Reference
ATR 42 Cargo
Shorter ATR for the thinner feeder spokes. Payload, hold, door and the job it usually flies are below.
- Structural payload
- 5,700 kg
- Hold volume
- 51 m³
- Hold length × width × height
- 13.85 × 2.26 × 1.75 m
- Main cargo door
- 1.27 × 1.53 m
How the ATR 42 Cargo is used
The shorter ATR freighter, lifting a little under six tonnes on the same cross-section as the ATR 72.
It fits the thinner spokes of a feeder network, where the 72 would fly with empty space but the route still needs a daily flight.
Cargo it usually takes
How this family is arranged
- A regional turboprop converted to freight: cabin removed, floor strengthened, and a cargo door cut into the side.
- The door is in the side, so cargo goes in piece by piece or on small pallets. It is not driven up a ramp.
- Tie-down rails sit in the floor. A net or barrier separates the hold from the flight deck.
- Turboprop engines and a low approach speed let these aircraft use short, lightly built runways.
Why operators pick it
- It pays on thin routes where even a narrowbody jet would fly mostly empty.
- It uses short regional strips that no jet freighter can accept.
- A low cost per flying hour suits scheduled feeder work and small time-critical shipments.
- Turns are short, so one aircraft can fly several sectors a day around a regional network.
Settle these points before you book
- Payload is a few tonnes. A heavier shipment needs more rotations or a larger type.
- The side door limits piece size to what can turn through the opening.
- Range is short. These are feeder aircraft, not line-haul equipment.