Regional aircraft manufacturer ATR is preparing for a year of ramping up deliveries of its 72-600s in 2026 following a year of stabilising operations.

Speaking at the biennial Paris Air Show this week Nathalie Tarnaud Laud, chief executive of ATR, said aircraft orders have continued to show a positive trend this year.

Having secured orders for 30 new aircraft so far in 2025, ATR has now  sold over 1,900 aircraft since the start of the 72-600 programme. A recent order for 19 from Uni AIR was the largest since 2017.

Tarnaud Laud said this shows the trust customers are placing in ATR which she said it working on improving the product in terms of sustainability and maintenance.

She said ATR has a “really strong pipeline” and the second half of 2025 will ensure it out-performs last year “which was a really good year in terms of orders”.

“We are very optimistic about the commercial performance going forward but still pragmatic when it comes to restoring the supply chain and delivering those aircraft,” Tarnaud Laud said.

“We said at the beginning of the year that 2025 will be a year of stabilisation and I can confirm we are still on track to stabilise the deliveries from last year.

“This year is also a year of preparing for the future. We want to ramp up, that’s very clear. And that’s why we have continued a lot of effort in improving our processes, in the way we work with our suppliers to start that ramp up in 2026.”

Tarnaud Laud  added: “When it comes to product improvement for that this year we have decided to launch  specifications which will continue to move forward the performance of the aircraft.

“The ATR is one of the most cost-effective aircraft operating on the close to 500 nautical miles. That’s why we decided to invest in a couple of improvements reducing costs and improving the availability of the aircraft.

“We have a few initiatives like reducing the corrosion on the aircraft increasing the checks from two to three years. This is a very important pillar for us and we want to achieve this in a time frame of two to three years.”

Tarnaud Laud said ATR also want to continue the sustainability journey, describing it as being “in the DNA of the company”. “We want to continue to lead the sustainability journey when it comes to regional aircraft.”

ATR is working with engine supplier Pratt & Whitney in two areas. The first is to improve the PW127XT’s fuel efficiency and maintenance costs.

The OEM is also working on alternative fuels including working with Pratt & Whitney on its Able concept for developing hydrogen propulsion.

ATR is also continuing to work on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) having been the first manufacturer to operate a 100% SAF flight in June 2022.

This week ATR signed a deal with French SAF aggregator ATOBA to address the key issue with SAF which is the cost and availability.

Tarnaud Laud said: “When it comes to reginal aviation on one side we are smaller players as customers …and access to SAF is not that easy so they need to join forces with others.

“On the other side you have the producers and, of course they are looking for scale, and they are looking for commitments. We want to work together with ATOBA to bring customers and producers together.”

ATR has achieved the EASA CS-CO2 certification which is based on stringent ICAO efficiency standards.

The 72-600 outperformed regulatory requirements delivering 20% margin beyond required criteria. Tarnaud Laud said this is “setting a new standard for fuel efficiency and sustainability”.