Japanese regional carrier Oriental Air Bridge (ORC) has taken delivery of its first ATR 42-600, which it will operate on regional routes out of Nagasaki.
The carrier will commence services with the 48-seat aircraft in July 2023, according to ATR. The carrier ordered the aircraft at the Farnborough Airshow in July.
“We are pleased to start operating our ATR 42-600 aircraft soon,” says ORC senior managing director Kazuhito Tanaka.
“With the unrivalled versatility and sustainable performance of ATR aircraft, this delivery represents a step forward for us to better serve our higher purpose of providing air link to revitalise the remote islands around Nagasaki Prefecture, in the most responsible way.”
ATR will support the aircraft through a Global Maintenance Agreement contract.
It adds that there are 15 ATRs flying in Japan, but over the next decade it sees demand for 100 regional aircraft, mainly replacing older types.
Cirium fleets data indicates that ORC also operates two De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q200s with an average age of 22.2 years, and a single Airbus Helicopters AS365-N3+ helicopter.
