Julian Moxon/PARIS
ATR is holding discussions on a possible regional jet partnership with Fairchild Dornier, as it postpones plans to launch its proposed ATR Airjet 70 into 1999. The Aerospatiale/Alenia partnership is also continuing talks on a tie-up with Embraer.
Industry sources say the surprise talks between the Franco/Italian partnership and Fairchild Dornier revolve around the creation of a major alliance based on first a 70-seater aircraft, followed by smaller and larger derivatives. Spain's CASA is also involved in the talks.
Fairchild Dornier confirms there is a "-lot of activity around our 728 programme", adding that an announcement on a partner is due "very soon". Sources close to the programme confirm the possibility of ATR joining the 728JET programme, although other observers say an alliance could result in a new aircraft.
Aerospatiale's aeronautics vice-president Jean Francois Bigay says talks on a new regional jet partnership with Fairchild Dornier and Embraer are under way, but rules out any tie-up with Bombardier, which is developing its own CRJ700 70-seater, with a 90-seater in the planning stage.
The 728JETis part of a planned family of regional jets spanning the 40/90-seat range, and the aircraft has already attracted significant market interest. Crossair and Lufthansa Cityline have each signed outline agreements for a total of up to 240 aircraft.
Fairchild Dornier has decided recently to delay availability of the 428JET (a stretched version of the 328JET) by at least two years, to 2002, while it develops a "lower weight configuration" for the aircraft. The 528JET and 928JET are derivatives of the 70-seater, availability of which is scheduled for mid-2001.
ATR has no announced launch customers for the $1.2 billion Airjet 70 project, and has dropped plans for a 54-seat derivative. Instead it is concentrating on the 84-seat stretched version, although, under current planning, this would be available later than the 928JET. Originally, ATR had planned a go-ahead decision for the Airjet project by the end of this year, but its talks with Fairchild have delayed a decision by at least several weeks.
Both manufacturers have settled on a five-abreast configuration, for their 70-seaters, ATR having recently widened the Airjet 70 fuselage design from the original four-abreast layout.
The two have been proposing fundamentally different designs, however, with the Airjet 70 having a rear-engined layout, the 728JET mounting the powerplants under the wing.
Source: Flight International
