Europe's ATR regional turboprop family has been a huge success with aircraft operating all over the world. This ATR 42-500, F-OIPI, flies for Air Caledonie in the French territory of New Caledonia in the South Pacific. The airline also operates an ATR 42-320, two ATR72-500s and a Dornier 228.

ATR offers militarised versions of its family of aircraft with maritime patrol versions of the ATR 42 flown by the Italian Guardia di Finanza (Customs Police), pictured, and Guardia Costiera (Coast Guard). Turkey also selected the ATR 72 to fulfil its anti-submarine warfare requirement.

A longtime user of ATRs is the Greek flag-carrier Olympic. It operates a fleet of six ATR42-320s (pictured) and seven ATR 72-202s on services linking Athens with the Greek islands.

ATR's final assembly plant in Toulouse, France has been producing aircraft for more than 20 years with delivery to the first customer taking place on December 2, 1985 to French airline Air Littoral. A single production line is used to build both the ATR 42 and ATR 72.

The -500 series of the ATR 42 and ATR 72 is the most recent variant to enter service. Pictured is an ATR 72-500 of Bangkok Airways which has eight of the type in its fleet with two more on order.

A number of ATR42s and 72s are used as freighters. This photo of a TAT ATR 72 with a large side cargo door illustrates the number of cargo containers that can be carried. TAT was bought by British Airways and merged with another French airline, Air Liberte and was in turn merged with AOM which ceased flying in 2003.

ATR has continued to develop both the ATR 42 and 72 since its first flights on August 16, 1984 and October 27, 1988 respectively. The latest incarnation is the -600 series which will have a glass cockpit with five widescreen LCDs and new engines to give better performance in hot and high conditions.