By Robert Wall

LONDON--Avions de Transport Regional, the turbprop plane making joint venture of Airbus SE (AIR.FR) and Italy's Leonardo SpA (LDO.MI), Monday reported a slowdown in new plane deals for last year.

ATR said it booked orders for only 36 new planes last year, down from 76 firm orders the year prior. New order bookings for the Toulouse-based firm have fallen 77.5% since the company booked a record 160 firm deals in 2014.

The figures come after Airbus and Boeing Co. (BA) earlier this month said airline appetite for ordering new planes had retreated in 2016

Annual order volume for ATR's turboprop, which seat between 40 and 76 people, and are used by fewer carriers are more erratic than those for the Boeing and Airbus jetliners. ATR's planes are principally used on shorter , less busy routes.

ATR said it delivered 80 planes last year, its third highest. The total was down from a record 88 planes handed to customers last year and 83 the year prior. Sales last year reached about $1.8 billion, the company said.

ATR Chief Executive Christian Scherer, who was appointed to the job in November, said the "environment is getting tougher," even as he expressed confidence the company's turboprops would fair well against competitors.

Write to Robert Wall at robert.wall@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 23, 2017 03:12 ET (08:12 GMT)