In conjunction with the LIMA Airshow 2007, ATR and Berjaya Air, a subsidiary of Berjaya Land Berhad signed a US$74 million contract for the purchase of 4 new ATR 72-500 aircraft. The contract was signed by Datuk Razman Md Hashim, Chairman of Berjaya Land and Christophe Potocki, President of ATR Eastern Support, and witnessed by the Honourable Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato'Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak. Earlier this year, at the Paris Airshow in June 2007, a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed for the acquisition of these 4 aircraft.

With the acquisition of the new aircraft, Berjaya Air will strenghten its position as a regional turboprop operator in the region. The new ATR 72-500s will be delivered in 2009 and 2010 in a 72-seat configuration and will be equipped with the new "Elegance Cabin" and with state-of-the-art technological innovations in the field of communications and navigation aid tools.

The new ATR 72-500 aircraft will replace Berjaya Air's existing fleet of 48-seater Dash 7 aircraft and would subsequently help to improve Berjaya Air's financial performance in terms of lower maintenance cost and increase in seating capacity. Furthermore, these new ATR aircraft will allow Berjaya Air to expand its network.

At the signing ceremony, Datuk Razman Md Hashim stated: "With the brand new '-500 series' ATRs, Berjaya Air will be updating its fleet of aircraft featuring the most modern modern available technology in the fields of aircraft performance and passenger comfort. With the "Elegance" cabin of our ATRs, our passengers will experience a substantially enhanced comfort while flying to our main destinations of Redang Island, Tioman Island and Koh Samui." And added: "The ATR 72-500s will allow us to increase the total capacity of our fleet and lower our operating costs."

Commenting on the signature, Stephane Mayer, ATR CEO, declared: "We are delighted with the confidence of Berjaya with the '-500 series' ATR aircraft, which feature unrivalled economics and maintenance costs, thus representing the optimal choice for the short-haul operations and the renewal of the previous regional aircraft fleets". Mr. Mayer also underlined the importance of the Southwest Asian market, where "we see a demand for up to 100 ATR aircraft in the next few years."

Since the beginning of the year, ATR has received orders for 88 new aircraft, some of them not yet unveiled. Since the beginning of the programme, ATR has sold 925 aircraft (416 ATR 42s and 509 ATR 72s) and has delivered 746 (396 ATR 42s and 350 ATR 72s), thus posting a current backlog of 179 aircraft.

Photograph: In the picture Christophe Potocki, ATR President of ATR Eastern Support (left) and Datuk Razman Md Hashim, Chairman of Berjaya Land sign the contract in the presence of YAB Dato'Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia (standing, in the middle).