Description

The ATR 72 is a short-haul regional turboprop airliner developed and produced in a joint venture between France and Italy. The ‘72’ stands for the capacity of the model, which was developed as a stretch model of the ATR 42. Due to its operational costs, efficiency and reliability, the ‘72’ gained its popularity with the airlines across the globe, connecting small regions with larger hubs. The tag in your possession was crafted from an ATR 72-500, G-ISLK which belonged to the Blue Islands, a regional airline of the Channel Islands. The history of this ATR begins with the Italian based Air Dolomiti, which operated the aircraft from new since 2000 as I-ADLS. In 2013, the small turboprop changed its owner and commenced operations for Myanmar based carrier – Asian Wings Airways as XY-AJQ. The final chapter for the aircraft began in 2016, when it joined the Blue Islands fleet. Being the second ATR 72 to be delivered to the airlines fleet, it was painted in the iconic livery of a British regional carrier – Flybe! However, with Flybe ceasing its operations, G-ISLK got repainted in the new livery of the Blue Islands. The aircraft remained in active service with the airline until summer season of 2024 with the ‘72’ being retired and flown to Cranfield. A year later, with support of Avalon Aero and the Blue Islands, Fuselage Creations team was able to obtain material from ‘Lima Kilo’ and create tags for aviation enthusiasts to enjoy.