Planemaker ATR lauds U.S. 'comeback' with Silver Airways order

Silver Airways has firmed up a deal to begin flying new ATR turboprops, a move that bolsters the efforts of European aircraft-maker ATR to regain a foothold among U.S. passenger airlines. Silver’s ATR aircraft, which will be from lessor Nordic Aviation, will include 16 ATR 42-600s and four larger ATR 72-600s. Silver will become the first U.S. carrier to fly ATR’s 72-600 model, which can seat anywhere from 50 to 72 passengers, depending on how airlines choose to configure seats on the plane. Neither ATR nor Silver specified how its 72-600s would be configured, but ATR did say Silver’s 42-600 models would come with 46 seats in a 2-2 seating configuration. Silver plans to use its new ATR aircraft to phase out its existing fleet of 21 Saab 340B turboprops that seat 34 passengers.