ATR and De Havilland Canada are two of the world’s leading turboprop aircraft manufacturers. Between the aircraft from both manufacturers, there are more than 200,000 flights scheduled this month.

ATR

ATR Overview ATR
(Aerei da Trasporto Regionale) is one of the world’s leading regional and commuter turboprop aircraft manufacturers. The company was established in 1981, as a joint venture between two aerospace companies, Airbus and Leonardo. Today, ATR is headquartered in Toulouse, France, and is known for its emphasis on efficiency and reliability.

The two main families of aircraft are the ATR 42 and ATR 72. The ATR 42 family is the only regional plane in the 30-50 seat market, and is typically configured with 30 seats or 48. The ATR 72 family is capable of being configured with 44-78 seats but is typically configured with 44, 72, or 78. Both aircraft families are known for their fuel efficiency and ability to operate from short runways, making them perfect for remote areas.

ATR-72-600 Air Corsica

Photo: ATR

ATR aircraft are widely used worldwide, by major airlines, regional airlines, and other smaller operators. The manufacturer has a very diverse customer base, with customers in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Because of this, ATR has built a large network of customer service centers, spare parts warehouses, and training centers.

De Havilland Canada Overview

De Havilland Canada, another turboprop manufacturer, is ATR’s biggest competitor. The company was founded nearly 100 years ago, in 1928 as a subsidiary of the British de Havilland Aircraft Company. Today, De Havilland Canada (DHC) is headquartered in Toronto.

The Dash 8 family of turboprop aircraft was introduced in 1984 and is known for its reliability and versatility. Over the years, DHC developed the Dash 8-100, Dash 8-200, Dash 8-300, and finally, the most popular, Dash 8-400. The Q400 features quieter and more efficient engines and advanced avionics. Like the ATRs, the Dash 8s are able to operate on short runways and diverse environmental conditions.

DHC is also known for developing the Canadair CL-215, an amphibious firefighting aircraft first introduced in the 1960s that has been crucial to firefighting operations worldwide.

In 1992, DHC was acquired by Bombardier Aerospace, which spearheaded the development of the Q series, which was called the Bombardier Q Series. The Q Series was developed as a more fuel-efficient and quieter aircraft family. In 1996, a noise and vibration suppression system (NVS) was added to the Dash 8 family. In 2020, Longview Aviation Capital purchased the rights to the De Havilland brand and started operating as De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited.

ATR 42-600

ATR 72-600

Dash 8 400

Engine

PW127XT-M

PW127XT-M

PPW150A

Power

2,400 SHP

2,750 SHP

5,071 SHP

Maximum takeoff weight

41,005 lbs

50,705 lbs

65,200 lbs

Maximum landing weight

40,344 lbs

49,272 lbs

62,000 lbs

Max payload

11,574 lbs

16,313 lbs

18,571 lbs

Max fuel load

9,920 lbs

11,024 lbs

11,724 lbs

Maximum cruising speed

535 km

500 km

667 km/hr

Range with maximum passengers at long-range cruise speed

1,345 km

1,370 km

2,037 km

Current market

According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, more than 210,000 roundtrip flights are scheduled on ATR and DHC turboprop aircraft this month. More than half of those are operated by ATR. Of the 210,148 flights, 132,595 are on ATR aircraft, totaling more than 63% of the market share.

Bombardier_Dash_8-Q402,_QantasLink_(Sunstate_Airlines)_JP5884462

Of the five variants of the DHC aircraft (including the newer Dash 8 Q400), the original Dash 8-400 is the most widely used, with 35,086 flights. The newer Dash 8 Q400 is the second-most used Dash 8, scheduled for 19,114 flights this month.

Longest ATR Routes

The longest ATR route is operated with a ATR-72 by Air Tahiti, from Tahiti to Totegegie. The flight connecting the two cities is 1,022 miles long and is the only ATR route worldwide longer than 1,000 miles. The second-longest route is 982 miles and is in Canada. Canadian North uses its ATR 42-300/320s to fly from Igaluit to Resolute. The next three routes are operated by Russian carrier KrasAvia, on the ATR 42 and 72.

Origin

Destination

Operating Airline

Flight distance

Tahiti

Totegegie

Air Tahiti

1,022 miles

Igaluit

Resolute

Canadian North

982 miles

Chara

Krasnoyarsk

KrasAvia

979 miles

Chara

Krasnoyarsk

KrasAvia

968 miles

Gorno-Altaysk

Ulan-Ude

KrasAvia

923 miles

Shortest ATR Routes

The shortest route operated by an ATR aircraft this month also happens to be operated by Air Tahiti. The flight from Moorea to Tahiti is 11 miles long, but is also operated by Air Moana. Air Moana uses the ATR 72, while Air Tahiti uses the 72 and 42-300/320.

Air Tahiti ATR 72 shutterstock_667484128

Photo: KKulikov | Shutterstock

There are two routes that are 13 miles long, one is in French Polynesia and the other is in Greece. The flight from Ahe to Manihi is the route in French Polynesia and the one in Greece is from Karpathos to Kasos Island.

Origin

Destination

Operating Airline

Flight distance

Tahiti

Moorea

Air Tahiti / Air Moana

11 miles

Ahe

Manihi

Air Tahiti

13 miles

Karpathos

Kasos Island

Olympic Air

13 miles

Kalymnos

Kos

Sky Express

14 miles

Kalymnos

Leros

Sky Express

17 miles

Amami

Kikai

Japan Airlines / ANA

19 miles

Biak

Serui

Trigana Air

19 miles

Takume

Raroja

Air Tahiti

19 miles

Longest Dash 8 routes

With the Dash 8s, unlike the ATRs, there are three routes above 1,000 miles. One is from Africa to Europe, the other from Australia to Papua New Guinea, and the last is a domestic route in Russia. Universal Air Charter and Management operates a 1,266-mile flight from Casablanca to Malta. Skytrans’ route from Rockhampton to Lab Lab is 1,224 miles long. Finally, Yakutia Airlines’ flight from Chersky to Yakutsk is 1,006-miles long.

Skytrans Dash 8-100 at Brisbane Airport

Origin

Destination

Operating Airline

Flight distance

Casablanca

Malta

Universal Air Charter and Management

1,266 miles

Rockhampton

Lab Lab

Skytrans

1,224 miles

Chersky

Yakutsk

Yakutia Airlines

1,006 miles

Luxembourg

Bucharest

Luxair

998 miles

Luanda

Windhoek

TAAG Angola Airlines

978 miles

Shortest Dash 8 routes

The shortest route on Dash 8s is even shorter than the shortest routes on ATRs. At six miles, the Harbour Air route from Maple Bay to Ganges in Canada is the shortest Dash 8 route worldwide. This flight is operated on the Dash 8-300.

Japan TransOcean Air operates the second-shortest route, from Minamidaito to Kita-Daito, which is just eight miles long. Olympic Air, which has the second-shortest ATR route, has the third-shortest Dash 8 route, which is the same as the ATR route, from Karpathos to Kasos Island.

The Air Creebec flight from Kashechewan to Fort Albany in Ontario, Canada is also 13 miles. This route is operated on the Dash 8-100

Origin

Destination

Operating Airline

Flight distance

Maple Bay

Ganges

Harbour Air

6 miles

Minamidaito

Kita-Daito

TransOcean Air

8 miles

Karpathos

Kasos Island

Olympic Air

13 miles

Kashechewan

Fort Albany

Air Creebec

13 miles

Victoria

Ganges

Harbour Air

978 miles

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