Reference
ATR 72 Cargo
The larger ATR feeder freighter. Payload, cargo hold, door size and typical role below.
- Maximum payload
- 9,200 kg
- Cargo volume
- 75 m³
- Cargo door
- 2.95 × 1.80 m
About the ATR 72 Cargo
The freighter version of the ATR 72 regional turboprop, and one of the most widely used feeder aircraft in air cargo.
Nine tonnes into a short regional strip, at turboprop operating cost, is exactly what an overnight express network needs between its hub and outstations.
What it carries
How it is built
- A regional turboprop airframe converted to freight: cabin stripped, floor reinforced and a cargo door cut into the fuselage side.
- A side door rather than a ramp, so cargo is loaded piece by piece or on small pallets rather than driven aboard.
- Tie-down rails set into the floor, and a net or barrier separating the hold from the flight deck.
- Turboprop engines and a low approach speed, which is what lets these aircraft use short and lightly built runways.
Why it is used
- Economic on thin routes where even a narrowbody jet freighter would fly mostly empty.
- Operates from short regional strips that no jet freighter can use.
- Low block-hour cost, which suits scheduled feeder work and time-critical small consignments.
- Quick turnarounds, so a single aircraft can fly several sectors a day around a regional network.
What to check before booking
- Payload is a few tonnes, so anything substantial needs multiple rotations or a larger type.
- The side door limits piece size: nothing that will not turn through the opening.
- Range is short; these are feeder and regional aircraft, not line-haul equipment.
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