ATR believes JSX deal could spur turboprop resurgence in USA | News

ATR is hopeful that a new agreement with US-based public charter operator JSX to fly its twin-turboprops will spearhead a return to regional travel in the country and spur further orders in North America.

Disclosed at the Paris air show on 18 June, the agreement comprises a pair of leased ATR 42-600s in a 30-seat all-premium configuration that will start operations in late 2025.

In addition, a letter of intent covers a further 15 firm orders and 10 options for either ATR 42- or 72-600s.

Both will be equipped with 30 seats from the airframer’s new HighLine range: an all-premium cabin for the ATR 42-600s or an all-business-class layout on the larger model.

Critically, the airframer hopes JSX’s deployment of the ATR 42-600 will trigger a resurgence in interest in regional turboprop operations in the USA.

“We really want to test and prove that the ATR is the most suited to restore that connectivity and provide more accessible travel to those that cannot afford flying private in the US,” says chief commercial officer Alexis Vidal.

Although turboprops have a strong presence in Canada, the reverse is true in the USA where most regional operations are flown by small jet-powered aircraft.

Indeed, Silver Airways, ATR’s only pasenger operator in the USA, closed down earlier this month after falling into insolvency and failing to find a buyer.

Nonetheless, Vidal says ATR “believes in the market potential” of the USA and the company forecasts 255 deliveries into the region in the period to 2040 – effectively a rate of 12 aircraft per year.

“Recreating routes or replacing inefficient regional jets on short-haul routes demands a lot of aircraft,” he says.

“Now it’s a question of how can we be successful at convincing the airlines to switch to the ATR.”

ATR chief executive Nathalie Tarnaud Laude hails the airframer’s sales performance so far in 2025, with 30 firm orders already booked by mid-year, including a recent 19-unit commitment from Taiwan’s Uni Air.

“We are continuing the trend that we had last year, very consistently, with new orders,” she says. In 2024, the firm booked 56 gross orders.

Laude expects deliveries in the 40-aircraft range as it continues to “stabilise” after several years of supply chain struggles – last year, it shipped just 35 units – with production to then ramp up from 2026.

She says the compny has seen “some improvements” in the supply chain since the start of the year, but “some pain points” remain, for example with landing gear supplier Safran Landing Systems.