FedEx gets delivery of its first of 30 ATR 72-600F aircraft
The first aircraft will be operated by ASL Airlines Ireland, which has been a FedEx ATR operator since 2000, as a part of the FedEx Express Feeder fleet.
FedEx, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp, has received the delivery of the first ATR 72-600F aircraft to its feeder aircraft network from ATR to Toulouse in France on December 15. The first aircraft will be operated by ASL Airlines Ireland, which has been a FedEx ATR operator since 2000, as a part of the FedEx Express Feeder fleet.
The delivery of the state-of-the-art freighter marks the first in 30 to arrive for the express transportation company. In November 2017, FedEx had announced the purchase agreement with ATR with an option to purchase upto 20 more.
Scot Struminger, EVP and CEO of Aviation, FedEx Express said, “The arrival of the first ATR 72-600F is a major milestone in the modernisation of our feeder aircraft fleet, and it positions us strongly to continue growing our global footprint and serve more customers in locations that aren’t always accessible by our larger jet fleet.” He continued, “The ATR 72-600F was constructed with input from FedEx engineers every step of the way, so we’re proud and excited to finally take possession of this impressive aircraft.”
In a LinkedIn post, Struminger added, “Today in Toulouse, France, FedEx took delivery of the first factory-built freighter by ATR. The ATR 72-600F is our first regional freighter with a large cargo door and gives us new capabilities to deliver larger volume to more markets. It’s the latest step in modernizing our fleet to be more reliable and more efficient.”
The ATR 72-600F aircraft is the first production freighter built by ATR unlike others which are converted from a passenger configuration. While being able to carry heavier payloads, its large cargo door allows it to carry bulk cargo as well as Unit Load Device (ULD) configurations, as much as 74.5 cubic metres and up to seven LD3 containers or five 88 inches x 108 inches pallets respectively.
Being the first among 30 ATR freighters, all the upcoming deliveries will happen over the next five years with six aircraft per year.
FedEx currently deploys 364 feeder aircraft, which operate in 56 countries, most of which are owned by the express transportation company itself and leased and operated by third-party carriers
