Explained ATR

ATR stands for Aerei da Trasporto Regionale or Avions de transport régional; Regional Air Transport in English. ATR is a giant plane manufacturer formed with a joint venture of France aerospace company and Italian aviation conglomerate. Together they are popularly called Franco-Italian. Some of the major highlights of this plane manufacturer company are:

• Formed in 1981.
•  Primary products are ATR-42 & ATR-72.
• ATR has sold more than 1,500 aircraft and has over 200 operators in more than 100 countries.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION 

Technically ATR’s are much different from those we usually see in our Indian AIRSPACE. Instead of using turbojet they use turboprop and are thus known as a regional airliner. Let’s go in a bit longer to know much more about what actually regional airliner is? A regional airliner is a typical airliner that is designed to fly for shorter distance reason being: to save money because it will cost more for an A320 to travel shorter distance as compared to an ATR. The plane ispowered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100 turboprop engines, which drive an arrangement of four or six-bladed propellers. If we talk about its capacity then surely it has enough space to accommodate for the routine flying passengers to travel across cities, as it can carry 68-74 passengers at a time. There is a small difference in the seating pattern as compared to an A320 (more specifically in India) where we have 3 seaters on both sides, here we have only 2.

Why prefer an ATR over Boeing and Airbus? Is it safe to travel from turboprop over turbojet?

1.           Well, to compare between an ATR with other giant planes we need to specify some boundaries. As mentioned earlier its one benefit over the giant planes is the cost factor when it comes to travel a shorter distance.
2.            The Indian government makes it a pre-condition for granting a license to an air carrier that they should operate a certain number of flights to under-served destinations which they specify (like the North-East of India). These sectors carry few passengers and it is tough for an airline to break even on such routes with a larger aircraft. In this case, ATR comes to rescue. Several airlines in India have ATR or equivalent aircraft in their fleets.
3. 
   
         .  Another major reason which takes leverage is that for operations on shorter runways, it is impossible to use an Airbus or Boeing planes and hence ATR has a great advantage to take off from these shorter runways. 

Before we come to a conclusion that an ATR is safe or not, we need to figure out the difference between turbojet and turboprop. Turboprop and jets are both built with a turbine or jet engines. Jets have turbine engines encased with fan blades while turboprops have a propeller on the outside.

Now the main point to consider is – WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF an ATR OVER OTHER BIG PLANES.

One can easily say that turboprop (ATR) might be little louder than turbojet (BIG planes) because of its propellers, but they are actually safer than turbojet when going into smaller runways. Well, there is a big reason behind this too. One of the factors we look into before planning a flight is called ‘Balance Field’. When we are inching towards the takeoff speed (let it be on any plane) and unfortunately something went wrong, how quickly could you stop? Yes!  This is what we consider and here turboprop takes a leverage.  Turboprops are able to respond and stop much more quickly because the propellers provide extra drag. Thus, the propellers help the aircraft stop when needed.

ATR is not always preferred.

When it comes to withstanding against bad weather, obviously big planes have a bit more advantage as compared to ATR. Here the stability factor plays an important role. Due to its small size ATR have less stability as compared to big planes. They shake a lot when they pass by any turbulence and cannot shift accordingly as fast as compared to big planes.

On a general note, Turboprops have a higher accident rate than jets.

CURRENT STATUS OF ATR IN INDIA

Currently, in India, a total of 40 ATR's are flying across various cities and connecting remote and close destinations. Among those 40, Jet Airways has 18, Air India has 15, TruJet has 4 and on last Indigo which added 3 ATR's in their fleet.

NOW INDIGO IS INVESTING A HUGE AMOUNT IN ATR AS:

It’s cheaper to acquire and cheaper to operate, ATR-sized aircraft fulfill a vital need for short-distance, low-density traffic. It also plans to connect Hyderabad to other destinations such as Iupati, Rajahmundry, and Nagpur. By the end of 2018, they are expected to extend their routes of ATR and number is also expected to rise from 3 to 20, leaving behind Jet Airways.

 AT LAST WHAT I CAN SUGGEST FOR YOU IS THAT

Before you plan your journey make sure in which plane you are supposed to travel. To find this, simply Google your flight number and find the type of the plane you want to travel in.

Another important point is that for shorter distance take ATR or its equivalent and prefer big planes for longer distance.