Deal Includes OEM Global Maintenance Agreement

Oriental Air Bridge Co., Ltd—better known as ORC—is a Japanese regional air-carrier headquartered on the Nagasaki Airport (NGS). The airline offers charter service throughout Southern Japan and scheduled flights between Nagasaki and the city of Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu.

On 16 December 2022, ORC took delivery of its first ATR 42-600 covered by an ATR Global Maintenance Agreement contract (GMA). The high-wing, twin turboprop airliner was delivered in Toulouse—where ATR is headquartered—and bears the new ORC livery. The airline plans to start operating the 48-seat machine along its Nagasaki Fukuoka route in July 2023.

By dint of its GMA contract, ORC avails itself of ATR’s OEM expertise, thereby reducing maintenance costs and boosting dispatch reliability.

ORC senior managing director Mr. Tanaka remarked: “We are pleased to start operating our ATR 42-600 aircraft soon. With the unrivaled versatility and sustainable performance of ATR aircraft, this delivery represents a step forward for us to better serve our higher purpose of providing air link to revitalize the remote islands around Nagasaki Prefecture, in the most responsible way. We will also be able to offer our passengers the highest standards of comfort and modernity, while ensuring cost effectiveness through our ATR Global Maintenance Agreement. We look forward to welcoming passengers on our flights to visit the remote island of Nagasaki where some beautiful world heritages are located.”

ATR Chief Executive Officer Nathalie Tarnaud Laude added: “Air transport is crucial for Japan, where air routes are essential for domestic travel and transportation. As such, ORC is boosting local economy every day by offering vital links for local communities from Nagasaki and surrounding islands. At ATR, we are pleased to count ORC as one of our new customers and to contribute to support their mission in providing them with the most affordable and responsible aircraft in the market. The support we will be able to provide through the ATR Global Maintenance Agreement will also ensure the most reliable and efficient services for their fleet.”

Introduced in 2007 and based on Franco-Italian ATR’s 42-300 turboprop, the ATR 42-600 improves dramatically on its forebear’s technology, thrust, efficiency, and reliability. In addition to a five-screen EFIS suite and Thales avionics that afford operators CAT III and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) capabilities, the ATR 42-600 sports dual, 2,400-shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127XT-M engines. The powerplants feature a boost function—evocative of the APR systems of TFE-731-3RH and 5BR powered Hawker 700s and 800s—that musters an additional five-percent thrust. Aft of the cockpit bulkhead, the ATR 42-600’s cabin is graced with lighter, more comfortable seats and larger overhead baggage bins.

The number "42" in the aircraft’s name derives of the original 300 series’ 42-passenger standard seating capacity.

Currently, only 15 ATR aircraft ply Japan’s skies. ATR predicts Japan’s air-carrier market will demand one-hundred of its regional turboprops over the next ten-years. Most of the new planes will replace older, less efficient models, and will connect the island nation’s remote regions with its vast, densely-populated cities.

FMI: www.atr-aircraft.com