In the presence of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Finmeccanica’s CEO and General Manager, Mauro Moretti, a 1 billion US$ contract between ATR and Indonesia’s Lion Air was signed in Rome today, 27 November 2014. ATR is the joint-venture between Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi and the Airbus Group.
Biggest order of ATR aircraft in the last 20 years
The contract, signed at the Prime Minister’s Office by Patrick de Castelbajac, ATR’s CEO, and Rusdi Kirana, President of Lion Group, is for 40 ATR 72-600 aircraft. The order was placed to meet the growing demand for short- and medium-haul air transport in the Indonesian and Southeast Asia region.
Under the agreement, for which SACE provided significant financial support, deliveries will start in January 2016 and continue until December 2018. The new aircraft will be added to the 60 ATR 72 already ordered by Lion Air since 2008.
Synergy between leading players in European aerospace industry
“The ATR joint-venture is a clear example of how synergy between the European aerospace industry leads to the development of leading-edge products and technological systems, ready to successfully meet the challenges posed at international level by increasingly fierce competitors” said Mauro Moretti. “Finmeccanica strongly believes in the ATR programme, in the quality of the product, and its commercial potential, which will enable the Italo-French joint-venture to continue to be a key-player in its own markets” he added.
Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi produces the entire metal fuselage of the two versions of the ATR aircraft (ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600) fully equipped with systems, as well as the tail assemblies built in composite material.
The major structural components of the fuselage are manufactured at the Nola site and assembled at Pomigliano d’Arco, providing a finished and fully equipped fuselage. Both sites are located near Naples The composite-material structural parts making up the tail assemblies are manufactured at the Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi site at Foggia.
