Paris Air Show: US charter carrier JSX orders ATR-42 to start service later this year
June 18, 2025
Semi-private air carrier JSX is set to begin its first turboprop flights later in 2025, ATR revealed at Paris Air Show.
The carrier is taking two ATR-42 on lease to begin with, and has signed a letter of intent to acquire up to 25 more of the type to expand its regional services.
JSX plans to outfit the aircraft in a premium configuration, with 30 all-business class seats and ATR’s beautiful Highline cabin.
The partnership marks ATR’s inauguration into the US charter market, enabling JSX to open new routes with a quiet, efficient and low-cost platform.
“We are delighted to see our aircraft entering a dynamic new market segment in the United States,” says Nathalie Tarnaud-Laude, CEO at ATR. “JSX’s unique model, blending the exclusivity of private aircraft-style travel with the efficiency of regional aviation is there perfect match for our ATR HighLine cabin collection.”
Turboprops can reopen hundreds of routes in the US
Speaking at the announcement, ATR chief commercial officer Alexis Vidal noted that, across the USA, 800 regional routes have been lost over recent years, as they proved to be uneconomical to operate with the fleets airlines held.
Regional jets, while popular in the US, have a much higher operating cost than turboprops. When connecting shorter routes with lighter traffic loads, it can be hard to make a regional jet work financially.
By picking the ATR-42, JSX is putting itself in a position where it can offer service to places other airlines have left, or never opened at all. Additionally, because it is a semi-private air carrier, offering hop-on services across the States, passengers will be able to connect at private terminals and fixed base operators that would previously be inaccessible to them.
“The ATR -600 series will bering over 1,000 new airports into the reach for JSX,” says Alex Wilcox, JSX CEO. “Many of these airports were, until now, reserved for only those who had the means to fly private.”
Wilcox notes that customers will love the quiet cabin and comfortable seating on board its ATRs, not to mention the free cocktails and gourmet snacks it offers.
