Fed Ex Takes Delivery of First ATR72-600F to be Operated by ASL Airlines
ATR today has handed over the first of their new ATR 72-600F aircraft to Fed Ex. The aircraft is the first of 30 ordered by the freight logistics company back in November 2017. The order also includes an option for a further 20 machines. The first aircraft to be delivered will be placed on the Irish aircraft register and be operated by ASL Airlines on behalf of Fed Ex.
Fed Ex expect to take delivery of six aircraft per year for the next five years. Five of these new ATR 72-600F’s will be delivered to ASL Airlines to operate on their Fed Ex contracts in Europe. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered from the ATR factory in Toulouse to Shannon on 16th December still using its test registration F-WWEX. The aircraft will take up Irish markings EI-GUL in the coming days and will enter service on the Fed Ex European network on 5th January.
Speaking at a virtual ceremony in Toulouse that was broadcast live, Stefano Bortoli, CEO of ATR said, “Freighters play a huge role in supplying essential connectivity between economies all over the world, and the unique aspects of our modern purpose-built freighter mean it will deliver operational benefits to companies that integrate them into their fleet.”
The freighter version of the ATR 72-600 was announced in 2017 and Fed Ex came on board as the launch customer. Fed Ex already operate many variants of the ATR 72 and the smaller ATR 42, all of which are converted passenger aircraft. FedEx has one of the largest cargo fleets in the world. It has over 450 aircraft operating worldwide from the small Cessna 208 up to the Boeing 777F and the MD-11F.
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