Turboprop Airliners

A number of aircraft manufacturers offer product lines of turboprop airliners designed for short and medium range routes, as well as specialized airport applications and environments.

Turboprop airliners typically carry fewer passengers, and on shorter trips, than do jet airliners. However, they use less fuel and offer airlines economic benefits on certain routes.

ATR 42 and 72

ATR is a Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer headquartered at Toulouse Blagnac International Airport in Blagnac, France. The company was created in 1981 by Aérospatiale of France (now Airbus) and Aeritalia (now Leonardo) of Italy. Final assembly is at Toulouse.

Its primary products are the ATR 42 / ATR 72 turboprop, short-haul regional aircraft. ATR has sold more than 1,500 aircraft and has over 200 operators in more than 100 countries. The ATR 72 series seats from 30-78 passengers.

The ATR -600 features a state-of-the-art glass cockpit that incorporates the latest innovations in avionics technology. The glass cockpit further reduces ight crew workload and enhances situational awareness while providing better reliability, maintenance cost savings and weight reduction. The ATR -600 series has the widest cabin in the turboprop market.

ATR-72-600 (Photos courtesy of ATR)

ATR 72-500 of Aurigny Air Service, Registration G-COBO (Photo by DELEHELLE Eric)

 

 

Bombardier Q-Series / De Havilland Dash 8-400

In addition to its C Series and CRJ Series, Bombardier also marketed the Q-Series (Dash-8) twin-engine, medium-range turboprop aircraft. Over 1,200 of the family have been delivered, with models delivered after 1997 having cabin noise suppression and designated with the prefix "Q".

The aircraft, which seats 50-90 passengers, was developed by De Havilland in 1984. The Dash 8 Series was subsequently sold to Boeing, and then to Bombardier. Bombardier sold the aircraft program assets to De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited in 2019.

Shown below is the overall design features of the Bombardier Q400 and De Havilland Dash 8-400, with its large T-tail, a high aspect ratio wing, elongated engine nacelles, pointed nose and 4-piece windshield.

Antonov Twin-Engine An-140 Turboprop Airliner

The AN−140 regional aircraft is intended for passenger and mixed cargo/passenger transportations. It can be operated in a wide range of the airfield heights and climate conditions, under good and adverse weather conditions, by day and night.

The aircraft's design features a high wing position, standard tail configuration and two wing−mounted ТV3−117VМА−SBМ1 turboprop engines. It can seat up to 52 passengers.

Antonov An-140 turboprop airliner (photos courtesy of the Antonov Company)