Flying a green trail across North Africa

Alan Peaford meets the European manufacturer that is changing the game for regional airlines across North Africa and the Middle East.

The gleaming new turboprop on the Dubai Airshow static park from Libyan Airlines heralded not just a resurgence in the fortunes and opportunities for the North African carrier but was also a clear indicator of a growing demand for the economically viable and environmentally sound airframe that bears Libyan flag carrier’s corporate logo.

The aircraft was the ATR-42-500, the first of two of the regional turboprops ordered by Libya and also the first ATR aircraft to be operated in the country.

According to John Moore, ATR’s head of international sales, the Dubai show couldn’t have come at a better time for the Franco-Italian joint.

“We have found the Dubai Airshow to work really well for us with visitors coming not just from the Middle East but from Africa and the Indian subcontinent as well. There is a growing interest in the ATR aircraft for obvious reasons and we are pleased to be able to show them an aircraft that delivers on promises,” Moore said.

The ‘obvious reasons’ that Moore is so proud of are the performance figures that he says outstrips the regional jet competitors.

“There are two big factors that we are really scoring on – the first is economic performance and the second is comfort,” Moore said. “The dramatic increase in fuel charges that we saw over the past few years makes the argument for a turboprop quite compelling. To operate a 50 or 70-seat regional jet below three to four hundred nautical miles (6-900km) route doesn’t make economic sense. Fuel costs are double what they are with an ATR, there is no speed advantage on this length of mission and so it doesn’t add up. Of course, if you are using half of the fuel you are creating half of the amount of emissions too.”

Moore shrugs off the old criticism that the turboprops are noisy.

“We have put a lot of time and investment into development and enhancing the comfort for the customer,” he said. “The noise levels, the vibration, the whole cabin feel with its mood lighting is so much better. Once people actually experience the cabin they overcome the resistance.

“What we did with the 500 is develop measures like stiffening the frame and reinforcing the fuselage. We put in passive noise suppression rather than active and the new six-bladed prop reduced external noise and vibration. The result is that we have noise at around 78 decibels compared to 85 before. This matches the Q400 from Bombardier and compares favourably with the jets. This reduction is a huge improvement. For the interiors we have added LED lighting and our own in-flight entertainment (IFE) system that is unique for this class of airplane. The whole feel is like a much larger aircraft. It looks and feels like a jet and costs the airline significantly less.”

Nearly 1,000 ATR aircraft have been sold – around two-thirds of which have been ordered or delivered in the past five years.

“A lot of people said the turboprop was dead but the figures show that the compelling arguments in favour of the aircraft are winning,” Moore said.

Certainly ATR is gaining ground across North Africa with Royal Air Morocco likely to be the first to receive the latest ATR model – the dash 600 – when it is certificated in 2011.

The Moroccan flag carrier was among the batch of launch customers to sign up for the new type with its purchase of four ATR 72-600s and two ATR 42-600s aircraft, plus options for two additional ATR 72-60. The aircraft will be operated by Regional Air Maroc Express, the new regional subsidiary of the national airline. It is using leased ATR 72-200s to meet demands until the new aircraft are delivered

These ATR 42-600s and ATR 72-600s, configured with 48 and 70-seats respectively, will be equipped with a new avionics suite featuring the most advanced technologies in navigation aid and communication tools. The aircraft will also be equipped with an enhanced cabin in order to offer higher comfort to the passengers.

“The cockpit technology is impressive,” said Moore. “We are using the same integrated modular avionics that are certified for the A380 programme.”

With five 6”x8” LCD units the flight deck will be impressive and with automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) and RNP (required navigation performance) capability the ATR-600 will be able to plan shorter direct routes resulting in reduced fuel consumption and emissions of CO2 and NOx. “We anticipate 15-20kg of fuel savings for each RNP approach, as well as improved minima compared to existing approaches and improved access to more airports.”

The ATR capabilities in dusty desert conditions, or with hot and high requirements, were the drivers behind the Libyan Airlines decision to invest in the European turboprop.

Captain Mohamed Ibsem, Libyan’s chief executive said: “We decided on the ATR aircraft because of the flexibility to operate in challenging conditions and tough environments, like the ones that can be found at some destinations in the Libyan desert. We will able to improve the quality of our regular air connectivity to several local communities, thus contributing to strengthen both human and business links in our country.”

Ibsem also said the economic advantages were clear. “The operating costs of the ATRs, which are the lowest of the regional market, also clearly contributed to our choice. They will enable us to obtain an optimal exploitation, especially on low-yield routes”.

The Libyan Airlines aircraft on the static display is configured with 48 seats, and is equipped with new PW 127M engines. When the new ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 aircraft come on stream they will feature an additional 500 Kg on maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and maximum zero fuel weight (MZFW) as well as the lowest fuel consumption per passenger and CO2 emissions, a statistic that Moore says “consolidates ATR as the ‘green player’ of regional aviation.”