ATR 72-600

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AT76 ATR · ATR 72

ATR 72-600 at a glance

What it is: the ATR 72-600 is a short-haul aircraft built by ATR, first flown in 1988.
On the radar: it shows up as type code AT76. How to spot it overhead.
How far it flies: about 1,528 km without stopping, cruising near 510 km/h.
How many it carries: 68–78 passengers, depending on how the airline fits out the cabin.
Power: 2× PW127M/XT turboprops, with a 27.1 m wingspan.

1,528 km

Range

510 km/h

Cruise speed

68–78+

Passengers

1988

First flight

The world's best-selling regional turboprop, burning roughly 40 percent less fuel than a regional jet on short sectors. It dominates island-hopping and short-haul markets in Asia, Europe and the Pacific, with IndiGo, Wings Air and Azul among the biggest operators. The Franco-Italian ATR consortium continues to build it in Toulouse.

The story of the ATR 72-600

The ATR 72 grew out of a French and Italian partnership formed in 1981 by Aerospatiale and Aeritalia. Their successors, Airbus and Leonardo, still co-own the company today. Regional airlines wanted more seats without higher costs, so ATR stretched its 48-seat ATR 42 into the 70-seat ATR 72, launched in 1986. The formula worked. The basic layout has barely changed since, and demand held up.

It first flew on October 27, 1988, and Finnish operator Karair began service in 1989. The updated ATR 72-600 was announced in 2007 and entered service in 2011. It brought a glass cockpit, which replaces dozens of old dials with screens, plus more powerful PW127 engines. Operators liked the lower training and upkeep costs it brought. The -600 has been the standard production model ever since.

Rivals abandoned the turboprop market, but ATR kept cutting operating costs on short sectors, where the aircraft burns about 40 percent less fuel than a similar regional jet. More than 1,000 of the 72 series have been delivered. It rules island-hopping and thin domestic routes across Asia, Europe, the Pacific and Latin America. Assembly continues in Toulouse. A freighter version and the short-field ATR 42-600S are built there too.

Design and engineering

The ATR 72-600 is a high-wing turboprop with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M or PW127XT engines turning six-blade propellers. The high wing and T-tail keep the propellers and tail surfaces clear of debris on rough strips. Standard aircraft carry no auxiliary power unit at all.

Instead, a propeller brake lets the right engine run as a ground generator. The -600 added a five-screen glass cockpit drawn from Airbus practice.

The narrow four-abreast cabin seats 68 to 78 and is boarded at the rear, because cargo rides up front. That also speeds up turnarounds.

How to recognise the AT76 in the wild

A slim high-wing turboprop with a T-tail, six-blade propellers and skinny main gear retracting into fuselage sponsons; passengers board through the rear door, and it looks longer and more slender than the similar-size Dash 8 Q400. More tells in how to identify any aircraft overhead.

Variants and close relatives

Variant	What sets it apart
ATR 72-500	The previous-generation model with an analog cockpit, still common with secondary operators.
ATR 72-600	The current production version with a glass cockpit and PW127M/XT engines.
ATR 72-600F	A factory-built freighter version launched with FedEx as the lead customer.
ATR 42-600	The shorter 30-to-50-seat sibling, including a short-takeoff -600S version.

Major operators: IndiGo, Wings Air, Azul, Air New Zealand, Cebu Pacific - Find them in the airline database and watch their AT76s on the live map.

Facts about the ATR 72-600

ATR is a 50-50 joint venture between Airbus and Italy's Leonardo, with final assembly in Toulouse.
Passengers board through a rear door because the front of the cabin is used for baggage and cargo.
Standard ATR 72s have no APU; a propeller brake lets the right engine power the aircraft on the ground with the prop stopped.
On short sectors it burns roughly 40 percent less fuel than a similarly sized regional jet, which is why it dominates island and commuter markets.

ICAO type code

AT76

Manufacturer

ATR

Capacity

68–78 passengers

Range

1,528 km

Cruise speed

510 km/h

MTOW

23,000 kg

Engines

2× PW127M/XT turboprops

Wingspan / length

27.1 m / 27.2 m

Aircraft related to the ATR 72-600

Comparable types selected by family, manufacturer, capacity, range and generation.

DH8D De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 De Havilland Canada · 74–90 passengers CRJ9 Bombardier CRJ900 Bombardier · 76–90 passengers E175 Embraer E175 Embraer · 76–88 passengers E190 Embraer E190 Embraer · 96–114 passengers

More aircraft and tracking guides for the ATR 72-600

Spot one overhead using our aircraft identification guide. Short-haul flying has its own economics, covered in low-cost versus full-service.

Data sources and review

Reviewed 2026-07-29 by Flight-Tracker.net Editorial Team

ATR commercial aircraft information - manufacturer specifications and family information.
ATR 72-600 type identity reference - model history and identity cross-checking.

Range, seating, speed and weight describe the aircraft type, not a specific airline configuration. Published figures vary by engine, weight option and cabin layout.

Read our aircraft specification sourcing and review process, or inspect the machine-readable reference dataset.

ATR 72-600 frequently asked questions

What is the range of the ATR 72-600?

The ATR 72-600 has a published range of about 1,528 km, cruising at roughly 510 km/h. Real-world range depends on payload, winds and reserves.

How many passengers does the ATR 72-600 carry?

A typical ATR 72-600 seats 68–78 passengers, though the exact number depends on how the operating airline configures its cabin.

What is the ICAO type code for the ATR 72-600?

The ATR 72-600 uses the ICAO type designator AT76. That is the code you will see when you click this aircraft type on a live flight-tracking map.

What engines does the ATR 72-600 use?

The ATR 72-600 is powered by 2× PW127M/XT turboprops, with a maximum takeoff weight of about 23,000 kg and a wingspan of 27.1 m.

How do you identify an ATR 72-600?

Which airlines operate the ATR 72-600?

Major operators in this reference profile include IndiGo, Wings Air, Azul, Air New Zealand, Cebu Pacific. Fleets change as aircraft are delivered, stored, leased and retired, so confirm current fleets with the airline.

Is the ATR 72-600 a narrowbody or a widebody?

The ATR 72-600 is a narrowbody, meaning a single aisle down the middle of the cabin. With 68–78 passengers seats and 1,528 km of range it is typically flown on short and medium-haul routes.