Avianca (Bogota) took delivery yesterday (June 18) of the first of 15 ATR 72-600s that it commissioned in late 2012, with the signing of a contract which also included options for 15 more aircraft and which was valued at over $700 million.
The aircraft was delivered at the Paris Air Show is configured with 68 seats and is equipped with the new ‘Armonia’ cabin, a major development of the ATR ‘-600′ series, ensuring optimal passenger comfort. With the delivery of this aircraft, Avianca begins an ambitious process of developing and modernizing its regional network in Colombia and Central America.
Avianca will gradually replace the Fokker 50s and ATR 42s currently in service. The first ATR 72-600 will serve destinations including Barrancabermeja, Florencia, Manizales, Neiva, Pasto, Popayán, Tumaco and Yopal in Colombia. Later, other ATR 72-600s will be used to connect Guatemala City and Flores (Guatemala), Tegucigalpa, Roatán and San Pedro Sula (Honduras), San Salvador (El Salvador), Managua (Nicaragua) as well as San José and Liberia (Costa Rica).
Alongside with the introduction of the ATR 72-600s, ATR and Avianca are preparing to jointly set up the first ATR-approved pilot training center in South America, which will open in the coming months at Avianca facilities in Bogota, Colombia.
The first ATR 72-600 is really officially an ATR 72-212A still with the test registration of F-WWEE (msn 1092). The props are multi-colored.
Avianca: 
Filed under: Avianca Tagged: 1092, ATR, ATR 72, ATR 72-212A, ATR 72-600, Avianca, F-WWEE
