ATR in Garuda/NAC deal
The European manufacturer of turboprop aircraft ATR, Indonesia’s national airline Garuda Indonesia and the Danish leasing firm Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) have announced an agreement for the introduction of 35 new ATR 72-600 aircraft into Garuda’s fleet. This new deal for 35 ATRs, involving NAC as lessor for Garuda, includes orders for 25 firm aircraft and options for further 10. The order, including the options, is valued at over US$ 840 million.
The arrival of these new ATR 72-600s will start in November 2013. The aircraft will be configured with 70 seats, and will feature the “Armonia” cabin, giving the ATR ‘-600s’ the highest standards of comfort in a regional aircraft. The aircraft will be used for the development of both tourism and business throughout the Indonesian archipelago as well as to feed Garuda Indonesia’s main hubs.
This agreement confirms ATR’s success in the countries of Southeast Asia, where since 2005 it has won a large majority of contracts for regional aircraft below 90 seats, with orders for some 170 aircraft region-wide. ATR’s success in the region is particularly strong in the Indonesian market, for which it has received orders for over 85 firm aircraft since 2008, and where some one hundred ATRs will be in operation within the next two years. It clearly illustrates the strong domestic traffic development that Indonesia is living and the appropriate solution offered by ATR to fulfil this growth.
This new deal for 35 ATR 72-600s also underlines NAC’s role as a key player in the regional aircraft leasing business. The Danish lessor is substantially building up its portfolio with modern ATR turboprops and recently placed a record order for 90 ATR -600s, at this year’s Paris Airshow. NAC is playing a major contribution in both developing and expanding regional aviation operations all over the world. In the near future, with the arrival of these new aircraft, NAC will manage a fleet of some 150 ATRs.
