ATR actualités

ATR vise la livraison de plus de 50 "turboprop" en 2010

PARIS (Reuters) - ATR annonce espérer livrer plus de 50 appareils en 2010 après avoir publié un chiffre d'affaires 2009 de 1,4 milliard de dollars (973 millions d'euros), en hausse de 7%.
Le constructeur aéronautique spécialisé dans les avions de transport régional à turbopropulseurs, coentreprise entre l'européen EADS et l'italien Finmeccanica, a remis 54 appareils à leur propriétaires l'an dernier et signé 40 commandes assorties de 17 options.
"L'année 2010 se présente avec des incertitudes élevées mais nous constatons des signes de reprise et nous restons très optimistes pour le marché des turbopropulseurs", a déclaré Stéphane Mayer, président exécutif d'ATR, au cours d'une conférence de presse.
Le dirigeant, qui a toutefois répété que la baisse du dollar effritait la rentabilité du groupe, a ajouté que ses équipes attendaient d'avoir davantage de visibilité pour augmenter la production. Au 31 décembre, le carnet de commandes d'ATR totalisait 136 appareils, soit plus de deux ans de production.
Stéphane Mayer a également souligné que le développement des versions "600" de ses avions se poursuivait conformément au calendrier prévu, avec en ligne de mire une entrée en service au premier semestre 2011.
ATR livre actuellement deux familles d'appareils: l'ATR 42-500 et l'ATR 72-500. Leur consommation en carburant étant inférieure à celle des avions à réaction, ils ont séduit bon nombre de compagnies sur le créneau du transport régional ces dernières années.

C'est l'histoire d'un miraculé. Un avionneur toulousain qui, en pleine tempête du transport aérien, se permet d'afficher les meilleurs résultats de son histoire : ATR, spécialisé dans les « turboprop », les turbopropulseurs, ou avions à hélices, a présenté, le 18 janvier, un chiffre d'affaires record de 1,4 milliard de dollars en 2009, une production proche de son plus haut historique (54 avions livrés, contre 55 en 2008), et une part de marché mondiale de 70 % sur les prises de commandes. Loin devant le canadien Bombardier, son seul vrai concurrent.

Prix imbattables
Plus qu'une performance, une véritable résurrection pour cette coentreprise entre EADS et l'italien Alenia. En 2004, avec neuf avions livrés et dix piteuses commandes, ATR n'est pas passé loin du trou noir qui a englouti tant de constructeurs régionaux, les Dornier, Saab, British Aerospace et autres Fokker. Ces dernières années, paradoxalement, la crise lui a servi de tremplin. « La hausse du prix du pétrole favorise les turbopropulseurs, pointe Stéphane Mayer, PDG d'ATR. Après la «jetmania», où tout le monde voulait absolument passer au jet, le turboprop prend sa revanche. »
De fait, le bon vieil avion à hélices a de vrais arguments à faire valoir, surtout en zone de turbulences. Son prix d'achat imbattable d'abord : de l'ordre de 20 millions de dollars pour un ATR 72-500, soit 30 % de moins que l'E 175 du brésilien Embraer, un jet de même taille. Un argument décisif pour les petites compagnies du type BelleAir (Albanie), Golden Air (Suède) ou Air Tahiti. ATR fait surtout la différence côté consommation, où il dame même le pion à Bombardier. « Pour un vol d'environ une heure, notre flotte permet d'économiser 30 à 40 % de carburant par rapport aux jets », confirme Lionel Guérin, PDG de la compagnie française Airlinair, qui exploite 23 ATR.
Le turboprop remis au goût du jour, encore fallait-il gérer le quasi-triplement des livraisons en trois ans. Le constructeur toulousain a donc recruté à tour de bras, augmentant ses effectifs de 60 % depuis fi n 2005, à 870 salariés. Il a aussi peaufiné son organisation industrielle : le fuselage et l'empennage (la queue de l'avion) sont fabriqués dans l'usine d'Alenia, près de Naples ; les ailes sont conçues par Sogerma, filiale d'EADS, à Mérignac (Gironde). ATR se charge de finaliser l'ensemble sur son site de Blagnac, à côté de Toulouse. Le tout avec une grande flexibilité : la même ligne d'assemblage produit les ATR 42 (50 places) et les ATR 72 (70 places), et les avions sont customisés pour les clients au dernier moment, afin de pouvoir échanger les créneaux de livraisons en cas de besoin.

Remise au pot
Mais le groupe aurait tort de s'endormir sur ses lauriers. Face aux velléités d'Embraer de revenir sur le marché, et la probable arrivée des Chinois dès 2013 avec leur MA 700, ATR a déjà lancé une nouvelle version de l'ATR 72, son best-seller, avec des moteurs Pratt & Whitney plus puissants et une avionique Thales améliorée. Une première riposte. « Le marché évolue vers des turbopropulseurs de plus de 90 places, explique Philippe Plouvier, associé au cabinet de conseil Roland Berger. ATR ne pourra pas faire l'impasse sur ce nouveau segment, qui nécessitera la conception et le lancement d'un nouveau modèle. » Et, plus ardu, il faudra convaincre les deux actionnaires de remettre au pot...




CARNET DE VOL 2009

1,4 milliard de dollars de chiffre d'affaires. 54 appareils livrés. 57 commandes, dont 40 fermes. 136 appareils au carnet de commandes. 1 000 avions vendus depuis la création d'ATR. SOURCE : ATR

ATR partner Alenia Aeronautica has evaluated the carbonfibre construction and production technology it uses to build Boeing 787 fuselage barrels for the joint venture's planned all-new turboprop programme. However, the airframer has concluded that advanced aluminium alloy is the preferred material for the fuselage.
Alenia and Boeing jointly developed the mandrel wound-carbonfibre barrel production process for the 787's fuselage, which the US airframer says involves a combination of "patented and secret" technology. The Italian company is free to use the method in aircraft market sectors where Boeing does not compete.
This would allow it to be adopted for any new turboprop design developed by ATR, but technical director Carmine Orsi says that turboprop customers' preferred solution will remain the metallic skin and frame structure.
This is because the fuselage's "proximity to the ground" leaves it vulnerable to bumps from vehicles and loading equipment, and traditional construction is much more resistant to damage - and more easily repairable - than is carbonfibre.

Cabin noise would also be an issue with a carbonfibre fuselage, says Orsi. The airframer has put a lot of work into passive noise reduction engineering to quieten the ATR's interior, but the stiffer 787-style composite fuselage would be a much more efficient transmitter of vibration and noise, making the sound reduction effort much more difficult to engineer, he says.
Orsi stresses that new aluminium alloys promise to slash 7% off the weight of current fuselage skins, and that current ATR models employ a significant amount of carbonfibre structure. Customers, says Orsi, want to move beyond the ATR 42/72-600's current partly carbonfibre wing and empennage to all-composite structures and this variant will gradually evolve to have an increased carbon content.
Similarly, carbonfibre is a natural way forward for floor beams and pressure bulkheads offering a significant weight benefit. Orsi adds that much of the appeal to customers lies in carbonfibre's corrosion resistance.

ATR n’abandonne pas l’idée d’un éventuel ATR 92. L’avionneur franco-italien a révélé le 25 mai qu’il était en négociations avancées avec trois motoristes pour équiper un turbopropulseur de 80 à 100 places, parmi lesquels Pratt & Whitney et General Electric. La décision sur son lancement devrait être prise en 2011.

Tout dépend en effet de la capacité des motoristes à rendre ce nouveau turbopropulseur compétitif par rapport aux jets régionaux, principalement en terme de vitesse. Très concurrentiel sur le court-courrier grâce à sa faible consommation de carburant, le turbopropulseur a un grand retard de rapidité à rattraper s’il veut se placer sur le secteur des vols de 550 à 650km.

ATR a précisé que GE lui avait présenté un concept de CPX38. Ce turbopropulseur serait dérivé du GE38-1B qui équipe actuellement les hélicoptères militaires lourds CH-53K de Sikorsky qui sont actuellement en service dans le corps des Marines américains. L’avantage serait qu’il s’agirait d’une tout nouveau turbopropulseur qui serait donc doté des dernières technologies.

Si la décision rendue est positive, le nouvel ATR pourrait entrer en service en 2016. Mais l’étude de marché détaillée doit elle aussi être achevée : l’avionneur avait indiqué au début de l’année que cet appareil n’était pas encore très demandé en raison de la crise.

ATR believes market exists for larger turboprops
By David Kaminski-Morrow

ATR is convinced that 30% of the demand for 3,000 turboprops over the next 20 years will be for larger aircraft, but is waiting for a "convergent" solution to extend its family to the 90-seat sector.

Chief executive Filippo Bagnato believes that the technology "bricks" are already in place at engine manufacturers Pratt & Whitney and General Electric to develop a family of powerplants to succeed the PW127.

ATR would retain the current high-wing design for the potential 92- to 94-seat airframe.

"But I need to understand how I can converge the product policy of the aircraft manufacturer with that of the engine manufacturer," says Bagnato. "That is paramount. The rest will follow."

The timeframe remains unclear, however. Bagnato says: "Too many developments have been launched without reasonable maturation."

He says that although a new aircraft would require a 15% saving in fuel burn to be cost-effective, the technology is available at both engine suppliers.

"I'm insisting on one conceptual point," says Bagnato. "Between performance and cost-effectiveness, the priority is cost-effectiveness, not spending money on speed. I don't want to get out of my sport. I don't believe pushing too much on speed will [increase competitiveness]."

The company is to deliver to Royal Air Maroc the first example of its latest -600-series aircraft family, an ATR 72-600, around June this year as the airframer prepares to ramp up production in 2012.

It delivered 51 aircraft in 2010, a rate which it considers typical, but Bagnato says this figure will be increased to 70 next year.

He is unconcerned that the current backlog at the manufacturer, 159 aircraft, is only double the planned output, saying he takes "comfort" in ATR securing a 65% share of turboprop orders last year against rival Bombardier.

A ramp-up in production would increase the manufacturer's turnover by one-third, from $1.35 billion to $1.8 billion in 2012. ATR secured orders for 80 aircraft in 2010 and is aiming for a similar level of 75-80 in 2011.

Deliveries for 2011 will include 11 of its -600 series, among them the first ATR 42-600, before the end of the year.

ATR has ruled out a decision this year on whether to pursue an enlarged, 90-seat version of its regional turboprop family.

The European airframer's main focus in 2011 is certification and delivery of its modernised 72-600 variant, says chief executive Filippo Bagnato, who firmly says "this year we will not be taking a decision" about a larger turboprop.

Bagnato says customers would be looking for a "city car" that was a little larger than the ATRs now optimised on short distances. "I don't think they are looking for sophisticated performances," he says.


While no US customers were included in ATR's 80 orders for 2010, the airframer believes market forces in North America are strengthening its case, particularly against regional jets.

Operators "can't make money with a 50-seat jet" on routes shorter than 350nm (6,470km), says Bagnato. He adds that the two-class configuration and forward passenger door option on the ATR 72-600 are "what we've done first to be prepared for the North American market - it is the main driver of this new configuration".

ATR saw record order intake in 2011 and deliveries also have started to recover as the aircraft maker sets its sights on a growth phase in terms of output and revenue growth.

Here are the 2011 highlights:

Net Orders: 157 (144 ATR 72s / 13 ATR 42s)

Options Booked: 79

Backlog: 224

Deliveries: 54 (up from 51 in 2011)

Output should jump above 70 aircraft this year.

Other 2012 milestones: the first delivery of a ATR 42-600 and the handover of the 1,000th ATR turboprop on May 3

ATR has confirmed that it received 157 firm orders (13 ATR 42s and 144 ATR 72s) plus 79 options in 2011 – its 30th anniversary year – beating its previous record year in 2007 by 40%.

The backlog at 31 December 2011 stood at 224 aircraft worth $5 billion. This figure includes the removal of 38 aircraft which were on order by Kingfisher Airlines. ATR took the decision to enact a cancellation clause in the contract due to problems with pre-delivery payments in December 2011 so that, according to CEO Filippo Bagnato, it could “present a clean backlog sheet to the industry”.

A total of 193 firm orders – turboprop and turbofan – were placed in the 50-90 seat sector during 2011. Of this total 80% were with ATR and 85% were for turboprops. “The backlog for the whole sector now splits 77% turboprop against 23% jet and ATR has 70% of all the backlog in the segment,” Bagnato noted.

Of the 2011 orders the customers for 40 ATR 72-600s and one ATR 42-600 remain unannounced. Bagnato reported that announcements relating to these will be made at the Singapore Air Show.

Among the orders, Bagnato highlighted the deal with Japan’s Uni Air which had been a Bombardier customer. Overall, he added, 56% of orders in 2011 came from existing ATR operators, 23% came from new operators and 21% from lessors.

Revenue in 2011 remained at around $1.3 billion. “We kept deliveries last year the same as 2010 – 54 – so that risk was minimised as we had the -600 Series aircraft to certify,” Bagnato explained. “Now we’re pressing the accelerator to deliver 72 aircraft in 2012, at least 80 in 2013 and at least 85 in 2014. So moving towards we’ll be achieving $2 billion revenue. That production ramp-up will be 60% over the next three years.”

Contributing to the revenue alongside delivery payments and new orders was $270 million in support activity and $80 million in asset management activity. Used aircraft activity has been much lower due to the fact that by the end of 2011, the company’s portfolio was down to 10 aircraft on operating lease, two of which have already been sold. Only one new sale was made last year, with the rest of the revenue coming from the transfer of 19 aircraft titles relating to deals included in the 2010 figures.

On progress with the -600 Series, the first of the 222 aircraft ordered was delivered last August. SO far 10 ATR 72-600s have been delivered to four airlines – Royal Air Maroc Express, Azul, TRIP and Caribbean Airlines – have made more than 3,000 flights. “The dispatch reliability is exceeding 99.7%,” Bagnato commented.

Certification of the ATR 42-600 is now expected in mid Spring, with the first of the model to be delivered in August. This year will also see the last -500 Series delivery plus, on 3 May, the delivery of the 1,000th ATR since the beginning of the programme.

ATR’s forecast sees long-term demand remaining strong, with around 3,100 turboprops required – 500 in the 50-seat category, 1,600 in the 70-seat category and 1,000 in the category of 90-plus seats.

In the near term, following its bumper year, Bagnato believes that in its order outlook for 2012, ATR has to be prudent. “Ideally I’d like to arrive at the end of the year with the same backlog as today. With that I’d be satisfied,” he noted.

Asked whether ATR might end up on its own among turboprop manufacturers following last year’s orders, Bagnato quickly quelled the idea. “No, we won’t be alone even though out main competitor had a bad year. It’s not one year’s figures that change the overall picture,” he remarked. “Also, we must not forget the Chinese – they will arrive in the market [at some point].”

Finally, Bagnato discussed new aircraft programmes, including the potential for the 90-100 seat turboprop, for which most forecasts – including ATR’s own – see a requirement. “Launching a new aeroplane is a tough decision. The aircraft industry is a one-shot industry and one wrong decision can kill a company,” he emphasised, “but I hope that by the end of 2012 we can say something.

“The most valuable asset for ATR is having more than 180 operators. It is the one we have to preserve. It is the engine which will support new investments,” Bagnato declared.