Why convert an ATR 72 rather than design a new aircraft

• A globally proven airframe

  The ATR 72 is one of the world's most-produced twin-turboprop regional aircraft, operated by hundreds of airlines. This scale guarantees a maintenance network, spare parts availability and a pool of already-trained pilots and mechanics — an advantage a clean-sheet aircraft cannot offer for several years.

• A faster time-to-market

  Developing and certifying an entirely new aircraft typically takes more than a decade. By converting an airframe already certified by EASA, the KEPPLAIR 72 programme concentrates most of the certification effort on the added systems alone — KEDS and the mission fit-outs — rather than the airframe as a whole.

• A response to an urgent need

  European demand for aerial firefighting capacity outstrips supply: in summer 2024, only 3 of France's 12 Canadair aircraft were sometimes operational at once, and the first next-generation DHC-515s ordered via rescEU are not expected before 2028, with delays considered likely. A conversion, faster to industrialise than a new production line, can bring additional capacity within a shorter timeframe.

• A versatility specific to conversion

  The ATR 72 airframe already exists in a cargo version (the ATR 72 Freighter), which industrially validated the principle of a cargo door and reinforced floor on this platform — a technical step the KEPPLAIR 72 programme builds on for its own cargo and medevac configurations.

• A controlled programme cost

  The development, acquisition and operating cost of a conversion remains lower than that of a dedicated, clean-sheet aircraft over the programme's full lifecycle.

Sources: Wikipedia (KEPPLAIR 72), ATR 72-600 manufacturer data sheet, public reports on the rescEU mechanism and the French Canadair fleet.