DALLAS — Air Europa (UX) and Air Europa Express (X5) have this week completed the unification of their fleet around the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Boeing 737 models after the only remaining ATR 72-500 operated its last flight between Alicante and Madrid yesterday.

Air Europa Express CEO Toni Gimeno, along with other X5 executives, were among the passengers on the aircraft's last flight and paid tribute to the crew of this fleet.

Air Europa and X5 thus end more than a decade of operations aboard this model of turboprop aircraft, with which they have flown some of their domestic routes and operated inter-island flights, both in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.

Over the years, the ATR fleet has operated more than 135,000 flights and transported almost six million passengers. The ATR 72-500, originally marketed as the ATR 72-212A, is a turboprop-powered regional aircraft capable of accommodating 78 passengers.

The ATR 72 is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100 turboprop engines, which drive four or six-bladed propellers supplied by Hamilton Standard.

Fleet Unification

Fleet unification is one of the basic pillars of UX's 2023-2025 Strategic Plan, approved by the airline to consolidate the organization and expand its activity at all levels.

With the departure of this latest ATR aircraft, UX and X5 complete the process of fleet unification around the Boeing 787 Dreamliner models for long-haul and Boeing 737-800 for medium and short-haul.

Both Boeing aircraft allow for greater capacity in their respective categories, meaning UX can carry more people on fewer flights, resulting in greater efficiency and a significant reduction in emissions.

Featured Image: Air Europa Express EC-MMZ ATR 72-500. Photo: Fabrizio Spicuglia/Airways