The Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-320 is a high wing twin-turboprop commuter airliner for up to 46
passengers and 4 crewmembers. The ATR42-320 is equipped with two 2100 hp Pratt and Whitney PW121 engines.
The Avions de Transport Regional, a joint venture company between Aerospatiale and Aeritalia, with
headquarters in Toulouse, officially launched the ATR-42 project on 4 November 1981. The
ATR-42 project is a result of merging two separate aircraft concepts: the AS35 from Aérospatiale (now part
of EADS) and the AIT 230 from Aeritalia (now Alenia Aeronautica). The two companies had been working
on their respective aircraft concepts since 1978. Both concepts, the AS35 and the AIT 230 were started as a
short-range 35-seat turboprop airliner. In July 1980 was decided to merge the efforts and a marketing study
resulted in February 1981 in starting the development of a 42-50 seat airliner, the ATR-42. The first of
two ATR-42 prototypes, F-WEGA c/n 1001, flew for the first time on 16 August 1984. After the certification
was granted on 24 September 1985, deliveries of the ATR-42-200 started in December 1985. The ATR-42 evolved
and on 16 August 1984, the ATR-42-300 with greater payload range and a higher takeoff weight than the ATR-42-200
was flown first. The ATR-42-300 became the standard production version until 1996. The ATR 72, a stretched
version of the ATR 42, first flew in 1988. The ATR twin turboprop passenger aircraft line consists of the
ATR 42 and ATR 72, of which the ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 are the models currently in production. ATR has
built over 436 ATR-42 aircraft.
On 25 July 2016, the 1987-built UTair- Ukraine' Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-320 UR-UTE was seen stored at Mönchengladbach Airport in Germany.
On 17 June 1987, ATR.42-320 s/n 057 flew first at Toulouse as F-WWEL. On 15 July 1987, the airliner was delivered to ATI in Italy as I-ATRJ.
On 24 March 1990, the I-ATRJ was delivered to Avianova and on 1 November 1996, the aircraft started operating with Alitalia Express. On 1 October 2001, the
aircraft was withdrawn from use and stored. On 1 August 2002, the I-ATRJ should be transferred to Air Industria, but this did not happen and the aircraft returned
in service with Alitalia Express. In May 2006, ATR-42-320 I-ATRJ was withdrawn from use and stored again. On 1 April 2007, the aircraft was delivered as VP-BCG
to UTair Aviation in the Ukraine. On 28 June 2011, the ATR-42-320 was transferred to UTair - Ukraine as UR-UTE. In May 2014, the ATR-42-320 UR-UTE arrived at
Flugplatz Mönchengladbach in Germany and is stored at MGL since.
Luchtvaart déjà vu
