Editing ATR 42 (section)

=== Initial development ===
[[File:16.08.84 1er Vol de l'ATR 42 (1984) - 53Fi2096 (cropped).jpg|thumb|First flight at [[Toulouse–Blagnac Airport]], 16 August 1984]]

On 4 November 1981, a formal co-operation agreement was signed by Aeritalia chairman Renato Bonifacio and Aerospatiale chairman [[Jacques Mitterrand]] in [[Paris]]. This agreement signaled not only the merger of their efforts, but also of their separate concept designs together into a single complete aircraft design for the purpose of pursuing its development and manufacture as a collaborative [[joint venture]].<ref name="milestones 2017" />
The consortium then targeted a similar unit cost, but a {{cvt|950|lb|kg|order=flip|adj=on}} [[fuel economy in aircraft|fuel consumption]] over a {{cvt|200|nmi}} sector, nearly half the {{cvt|1,750|lb|order=flip}} required by its 40-50 seat competitors, the [[British Aerospace HS.748]] and [[Fokker F.27]], and planned a 58-seat ATR XX stretch.<ref name=Flight19dec1981>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1981/1981%20-%203938.html |title= ATR42 promises low-cost operations |magazine= Flight International |date= 19 December 1981}}</ref>

This agreement served not only as the basis and origins of the [[ATR (aircraft manufacturer)|ATR]] company, but also as the effective launch point of what would become the fledgling firm's first aircraft, which was designated as the ATR 42. By 1983, ATR's customer services division has been set up, readying infrastructure worldwide to provide support for ATR's upcoming aircraft to any customer regardless of location.<ref name="milestones 2017">[http://www.atraircraft.com/about-atr/corporate-overview/milestones.html?id=105 "Company milestones."] ''[[ATR (aircraft manufacturer)|ATR]]'', Retrieved: 29 July 2017.</ref>
On 16 August 1984, the first ATR 42 conducted its [[maiden flight]] from [[Toulouse Airport]], France.<ref name="milestones 2017" /> During September 1985, both the French [[Directorate General for Civil Aviation (France)|Directorate General for Civil Aviation]] (DGCA) and the Italian [[Italian Civil Aviation Authority]] awarded [[type certification]] for the type, clearing it to commence operational service.