Wings Air signs contract for ATR 72-500/600

ATR 72-600: (Courtesy of ATR)

Regional airline Wings Air signed a contract on Thursday to procure 60 ATR 72 series twin turboprop aircraft to expand its network servicing smaller towns across the archipelago as well as connecting short-range flights.

Amending a previous contract, the new contract signed by Wings Air president director Achmad Hasan and ATR CEO Filippo Bagnato would see Wings Air receive 20 ATR 72-500s and 40 ATR 72-600s, the airline said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

ATR is a Franco-Italian joint venture between EADS and Alenia Aermacchi.

The ATR 72 series is equipped with glass cockpit and able to land and take off from runways as short as 1,200 meters.

Wings Air president commissioner, Rusdi Kirana, witnessed the signing of the US$1.2 billion contract

The airline, which serves as a feeder for low-cost carrier Lion Air, will start receiving the 72-600s starting in November while four 72-500s will be delivered by the end of September. Wings Air is already operating 16 ATR 72-500s.

In addition to the 16 ATR 72-500s, Wings Air currently also operates six MD-80 series and three Dash-8s serving 30 domestic routes and one regional route.

Currently Wings Air flies to various small towns such as Ende, East Nusa Tenggara; Fak-Fak, West Papua; Gunung Sitoli, North Sumatra; Lhokseumawe, Aceh; Luwuk, Central Sulawesi; and Malang, East Java. Meawnhile, the short-range flights include Bandung-Tanjung Karang and Pontianak-Putusibau routes.