Aircraft

ATR has quietly begun flight-testing its -600 series development aircraft in Toulouse ahead of the "official" maiden sortie, which is due in September.

According to Toulouse sources, the aircraft - a modified ATR 72-500 (MSN 98) - flew on 24 July and has since made more flights.

© ATR The ATR -600 family is the successor to the -500 series

The ATR 72-500 airframe has been brought up to -600 specification with the installation of new cockpit avionics and other features. The ATR -600 family is the successor to the -500 series with improvements including higher-thrust Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M engines, increased weights, an enhanced cabin and all-new Thales flightdeck.

While ATR indicated in May that the -600 would be airborne in June, it subsequently only that the type would fly in summer - and recently said the first flight would take place in September. It maintains that this will be the "official" first flight.

Meanwhile, ATR delivered 21 aircraft during the first half of the year, one less than the 22 shipments during the same period in 2008. The airframer said in January it expected to deliver 60 ATRs in the entire year. Orders for 12 ATRs had been received through to 30 June, bringing the backlog to 151.