4 Aircraft Were Ordered In 2009
The national airline Air Algérie took delivery Thursday
morning of an ATR 72-500, the first of four ordered in 2009.
This aircraft was delivered during a ceremony organized in
Toulouse.
Air Algérie, which already operated 8 ATR 72-500s, will
increase the size of its fleet to 12 with the delivery, during
2010, of the remaining 3 aircraft on order. Consequently, Air
Algérie will become the largest ATR operator on the African
continent.
These 4 new aircraft, all configured in the 66 seat version,
will enable the national airline Air Algérie to propose an
optimized service to its passengers, by offering more frequent
flights and by opening new routes, in particular to certain regions
in the south of the country and to countries in the Mediterranean
basin.
ATR will also provide its assistance to Air Algérie for
the installation, commissioning and operation of a new flight
simulator, which is part of the plans of the airline to open a
training center for its pilots in Algeria.
Abdelwahid Bouabdallah, President and Managing Director of Air
Algérie, declared: "Numerous years of operation have
revealed that the ATR 72-500 is well adapted to the specific
features of our domestic network, comprising operations at high
temperature. With this addition of 4 aircraft to our fleet, we will
improve and diversify our offer to passengers, within the framework
of our public service mission, while maintaining the lowest
operating costs". He ended his speech by adding: "For Air
Algérie, the ATRs are at the base of our development policy,
which targets at densifying the domestic network, while opening new
routes to zones still isolated. We are also very happy to be able
to count on ATR's knowhow and skills in the support field. This new
acquisition is witness to a partnership established over time and
which is based on mutual interest."
(L-R) Abdelwahid Bouabdallah,
AirAlgérie, Stéphane Mayer, ATR Photo Credit Pierre
Barthe
"Air Algérie is a model of network development to remote
regions, providing high-quality public service and proposing to its
passengers aircraft incorporating leading edge technology and the
highest level of comfort. We are proud to have Air Algérie
as one of our customer airlines and to see that this year they will
become the largest operator of our aircraft in Africa", declared
Stéphane Mayer, Chief Executive Officer of ATR. He added:
"The Maghreb contributed significantly to the orders received by
ATR last year, which proves that it is a dynamic region with great
perspectives in regional transportation development. The airlines
that have granted or renewed their confidence in us can count on
our support to ensure optimal introduction and commissioning of
their new aircraft. Our support for the installation of a new
flight simulator in Algeria is precisely part of this accompanying
process of our customers in the development of their
operations."