Ireland’s Aer Arann has agreed to take delivery of 10 new 72-seat ATR 72-500s from the Franco-Italian turboprop builder over the next three years. Announced last month in Dublin in the presence of Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, the $180 million deal represents the single largest aircraft investment by a private Irish passenger airline and ranks as the third largest in Ireland’s history. Now flying nine ATR 72s and five smaller ATR 42s, Aer Arann plans to remove four aging airplanes from its fleet as it adds two new ATR 72s next year, five in 2008 and three in 2009.