Julian Moxon/PARIS
The Aerospatiale/Alenia ATR regional aircraft consortium is "urgently" studyingways of resurrecting the Airjet regional jet programme following the collapse of the Aero International (Regional)partnership with British Aerospace, according to ATR president Patrick Gavin.
He says that CASA of Spain remains a potential partner in any programme, having proved a "credible actor" in discussions with AI(R)on joining the $1.2 billion Airjet 70 programme before it was abandoned in December 1997.
Asia, despite its financial problems, is also an area for potential partnerships, he says,"-but we must first establish rapidly whether the Airjet, which was a very specific and well optimised aircraft, is the right concept. I do not think it is too late, because we know that there are many airlines out there which are not satisfied with what the market is offering".
The Franco/Italian venture is believed to be looking at an 80-seater rather than the original 70-seat version. There is also a question mark over the commitment of the two parent companies to finding the finance required to launch any programme go-ahead.
While efforts are being made by ATR management to breathe new life into the Airjet ,work is continuing into converting the group into a separate "legal entity" by early 1999. ATR will then take over full responsibility for design, engineering, production, marketing and customer support, a move which Gavin says will "-improve our efficiency dramatically by reducing the number of interfaces between the partners".
The establishment of ATR as a company has "no relationship" to any future plan to incorporate the regional aircraft group into the forthcoming Airbus corporate entity, says Gavin. "That depends on the evolution of the European industry. If we manage to co-ordinate the various aspects of the industry, then the regional sector could become a part of that strategy. But if it proves more difficult, then it won't happen," he says.
He adds that while "no new regional turboprop projects are anticipated", the future of ATR as a regional turboprop manufacturer is "stable, at least for the short to medium term".
The demise of Saab and Fokker has left ATR and Bombardier sharing "the tremendous improvement in the new generation of turboprops", he says.
Gavin is tipped to take over the presidency of Eurocopter as Francois Bigay leaves to head Aerospatiale's aeronautics division. Sources say his replacement will be announced "within a month".
Source: Flight International
