters or over 5.5 tones of freight, which is securely stowed with a series of special cargo nets inside the plane. This first ATR 42-300 of Jetcraft takes to 30 the total number of ATR aircraft in operation in the Australia and Pacific Islands region.

"The ATR 42-300 freighters will add substantial capacity and flexibility to our fleet", said Tom Dalton, Chief Operating Officer of Jetcraft Aviation. "We have decided to operate ATRs because they respond optimally to our needs. The ATRs offer the lowest operating and maintenance costs. This will allow us to optimize the frequencies of our freight operations", he added. "The support and commitment to the region by ATR is superb and Jetcraft is proud to be the first ATR operator in Australia."

Stephane Mayer, ATR CEO, said "The ATR family of aircraft is ideally suited to Australia's varied operating conditions and requirements both for passenger and freight services. The order by Jetcraft for two ATRs is a strong vote of confidence in ATR as a flexible and cost-effective option for a range of tasks." He added: "Regional air cargo is increasingly important in this region and we do foresee strong opportunities for additional aircraft."

The conversion of early-model ATR passenger aircraft into new roles as freighters has been an important development for ATR because it creates new markets for the older aircraft and it contributes to the strong residual values of the used aircraft. The freighter fleet, currently numbering over 70 aircraft, has been steadily expanding since the first aircraft were converted in the late '90s and now many are operating for major freight operators such as FedEx and DHL.

ATR has established in Sydney a regional sales office for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The company has also established in Auckland a regional spare parts centre for ATR customers in the region. And from September, New Zealand-based ATR 72-500 operator Mount Cook Airline - a division of Air New Zealand - will open a fixed-base simulator for ATR pilot training, enabling the carrier to train its own ATR aircrews and offering the option for other ATR operators in the region to also make use of the facility.

Since the beginning of the year, ATR has received orders for 65 new aircraft, some of them not yet unveiled. Since the beginning of the programme, ATR has sold 902 aircraft (416 ATR 42s and 486 ATR 72s) and has delivered 733 (394 ATR 42s and 339 ATR 72s), thus posting a current backlog of 169 aircraft.