First ATR 42-500 in Australia

QUEENSLAND’S MacAir Airlines entered a new era
this week with the delivery of Australia’s first ATR 42-500 regional airliner.
The ATR, a state-of-the-art turboprop regional airliner, will operate on MacAir’s major routes, such as Townsville to Mt Isa.

MacAir has a fleet of 13 aircraft serving 36 destinations in Queensland. “The introduction of the ATR 42-500 is a very significant development for MacAir, for Queensland and for the regional air transport industry in Australia,” managing director Randal McFarlane said.

“The ATR 42-500 is a high-speed, low-noise aircraft, which offers a spacious passenger cabin fitted with comfortable leather-covered seats, plus a galley, a toilet-washroom, and a substantial freight compartment,” Mr McFarlane said.

“The two-by-two seat cabin layout guarantees that every passenger has a window or aisle seat, the generous overhead luggage lockers provide plenty of space for carry-on items, and the 50-person capacity meets the growing demand for more seats on our busiest routes.

“Not only did we need a high-capacity aircraft to accommodate growing demand,” Mr McFarlane said. “We needed an aircraft that could perform effectively in Queensland’s harsh outback climate. The ATR 42-500 performs strongly in hot and high conditions, which can impede performance and reduce the revenue payload on some types of aircraft.”

Although new to Australia, the ATR 42-500 and the larger ATR 72-500 operate elsewhere in the Pacific region, flying with operators in New Zealand, New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Fiji. More than 800 ATRs have been delivered worldwide.

The Australian