Indian regional carrier FLY91 has signed a firm order with aircraft manufacturer ATR for 40 ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft in a deal valued at approximately $1 billion. The agreement represents the largest firm order for ATR in nearly a decade and the largest ever placed by a regional airline.
Deliveries of the new turboprops are scheduled to take place between 2027 and 2032. FLY91, which currently operates a fleet of six aircraft, aims to expand its total fleet to 60 aircraft over the next five years. The order lifts ATR’s cumulative order intake for 2026 to 54 aircraft, surpassing its total net orders for all of 2025.
Manoj Chacko, Founder, Managing Director, and CEO of FLY91, described the 40-aircraft purchase as the catalyst for the airline's next phase of expansion. Prior to receiving the direct deliveries from ATR, the airline plans to lease another six to eight ATR aircraft from the existing market, potentially increasing its fleet to between 12 and 14 aircraft by late next year.
India’s Union Minister for Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu highlighted that regional connectivity remains a fundamental pillar of the country’s aviation growth strategy. He noted that investments of this magnitude in regional capacity will play a crucial role as the government rolls out its UDAN 2.0 regional connectivity program to integrate more tier 2 and tier 3 cities into the national economy.
FLY91 currently operates more than 280 weekly flights serving 13 regional destinations across India. The carrier seeks to leverage the operational economics of the ATR 72-600 to provide direct and affordable air services connecting emerging economic hubs and regional communities.
