BAe HP.137 Jetstream

PH-XLM Aerospatiale/Alenia ATR-42-320 c/n 378 - BonairExel - Groningen Airport Eelde, Holland - 12 July 2003

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 November 4th 1981. The ATR-42 project is a result of merging two separate aircraft concepts: the AS35 from Aerospatiale (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 August 16th 1984. After the certification was granted on September 24th 1985, deliveries of the ATR-42-200 started in December 1985. The ATR-42 evolved and on August 16th 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 42-500 and ATR 72-500 are the models currently in production. ATR has built over 390 ATR-42 aircraft.

The 1994-built Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-320 PH-XLM was photographed on July 12th 2003 at Groningen Airport Eelde in the Netherlands. The Air Exel ATR-42 was already in the BonairExel colours. The Avions de Transport Regional ATR.42-320 s/n 378 flew first on May 30th 1994 as F-WWLA. Cameroun Airlines and Air Dolomiti operated the aircraft as F-OHFE. On November 9th 2001 the ATR-42 was registered as PH-XLM by Air Exel Netherlands BV. The airliner was painted in the KLM Exel colours. On August 15th 2003 the registration PH-XLM was cancelled. The ATR-42 is registered as PJ-XLM in the Dutch Antilles.