The ATR 72 was designed as a high wing regional airliner in much the same guise as the ATR 42 but with a 4.5m stretched cabin able to take greater passenger numbers. The first flight was made on 27th October 1988 and after successful trials went into active service with KARAIR in April 1990. Notable features for the aircraft include vortex generators on the wings and tail plane.
The average hourly rental rate of the ATR72-200 is around 20,400 USD per hour.