1. The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop airliner, which means that it’s powered by quiet and efficient propellers rather than turbojets. This makes it ideal for shorter flights where speeds below 725 km/h are required. The engines are manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada.
2. The aircraft was developed in the 1980s by the Franco-Italian ATR (Avions de Transport Regional) — Finnair was the first company to use them on commercial flights, launching the model on 27 October 1989.
3. If you’ve ever flown to or from the Helsinki Airport with Norra (Nordic Regional Airlines, previously FlyBe), there’s a good chance you’ve been on board an ATR 72: the airline has 12 of them.
4. The model typically seats about 70 passengers (the number from which the model derives its name), and has a crew of two to four — perfect for short haul routes.
5. The ATR 72 is a very popular model with airlines around the world, from Indonesia to Brazil, with 960 planes built by 2017. As the plane is able to take off and land on shorter runways, it can reach more destinations than jet-powered aircraft.
