On the occasion of the European Regions Airline Association General Assembly, Pratt & Whitney Canada and ATR have announced the certification of the PW127XT-L engine by Transport Canada. This engine variant offers increased performance to match the requirements of ATR’s future short-take-off and landing (STOL) version, the ATR 42-600S. This certification is a key milestone in the programme development and an important step towards increasing regional connectivity and airport accessibility across the globe.
The ATR 42-600S will reduce take-off and landing distances, down to just 800 metres in standard flight conditions. It will be able to access 1,000 airports globally with short runways, providing local populations with a greater, quicker, more comfortable and low-emission access to the global economy, healthcare, education and culture, while creating new business opportunities for airlines.
“This certification is a significant milestone for the ATR 42-600S programme, as modifications to the engines are part of the major technical changes we are bringing to the aircraft, in addition to the rudder and avionics, with a huge influence on take-off performance” said Daniel Cuchet, ATR’s SVP Engineering. “The PW127XT-L offers the same turbomachinery as the existing PW127XT-M, and the engine electronic control has been adapted to offer better versatility and increased performance. This great achievement comes as a reward after many months of hard work and constant collaboration between the ATR and Pratt & Whitney Canada teams.”
Validation of the engine modification by EASA is scheduled before the end of the year. The integration of the modified engine with the other aircraft systems will become ATR’s main focus moving forward, targeting an entry into service in 2025.
ATR has already received over 20 commitments for the ATR 42-600S and sees a lot of potential for this aircraft variant in several regions of the globe, including Europe, with Portugal, Greece, Iceland, Italy and Norway as key areas of interest.
