Japan Air Commuter (JC, Kagoshima) has announced it has converted a firm order with ATR - Avions de Transport Régional (EVX, Toulouse Blagnac) for one ATR42-600, into an ATR72-600.

The JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda) unit ordered nine ATR42-600s from ATR of which four have now been delivered. It will become the Japanese ATR72-600 launch operator on delivery of the aircraft later thsis year.

"By changing the order to one ATR72-600, it is possible to reduce the operating cost per seat while taking advantage of the commonality of both models, making it more efficient, especially for tourist and business customers," airline president Hiroki Kato said in a statement.

JAC also operates six Dash 8-400s, two Saab 340Bs, and five Saab 340B(Plus) on flights covering 15 cities across Japan.