Air New Zealand takes delivery of 30th ATR

Recently, Air New Zealand took delivery of their 30th active ATR 72-600. The model first joined the fleet in 2012 and has flown an estimated 33.2 million passengers on more than 600,000 flights. Air New Zealand is the fourth largest operator of the aircraft in the world.

An Air New Zealand ATR 72-600 landing | Photo: Noah Stohr-Waldren

The ATR 72-600, ZK-MZG, entered service on January 16th with a maiden flight from Christchurch to Invercargill, having touched down in New Zealand on December 29th after a week-long ferry flight from Toulouse via Heraklion, Riyadh, Oman, Hyderabad, Kuala Lumpur, Denpasar, Darwin, and Brisbane.

ZK-MZG is the first ATR 72-600 model for Air New Zealand that will be equipped with the latest Pratt & Whitney PW127XT engine. The airline states that this new engine provides an approximate 3 percent reduction in fuel consumption compared to its predecessor. Additionally, Air New Zealand is expecting another ATR to arrive in mid-2025.

“The ATR is a fantastic aircraft and the backbone of our domestic network for regional customers. It performs exceptionally well in New Zealand’s unique operating conditions with its fuel efficiency, reliability, and ability to access smaller airports,” said Air New Zealand’s general manager of strategy, networks, and fleet, Baden Smith.

An ATR 72-600 in Wellington | Photo: Noah Stohr-Waldren

Air New Zealand’s history with ATRs.

In total, the airline has operated 48 ATR 72s and has one more aircraft on order.

Mount Cook Airline (owned by Air New Zealand) first took delivery of an ATR 72 in 1995, they received seven ATR 72-200 aircraft. Later in 1999 the airline replaced these aircraft with eleven newer, more efficient ATR 72-500s. Then in 2011, Air NZ announced they would increase their ATR 72 fleet to include seven even more advanced ATR 72-600s. They received their first ATR 72-600 in October 2012, ZK-MVA. In 2015, the airline said they would remove the ATR 72-500 from their fleet in favour of more ATR 72-600s.

Now, in 2025, Air NZ operates 30 ATR 72-600s (including the newest addition) and has one final ATR on order set for delivery later in 2025.