FedEx finalizes feeder aircraft order with ATR

FedEx Express is making a firm purchase of 30 ATR 72-600F aircraft, with options to buy up to 20 additional ATR 72-600Fs.    FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., finalized an aircraft purchase agreement with ATR in a move to modernize its fleet of feeder aircraft, the parcel giant revealed this week.
   Under the deal, FedEx Express is making a firm purchase of 30 ATR 72-600F aircraft, with options to buy up to 20 additional ATR 72-600Fs. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in 2020, with subsequent deliveries of approximately six aircraft per year over a five-year period, FedEx said.
   The deal is valued at $1.3 billion at list price, according to the Wall Street Journal.
   The ATR 72-600F features reinforced floor panels and will support bulk cargo, along with unit load device (ULD) configurations. The aircraft has a bulk capacity of 2,630 cubic feet, and when in ULD mode, it can accommodate up to seven LD3 containers, or five 88” x 108” pallets, or nine 88” x 62” pallets.
   FedEx’s feeder aircraft currently do not carry containers or palletized freight.
   FedEx currently deploys over 300 feeder aircraft in 45 countries, most of which are owned by the company, and leased and operated by different third-party air carriers under their own operating certificates.
   The company’s current feeder fleet complements its jet fleet of more than 360 aircraft, including Boeing 777s, B767s and B757s, MD11s, MD10s, Airbus 300s and Airbus 310s.