Press releases | 2020-12-22

ATR 42/72 Entry into Service – Liebherr with New Air Management System on Board

The new integrated air management system developed and manufactured by Liebherr-Aerospace entered into service with ASL Airlines Ireland – on behalf of FedEx – on December 15th, 2020, during the first commercial flight of ATR’s 42/72 aircraft family. The newly enhanced system improves on-board comfort for passengers and crew while at the same time substantially reducing operational costs.

ATR and Liebherr-Aerospace are very happy to have strengthened their long-term relationship for the ATR 42/72 program, and to cross the milestone of having this inaugural flight – in this case with a cargo aircraft version.

“In today’s competitive aviation landscape, it is imperative to constantly evaluate best-in-class partners, and Liebherr was able to deliver not only cost-effectiveness, but, most importantly, performance enhancements. Liebherr’s footprint in our ATR family has now been expanded from pressurization and anti-ice components to bleed and air management systems as well as ground cooling system”, said David Brigante, ATR Senior Vice President Programmes and Customer Services.

Liebherr-Aerospace will also be responsible for product support of ATR’s fleet under the ATR Global Maintenace Agreement (GMA). The two companies signed a 10 year commitment and Liebherr-Aerospace will be the exclusive product support provider for the new air management system worldwide. The agreement will be carried out by Liebherr-Aerospace’s service stations in Toulouse (France), center of excellence for air management systems, Singapore and Saline, Michigan (USA). Developments are well under way to provide ATR with cutting edge technology that includes predictive maintenance services. The goal is to reduce aircraft downtime, optimize spare parts inventory and increase reliability - all while reducing costs.

“We are honored to have been selected by ATR back in 2016 to be the supplier of the new enhanced air management system for their fleet. This contract represents a major win for our organization, because not only we will manufacture the system, but also, most importantly, we get to support it. Our focus on long-term customer satisfaction is what has earned us the repeat business of our valued customers. We take great pride in not just meeting, but consistently exceeding, our service levels”, said Alex Vlielander, Chief Services Officer, Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS.