ASIA EXCLUSIVE: LOGANAIR CEO’S FLEET PLAN

PAPCECIIFAILC
w w w . K e y . A e r o

S
AIRLINER WORLD

East side
t h e g l o b a l a i r l i n e s c e n e

How Asia’s aviators

story
are riding the storm
EAST SIDE STORY

Special reports
APRIL 2021 £5.49

and analysis including:

Regional The hunt for
APRIL 2021

revolution the Xian MA60

Rex joins the Flying rare Chinese
Aussie jet set turboprops in Laos

SPACE RADARS TALKING TECH WITH FLIGHTRADAR24 TEAM

Orbx_FP.indd 1 03/12/2020 15:36:34
H
ello and welcome to your April edition of examples in Laos, we jump on board to learn more about
Airliner World. In this special its performance, prowess, and passenger experience.
Asia-Pacific issue, we focus our attention Other highlights in this Asia-Pacific edition include an
on one of the most dynamic markets in-depth interview with John Sharp, deputy chairman
on the planet. Double-digit passenger of Rex Airlines.
growth and blockbuster airframe orders were once par While borders have been all-but-shut to foreign traffic, Gordon Smith
for the course, with the likes of Vietnam and Indonesia the Australian regional carrier has been quietly plotting Group Editor,
complementing more mature territories in a fascinating a revolution in its business model, with the introduction Commercial Aviation
– if sometimes dizzying – race for expansion. More of Boeing jets to its fleet for the first time. These former
recently of course, the pandemic has brought much Virgin Australia narrowbodies are set to ply trunk Martin Needham
Assistant Editor
of the industry to a standstill, with any double-digits routes linking the ‘golden triangle’ cities of Brisbane,
registered more likely to be printed in red ink and follow Melbourne, and Sydney, adding some competitive heat Thomas Haynes
a rather ominous minus symbol. Despite the ongoing to these lucrative intercity sectors. Assistant Editor
challenges, there is real optimism that the eventual On to matters a little closer to home, and I have
recovery will be robust in the region, with pent-up received a number of emails from readers who are Thomas Lee
demand from both domestic and international travellers having difficulty getting their hands on the magazine Assistant Editor
helping airlines soar again. at their local shop. While production and distribution
For comprehensive analysis of both the of all of our publications is continuing Carol Randall
Associate Editor,
status quo and the road to recuperation, as normal (albeit with most of the team
Commercial Aviation
be sure to turn to page 34 where we working from home), I understand that
hear from Subhas Menon, the director restrictions on retail and logistics in Andy O’Neil
general of the Association of Asia Pacific some parts of the world have caused Designer
Airlines. Menon’s insights are all the headaches. My best advice is to check
more valuable as they tap into his 35+ out key.aero/airlinerworld for the full Andy Mason
years of experience gathered at the list of ways to receive the magazine Advertising Manager
Singapore Airlines Group, where his time – both in print and digitally.
Rebecca Antoniades
included a stint as chief executive of its Ad Production/Design
SilkAir subsidiary. Wherever you are in the world, I hope
Elsewhere in this issue, we track down you enjoy your April issue,
one of the rarer passenger turboprops in
the skies, the Xian MA60. This Gordon Smith
Chinese-built aircraft – which can Group Editor THIS IMAGE • The distinctive
trace its roots back to the Soviet-era wing of a Cathay Pacific
Airbus A350-1000
Antonov An-24 – is seldom seen outside COVER • The future of Thai Airways
CATHAY PACIFIC
its native homeland, but having found International’s six Airbus A380s is
being reviewed as part of a wider
corporate restructuring process
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/OLIVIER CORNELOUP

www.key.aero 3
06 Global news
Airliner World’s international news coverage

22 Rex joins the jet set

Competition in Australia’s ‘golden triangle’ is
about to heat up, as Chris Frame discovers

30 Madame Airbus
We speak to Barbara Kracht to learn more about
her 35 years at the European aerospace giant

34 The restarting line

Gordon Smith hears from Subhas Menon, head
of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, about
the region’s pandemic recovery plans

40 Alice Springs storage

Seth Jaworski shares his experiences
photographing grounded aircraft in the skies
above the Australian outback

44 Eastern Bloc party

Keith Otto kicks off a two-part special analysing
the role of aviation in former Soviet territories

57 MA60s in Laos
Daniel Johnston sets out to track down the
elusive Xian MA60 turboprop

64 Scotland the brave

Thomas Haynes has an exclusive chat with
Jonathan Hinkles, chief executive of Loganair

70 On the radar
Tom Batchelor learns about the logistics and
technology behind Flightradar24

76 Splitting airs

40
Keith Nuthall wades through the Brexit agreement
to find out what it all means for aviation

82 Deliveries
The latest commercial acquisitions JETS
86 MRO news IN THE
Updates from maintenance, repair and overhaul
providers around the world OUTBACK
88 Historic aviation
In this month’s dispatch we examine the fate of
View from the air
in Alice Springs
the the last remaining 707-400s

90 Aviation training 70
A round-up of recent developments

92 Departure gate
Readers’ comments, photos and lighter stories A subscription to

94 Air safety
Accident reports and crash information

96 The hippie airline

Charles Woodley chronicles the history of
offers great savings on
cover prices.
Loftleiðir, based in Reykjavik, Iceland – a truly
See pages 28-29 for details
pioneering budget airline
 57

64

96

30
22 34
 Direct to the Falklands
LUFTHANSA FLEW the longest
rotation in its history on January 31
between Hamburg and the Falkland
Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.
The one-off flight, on behalf of the
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz
Centre for Polar and Marine
Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven,
carried scientists and ship crews for
an upcoming expedition with the
research vessel, Polarstern.
Fledgling Flyr eyes 737-800s
A NORWEGIAN-BASED start-up called
Flyr, translated as ‘flying’ in English,
has plans for a Q2 2021 launch.
The proposed budget carrier initially
aims to procure a pair of Boeing
737-800s in June for use on seven
domestic links from
Oslo/Gardermoen in addition to
popular holiday destinations, such as
Alicante and Barcelona in
Spain and Nice, France.
According to FlightGlobal,
the fledgling firm will
6 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
The German flag carrier used the
Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered
Airbus A350-900, D-AIXP (c/n 390),
which departed Hamburg at 21.30
and touched down at Royal Air Force
station Mount Pleasant around noon,
15 hours and 37 minutes later on the
7,396nm connection.
Preparations for the flight started two
weeks earlier when the 16 Lufthansa
crew members went into quarantine
slowly bolster its 737 contingent with
three -800s following in July and the
potential of up to eight examples by
the autumn. If successful, bosses at
the Norwegian carrier hope to field a
fleet of around 30 leased airframes
in the future.
The decision to select the 737-800
stems from the airline’s employees
who possess “a lot of experience”
with the type. Several of its 30-strong
team have served with various
Scandinavian carriers including
along with the 92 passengers at a
hotel in Bremerhaven.
The crew received additional
training prior to the rotation, covering
extended operations and the
particular requirements of landing at a
military base.
The airline also had to bring along
its own technicians and ground
handling staff as local crews were
not allowed to board the aircraft
Braathens, Norwegian Air and SAS.
The company intends to take
advantage of Norway’s existing
infrastructure for the US-built
narrowbody, including a plethora of
trained maintenance and aircrew on
the type, in addition to 737
simulator availability.
Looking to its financial plans, Flyr
intends to be fully funded by private
investment of NOK600m (US$71m) to
help create a “lean organisation”.
The start-up is also preparing to go
after it had landed in the Falklands.
The return leg landed back in
Germany on February 4 at 13.24, this
time arriving in Munich (pictured)
after delivering 40 crew members
from the Polarstern.
A full-length feature on this
record-breaking flight will appear
in the May 2021 edition of Airliner
World on newsstands from April 8.
(Photo Lufthansa)
public on the Oslo Stock Exchange
with a company valuation of around
NOK750m (US$88m).
The Oslo-based firm aims to be
provide a different offering to its
main competitors, an example
being its “smart flights” at times and
places when deemed necessary by
customers. It states this, in turn, will
keep sustainability at the forefront of
its business model by flying less but
remaining profitable.
(Photo Flyr/NTB Kommunikasjon)
 News Review • Europe

Belgian Gibraltar rocks for Eastern

freight
UK REGIONAL firm, Eastern Airways, network [of] Eastern Airways… With (c/n 19000130), is scheduled to join
is touted to make a return to Gibraltar easy access to the south coast of soon. Eastern has also confirmed the
this summer after a four-year hiatus Spain also a benefit, working together introduction of two new French routes

boost to “provide connectivity for both the

business and leisure markets”.
Initially the operator plans to
with HM Government of Gibraltar has
enabled this to be the first service to
be announced, supporting UK regional
from Southampton as it continues to
reinstate links previously served by
Flybe. Thrice-weekly connections
AIR BELGIUM has received the
first of four dedicated Airbus connect the British Overseas Territory airports and their role in direct UK and to Rennes and Nantes, both in the
A330-200F freighters as it looks with Southampton on May 24, European connectivity.” country’s northwest, are set to begin
to diversify operations. The initial followed four days later by a service The Humberside-based carrier from April 29 and 30 respectively.
Rolls-Royce Trent-700-powered to Birmingham. Both will be at a plans to use its soon-to-be-delivered They are to be operated by
widebody, OO-CMA (c/n 1688), twice-weekly frequency. trio of Embraer E190s on the Eastern’s pair of 72-seat ATR 72-600
entered into the Air Belgium fleet Roger Hage, general manager for rotations. The first jet, turboprops, G-IACY (c/n 1448) and
on February 11. Eastern Airways, commented: an ex-Air Moldova G-IACZ (c/n 1482).
At the time of writing, the “This marks a major example, ER-ECC (Photo Eastern Airways)
ex-Qatar Airways Cargo jet was development in the
based at Liège and still wore
a basic livery from its former
operator (minus the titles). The
three remaining A330Fs, A7-AFJ
(c/n 1708), A7-AFH (c/n 1594) and
A7-AFG (c/n 1584), are slated to
follow shortly, after also being
withdrawn from the Qatari flag
carrier. Currently, bosses at Air
Belgium are considering adding
another pair of the type before the
end of 2021.
Niky Terzakis, CEO of Air

Goodnight Vienna for 767

Belgium, commented: “In such
an uncertain period, this is good
news for the airline… [as we]
begin this diversification into the
commercial and cargo sector...
This will complement our existing
passenger business, which has
been severely impacted by the
current travel restrictions [from
COVID-19]. This demonstrates
once again the resilience
and flexibility of our airline's
development potential, as well as
the ever-growing attractiveness of
Liège Airport.” AUSTRIAN AIRLINES was poised to and OE-LAX (c/n 27095), the former withdrawn. The departure of these
The four A330Fs are leased have retired its first Boeing 767 from a pictured above, from the Austrian flag jets comes as Austrian performs a
from France-based transport and six-strong fleet by early March. carrier are scheduled to be phased major fleet shake-up. It stated that by
logistics giant, CMA CGM, which As Airliner World went to press, the out by the autumn of this year but will the start of 2022 a total of 28 aircraft
established a new air freight 1991-vintage 767-300ER, OE-LAT remain in service in the meantime. would have left the airline. These
division in February. (c/n 25273), should have completed However, there are currently comprise 18 De Havilland Canada
On its passenger rotations, Air the “necessary preparations” ahead no immediate plans regarding the Dash 8-400s, seven Airbus A319ceos
Belgium flies a trio of three-class of its ferry flight to the USA. retirement of its further three 767s, and the three 767s. Consequently,
former Finnair A340-300s, The airframe performed its last fare- OE-LAE (c/n 30383), OE-LAY (c/n Austrian’s fleet will shrink to 60
OO-ABA (c/n 835), OO-ABB (c/n paying rotation on January 10. 29867) and OE-LAZ (c/n 30331), airframes – down 19 on the February
844) and OO-ABD (c/n 921). Another pair of 239-seat which are nearly a decade younger 2021 total. (Photo Austrian Airlines/
767-300ERs, OE-LAW (c/n 26417) on average than those being Patrick Huber)

GullivAir’s travels
This General Electric CF6-equipped Airbus A330-200, LZ-ONE (c/n 811), is the maiden aircraft for Bulgarian start-up, GullivAir. The former KLM and Shaheen Air
airframe – on lease from Aircastle – was spotted on February 13 in Bucharest, Romania. Despite COVID-19, the charter firm has deployed LZ-ONE on rotations to
destinations including Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), and Malé (Maldives) in February. AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/LOREDANA CIOCLEI

www.key.aero 7
 News Review • Europe
Lease rates impact
THE MOVE by Norwegian Air to
restructure its operations (see Airliner
World, March 2020) is set to have an
impact on the aircraft leasing market.
According to information by travel
data and analytics expert, Cirium, the
Oslo-based carrier had a portfolio of
102 Boeing 737s and 35 787s at the
start of January. With its new business
plan, all Dreamliners will be withdrawn
following the permanent axing of all
long-haul rotations and its 737 fleet
will be reduced to 50 jets initially
(before rising to 70 by next year).
Norwegian was the second largest
lessee of the 787 worldwide with 24
examples. This included nine from
Air Europa deal amended
THE INTERNATIONAL Airlines Group
(IAG) has struck an amended deal
with Globalia to acquire Air Europa for
€500m – half its original price.
According to the IAG, the payment will
be deferred until “the sixth anniversary
of the acquisition’s completion.”
The deal is subject to approval by the
European Commission, and revisions
must meet with the satisfaction of
Spain’s state-owned industrial holding
company and sovereign wealth fund,
Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones
Industriales (SEPI). The latter relates
to the “non-financial terms associated
with the financial support provided by
SEPI to Air Europa during 2020”.
The agreement is expected to be
8 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
AerCap, six from BOC Aviation, four
from MG Aviation and three examples
from Avolon.
In comparison, nearly half of its 737s
are leased, consisting of 11 from FPG
Amentum, ten from ICBC Leasing,
eight from Jackson Square Aviation
Ireland, six from SMBC Aviation Capital
and five from Mitsui & Co.
Rob Morris, Cirium global head of
consultancy, said: “We are already
seeing the impact of potentially 50 or
more surplus 737s enter the market
in 2021, which is evident in the 35%
average decline Cirium has seen in
737-800 lease rates in 2020 – and
there are possibly more falls to come.
completed by the second half of this
year as Air Europa is acquired by IAG
subsidiary, Iberia.
Luis Gallego, IAG’s chief executive,
said: “Both Iberia and IAG are
demonstrating their resilience to face
the deepest crisis in aviation’s history.
Being part of a large group is the best
guarantee to overcome current
market challenges which will also
benefit Air Europa once the transaction
is completed.
“I am pleased that we have reached
agreement with Globalia to defer
payment until well into the expected
recovery in air travel following the end
of the pandemic and when we expect
to be realising significant synergies
“We would not be surprised to
see some of these former 737-800s
reappear in the market shortly,
perhaps at Flyr… or other market
entrants. It would be a similar story
for Norwegian’s former 787s – both
the -8 and -9 – where the potential
surplus of [the airline’s] aircraft was
already being felt resulting in average
lease rate declines of 26% and 22%
for 787-8 and -9 respectively last
year,” he added.
In 2020, Norwegian – combining
all of its subsidiaries – flew 57,500
flights. This was down 74% from
220,700 in 2019.
(Photo Flickr Commons/Anna Zvereva)
resulting from the transaction.”
Some of the key benefits mooted by
IAG from the Air Europa acquisition
include strengthening the
Madrid/Barajas hub and making it a
significant rival to Amsterdam,
Paris/Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt.
In addition, it will seek to unlock
further network growth opportunities
and offer customers increased choice
and scheduled flexibility.
As a result of the pandemic, this
newly reached sum of €500m is
down from the initial €1bn equity
value originally offered by IAG back in
November 2019.
(Photo AirTeamImages.com/
Jan Severijns)
in brief
Thyme Opco, a holding company
affiliated with Cyrus Capital, has acquired
a first aircraft for the attempted revival
of Flybe. An ex-Austrian Airlines De
Havilland Canada Dash 8-400, OE-LGA
(c/n 4014), was put on the British register
as G-CLXC in January. This comes after
Thyme Opco, which acquired the former
Flybe brand and assets in October 2020,
applied to the UK Civil Aviation Authority
in December for an airline operator’s
certificate (AOC). The ‘original’ Flybe
collapsed on March 4 of last year.
The TUI Group became the first company
in Europe to resume revenue services
with the Boeing 737 MAX. On February
17, group subsidiary, TUI Airlines Belgium,
used three-year-old MAX 8, OO-MAX (c/n
44588), on a 935nm connection between
Brussels/National and Malaga, Spain. On
the return leg, the Renton-built jet ferried
empty to Alicante before operating another
fare-paying link back to the Belgian capital.
Elsewhere fellow European MAX operators,
including Smartwings and Icelandair, plan
to resume services with the type soon.
The European Union Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) gave the green light for the
ungrounding of the jet on January 27.
Finnair is ready to “dismantle and
recycle” one of its former aircraft at
Helsinki/Vantaa – a first for the airline.
The Airbus A319ceo, OH-LVB (c/n
1107), has, according to the flag carrier,
“reached the end of its economic life”.
The decision to scrap the jet in Finland
as opposed to abroad was to optimise
sustainability, increase maintenance cost
efficiency and boost the workload for
mechanics. Several components from the
1999-built airframe including avionics,
engines, landing gear and seats will be
used as spares for the rest of Finnair’s
active fleet. (Photo Finnair)
Spanish-based charter carrier, Privilege
Style, was due to receive its maiden
Airbus A321ceo as Airliner World went to
press. The IAE V2500-powered airframe,
EC-NLJ (c/n 3636), was seen in Dublin in
February in full Privilege Style markings.
The 2008-vintage narrowbody was
previously delivered to Qatar Airways
before joining SriLankan Airlines in 2014.
It’s understood Privilege Style intends
to take another A321ceo and a pair of
A320ceos at a date to be determined.
The CFM International LEAP-1A
powerplant has been selected by SAS
to equip 35 Airbus A320 Family jets
originally ordered in 2018. The deal
includes ‘Rate-Per-Flight-Hour’ support
for the new engines and spares. Magnus
Örnberg, executive vice-president and
chief financial officer at SAS said the move
contributes to its sustainable aviation goal
of reducing emissions by 25% by 2025 in
relation to 2005 levels.
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 News Review • CIS
CENTRAL ASIAN operator,
Turkmenistan Airlines, has signed a
commitment with Airbus for a pair
of A330-200P2F examples. The
passenger-to-freighter conversions
are scheduled to arrive with the
Ashgabat-based firm in 2022.
The order marks the first aircraft from
ATRs start Siberian service
KRASAVIA HAS become the third
Russian carrier to introduce ATR
turboprops into revenue service. It
acquired a pair of Pratt & Whitney
Canada PW127M-powered ATR
72-500s, RA-67610 (c/n 917) and
RA-67611 (c/n 930) – the first of the
type put on the Russia register – from
Swedish-based lessor, Erik Thun,
following both turboprops’ tenure
with Braathens Regional Airlines.
According to Andrey Egorov, general
Pobeda poised for Sheremetyevo
AEROFLOT GROUP subsidiary, Pobeda
Airlines, is touted to start flights from
Moscow/Sheremetyevo this summer.
According to routesonline, the
low-cost firm has filed options for 12
routes, consisting of nine domestic
and a trio of international connections.
From May 1, it is understood that
the Russian cities of Perm and
Makhachkala will come online initially
at thrice and twice-daily respectively.
These are due to be complemented
exactly a month later with the launch
of international links to Riga, Latvia
(twice-daily) along with the Turkish
10 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
the European airframer to be sold
within Turkmenistan.
The A330-200P2F can carry 61 tons
of cargo up to 4,157nm in range and
is an ideal platform for high-density
freight operations. The Western-built
widebodies will join the flag carrier’s
trio of Ilyushin Il-76D freighters,
director of KrasAvia, the
Franco-Italian-built airframes will
replace its ageing fleet of Antonov
An-24 and An-26 aircraft. “Thanks
to the ATR 72-500s versatility and
modern and spacious cabin, we will
continue to support the connectivity
needs of the Siberian communities,
with increased seat capacity and
higher standards of comfort,” he said.
A government-owned airline,
KrasAvia was formed in 2007 and is
destinations of Antalya (daily) and
Istanbul (twice-daily).
Currently, Pobeda boasts an
inventory of 34 Boeing 737-800s
fitted out in a 189-seat, single-class
configuration with its main base at
neighbouring Moscow/Vnukovo. As
part of the Aeroflot Group’s 30/30
strategy (see Airliner World, February
2021), Pobeda is set to stimulate the
Russian budget sector and aims to
transport between 55-65 million
customers by 2028. During 2020, the
firm carried 9.1 million travellers.
(Photo Flickr Commons/Benedikt Lang)
Airbus arrives
in Turkmenistan
EZ-F426 (c/n 1033418609), EZ-F427
(c/n 1033418620) and EZ-F428 (c/n
1043418624). Turkmenistan Airlines
also fields an all-Boeing passenger
fleet including 12 737s (four -700s
and eight -800s), a trio of
757-200s and three 777-200LRs.
The A330P2F programme was
based in Siberia’s third largest city,
Krasnoyarsk. It flies passenger, cargo
and charter rotations in Russia’s Far
North using a fleet of 50 aircraft with
types including: Yakovlev Yak-42Ds,
Let L-410s and Mil Mi-8 helicopters.
ATR now has 22 of its turboprops
serving in Russia. This comprises 15
and two ATR 72-500s with UTair and
KrasAvia respectively, and five ATR
42-500s with NordStar.
(Photo ATR)
launched in 2012, thanks to a
collaboration between Airbus and ST
Engineering Aerospace through their
joint venture, Elbe Flugzeugwerke
(EFW). The prototype A330P2F
was re-delivered to DHL Express in
December 2017.
(Photo Airbus)
Going Boeing
for cargo
S7 SIBERIA Airlines has taken its
maiden dedicated freighter in the
form of a Boeing 737-800BCF
(Boeing Converted Freighter) for its
cargo division.
The ex-Ryanair airframe, VP-BEN
(c/n 33545), previously EI-DAE, was
withdrawn from the Irish low-cost
carrier in December 2019 before
being flown to Shanghai’s Pudong
gateway for conversion the following
year. The jet is leased from GECAS
and will be followed by a second
example soon.
Ilya Yaroslavtsev, CEO of S7 Cargo,
said the delivery of dedicated
freighters will allow the Russia-based
firm to bolster capacity on routes
with “strong demand” while not
being restricted by belly cargo space
on its passenger-configured aircraft.
He added: “We expect to increase
[the] total volume of carried payload
and mail by 30%.”
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 News Review • Africa/Middle East

Grabbing a Peace of the market

AIR PEACE has accepted its maiden
Embraer E195-E2, the first E2 to be
delivered to an African operator.
The landmark aircraft, 5N-BYF
(c/n 19020039) Helen Ekwusi Onyema,
was ferried to Lagos from the Brazilian
manufacturer’s São José dos Campos
plant between January 27-28 via
Recife in northeastern Brazil and
Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The Ikeja-based airline’s E195-E2 is
powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney
PW1900G engines and is fitted out in a
two-class, 124-seat configuration with
staggered chairs in the premium cabin.
Air Peace has another 12 firm orders
for the type, with purchase options for
17 more – worth US$2.2bn at list prices
if fully exercised.
Allen Onyema, chairman and CEO
of Air Peace, said introducing the
E195-E2 on domestic and regional
services will contribute to the carrier’s
‘no-city-left-behind’ initiative to
“reduce the air transportation burden
of Africans.” This, he outlined, would
be achieved by connecting the whole
of Nigeria and further across the
African continent while feeding
long-haul services from its Lagos base.
“The E195-E2 is the perfect aircraft
to expand our domestic and regional
operations,” commented Onyema.
“We are aware of the aircraft's
impressive economic performance as
well as its unique configuration – the
major reasons we placed an order for
this [type]. It is also an historic feat as
Air Peace will be the first to
operate this aircraft model in the
whole of Africa.”
Air Peace fields a 26-strong fleet,
including eight 50-seat ERJ145s.
Following the latest developments, the
Brazilian manufacturer now has 206
jets operating with 56 airlines
across Africa.
(Photo Embraer)

Bound for A classic addition Super

the USA?
KIGALI-BASED RWANDAIR has
filed an application with the US
Department of Transportation for
proposed services to New York/JFK.
The flag carrier aims to fly from
Kigali via Accra, Ghana – using
5th freedom rights – from this
December. The routes would be
plied by its existing pair of Airbus
A330s, 9XR-WN (c/n 1741) and 9XR-
WP (c/n 1759) – a -200 and -300
respectively.
jumbo
staycation
THE PRESIDENT of Emirates, Sir Tim
Clark, has confirmed the Dubai-
based carrier will retain the Airbus
A380 until at least “the mid-2030s.”
The maiden Boeing 737-400SF for Burkina Faso-based Liza Transport International was spotted at Madrid
During a recent CAPA Live event,
on January 26 after operating as Flight GJW46B from Ouagadougou. The 1993-built Classic, P4-EBO (c/n
27087), was initially delivered as a passenger jet to Malaysia Airlines the same year, then saw service he said the four-engined type
with Thailand-based City Airways. It was converted into a dedicated freighter in June 2018 before being will eventually be replaced by the
acquired by Liza Transport International recently – it joins the West African carrier’s sole VIP-configured Boeing 777X, but pointed out that
Airbus ACJ319, P4-LTI (c/n 3632) JOSÉ RAMÓN VALERO
further delays with the US-built
widebody mean it’s not expected to
arrive until Q1 of 2024. So the A380

A new lease of life will continue to fly on major trunk

SKYWORLD AVIATION – on behalf
of Braathens – has sold a single
Avro RJ100 to the Bahrain Defence
Force. The 20-year-old ex-Braathens
Regional Airlines (BRA) airframe,
SE-DSZ (c/n E3380), is stored at
Norwich for maintenance before
being ferried to Bahrain in a VIP
configuration. On delivery, the
Lycoming LF 507-equipped quadjet
will join a single example each of the
RJ85 and RJ100, A9C-BDF (c/n E2390)
and A9C-AWL (c/n E3386), respectively
at the defence force.
Skyworld Aviation says the aircraft
marketing organisation has another
pair of RJ85s and one RJ100 for sale.
(Photo Flickr Commons/BriYYZ)
routes until the 2030s, when the
777X starts “gradually slipping in to
replace the [super jumbo].”
With the introduction of more
fuel-efficient aircraft such as the
777X, in addition to its A350s and
787s on order, Clark estimates that
Emirates’ network could be “30%
larger” in regard to destinations
served, thanks to the new type’s
better economics.
Emirates currently operates a fleet
of 117 A380-800s and will take five
more from the European airframer
by May 2022, including the final
example to be built.
www.key.aero 12
 NE
W
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A380 VS 747-8: THE RIVAL GIANTS

Ever since the A380

made its maiden flight in
2005, Airbus struggled
to win orders for its super
jumbo. In February 2019
it was announced that
production was to end.

Despite the super

design of the world’s biggest
airliner, Airbus had backed a white
elephant. Not one order was placed by an
American carrier and the A380 programme
was kept afloat by one customer: Emirates. The
Dubai-based airline ordered almost half of all
A380s. Why was the A380 such a commercial
failure? A380: The Big White Jumbo provides
the answers to these questions and
compares the aircraft with its key
rivals.
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586 Airbus a380 2020 FP_RHS.indd 104 26/01/2021 09:59:33

 News Review • Americas
MD-10s ready to bow out
GLOBAL LOGISTICS giant, Federal
Express (FedEx), has outlined a
retirement programme for the
venerable McDonnell Douglas MD-10
as it continues to modernise its
fleet. Management at the Memphis,
Tennessee-based carrier stated
in its annual report that the last
example from its current 16-strong
contingent will be withdrawn by
June 2023. The MD-10 is the oldest
UPS gets first upgraded A300F
UNITED PARCEL Service (UPS) took
redelivery of its first Airbus A300F
following a comprehensive cockpit
upgrade. The jet, N173UP (c/n 868),
arrived at the carrier’s Louisville,
Kentucky base on February 3 after
serving a short stint with the European
manufacturer as a test airframe for the
modernisation programme.
UPS first took delivery of N173UP in
June 2006. The cargo firm’s remaining
50 A300Fs are due to receive the
14 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
aircraft type in FedEx’s inventory with
the eldest, N303FE (c/n 46802) Macy,
built in 1973.
The annual report pointed to new
legislation introduced in 2017, as one
of the main drivers enabling its recent
fleet modernisation: “The expensing
provision of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
signed in December 2017 encouraged
FedEx to order additional Boeing 777F
and 767F aircraft. The pro-growth
incentives in the law made fiscal
year 2019 the optimum
time to make
upgrade by next year’s peak season.
The enhancements transform the
flight deck of the A300F and bring it
close to current generation aircraft.
Key to achieving this is the advanced
new integrated avionics suite supplied
by Honeywell. The four large 9x7in
LCD main displays and the new colour
multi-function control and display
unit (MCDU), which replace several
analogue instruments, are the most
immediately visible changes to the
these purchases and retire more less
efficient aircraft [such as the already
phased out Airbus A310F].”
Meanwhile, for its MD-11 fleet, which
comprises 59 jets, there has been no
mention of the type’s retirement and,
according to the report, it could avoid
being phased out until at least 2026.
Elsewhere, FedEx is billed to shift
to a dual-hub operation in Europe
as Paris/Charles de Gaulle will
become its main base, while Liège,
Belgium reverts to a secondary hub.
The move comes after FedEx
upgraded instrument panel.
New ‘under the hood’ items include
a flight management system (FMS),
support for a worldwide navigation
database, a multi-mode receiver
(MMR) with the latest GPS-based
satellite navigation systems, a digital
datalink for communications with
air traffic control (ATC), a central
maintenance computer and a digital
weather radar system with turbulence
detection and windshear prediction.
acquired European cargo operator
TNT in 2016, which, in turn, resulted
in a duplication of networks from
Paris and Liège that connected
“similar geographies”. According
to FedEx, this primary/secondary
model has worked well in the
US with its Memphis and
Indianapolis bases and
can be replicated
in Europe.
(Photo Flickr
Commons/Tomás
Del Coro)
Ed Walton, managing director of
engineering at UPS, said: “The A300
design has the perfect capacity for
the US domestic ‘express’ market,
it’s a great airplane in terms of how it
fits into our network. In terms of the
overall strategy, the Airbus cockpit
upgrade with the Honeywell avionics
really allows us to continue using an
asset and unlocking the most efficient
operational capability.”
(Photo Airbus)

Transat’s
temporary
suspension
AIR TRANSAT has halted all regular
operations until April 30 after stiffer
COVID-19-reducing measures
were brought in by the Canadian
government.
However, between January 29
– the day of announcement – and
February 13, Air Transat conducted
repatriation rotations, including
multiple long-haul flights from
Montréal/Trudeau to Paris/Charles
de Gaulle and Portugal’s Porto and
Lisbon Airports. There were also
repatriation links to Montréal from:
Holguin (Cuba); Port-au-Prince
(Haiti); Cancún, Puerto Vallarta (both
Mexico); Puerto Plata and Punta
Cana (both Dominican Republic).
Three connections took place
between Toronto/Pearson, Cuba
Arriving in Mint condition
and the Dominican Republic.
New rules included the suspension
of travel to the Caribbean and
Mexico until April 30 following an
agreement with Canada’s airlines
to “protect the health and safety
of [its citizens]”. Arrivals in Canada
will pass through four gateways:
Calgary, Montréal/Trudeau, Toronto/
Pearson and Vancouver and provide
proof of a negative pre-departure
test. They must also pay for three
nights in a government-approved
hotel and take another COVID-19
test on arrival.
‘X’ marks the spot
The first aircraft for US-based start-up Global X has been spotted still wearing its previous identity. The 15-year-old Airbus A320ceo,
N223FR (c/n 2695) previously served with Frontier Airlines – and has since been reregistered as N276GX. It was seen at the firm’s Miami
base on January 20. It The CFM International CFM56-powered example will be introduced on charter rotations once Global X secures
Federal Aviation Administration certification (see Airliner World, March 2020).
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/STEVEN MARQUEZ
Flair raises MAX order book
FOLLOWING TRANSPORT Canada’s
clearance for the reintroduction of
fare-paying Boeing 737 MAX rotations
within the country (see Airliner
World, March 2021), Flair Airlines will
procure up to 13 MAX 8s on lease
from US-based 777 Partners. The
CFM International LEAP-1B-equipped
narrowbodies are due to join the
Canadian low-cost carrier shortly.
JETBLUE AIRWAYS has unveiled a
new iteration of its Mint premium
cabin in advance of its planned
transatlantic debut from New York/JFK
and Boston/Logan to London.
The route is currently scheduled for a
Q3 2021 launch.
Using its fleet of Airbus A321LRs that
are soon to be delivered, each will
feature 24 private suites with a sliding
door to maximise privacy. Additionally,
all suites are to have a Thompson
Aero Seating VantageSOLO seat, with
adaptive memory foam from mattress
With the introduction of the type,
Flair will be using the MAX’s 3,550nm
of range to grow its network across
Canada by adding more destinations,
for which it is currently in dialogue with
a number of different airports. The
acquisition also contributes to Flair’s
‘F50’ strategy of increasing its fleet
– currently standing at three 737-800s
– to 50 within five years.
News Review • Americas
maker Tuft & Needle, in a herringbone
configuration developed specifically
for narrowbody aircraft.
Other highlights are a seat cushion,
a tilting 17-inch Thales AVANT
seatback screen, wireless charging
and stowage as well as lampshades,
headrests, panels, door shrouds and
mood lighting.
The US carrier introduced Mint class
on its services from New York to Los
Angeles and San Francisco in 2014
and has since operated it on 30 routes.
(Photo JetBlue Airways)
Flair president and CEO Stephen
Jones said: “In advance of the new
[MAX 8] aircraft joining our fleet,
Flair’s team of pilots, maintenance
professionals, flight attendants and
safety officers will conduct extensive
testing and training programmes…
“We look forward to working with
Boeing and our regulators to ensure a
smooth entry into service.”
in brief
Alaska Airlines has received its
maiden Boeing 737 MAX 9 after a short
delivery flight to the carrier’s Seattle/
Tacoma base. The CFM International
LEAP-1B-powered airframe, N913AK
(c/n 44079), was due to have started
fare-paying service on March 1, as Airliner
World went to press. These comprise
a pair of “daily round-trip flights” from
Seattle to Los Angeles and San Diego. At
the time of writing, Alaska has 68 MAX 9s
on order with Boeing, with options for 52
more. For the delivery timeframe, 13 will
arrive this year, 30 in 2022, 13 in 2023 and
12 examples in 2024.
The Conair Group has purchased
11 de Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s
for conversion into aerial firefighting
platforms as part of its fleet
modernisation. According to data from
ch-aviation, the entire contingent of
airframes are ex-Flybe examples and will
join three Dash 8-400 tankers already
operated by Conair. After conversion,
the type can be fitted with a tank that
can hold a maximum of 2,642 gallons
while offering high climb rates, excellent
slow speed characteristics and quick
turnarounds on the ground.
American Airlines is set to bolster
its international route network from
Miami with the introduction of two new
connections. From June 4, it is scheduled
to start a 5,726nm service to Israel’s
Tel Aviv/Ben Gurion on a thrice-weekly
frequency using Boeing 777-200ERs.
Then, on July 1, American plans to launch
a five-times-weekly flight to Paramaribo,
Suriname, using Airbus A319ceos,
becoming the first US carrier to offer
direct links between the countries. (Photo
Flickr Commons/Alan Wilson)
Canadian North is expected to receive
the first of two Boeing 737NGs (Next
Generation) soon. The maiden airframe,
a former WestJet -700 example, C-FXWJ
(c/n 32768) – since reregistered as
C-FHBO – will join Canadian North’s
16-strong contingent of Classic 737s
and 13 ATR 42 turboprops. Following a
December 2020 Letter of Intent (LOI)
with Air Greenland, Canadian North has
earmarked the type for use on potential
direct services to Nuuk or Ilulissat in
western and southern Greenland,
respectively, from Toronto/Pearson in
order to help strengthen the cultural,
economic and tourism ties between the
two countries.
The US Senate confirmed Pete Buttigieg
as the new Secretary of the Department
of Transportation on February 2.
In response, the Regional Airline
Association (RAA) expressed support
for Buttigieg after he acknowledged his
commitment to the Essential Air Service
programme to keep smaller, isolated
communities connected with air services.
The RAA says one in five of these markets
have been lost since 2019 and the onset
of the coronavirus pandemic.
www.key.aero 15
News Review • Asia/Pacific
Project Sunrise eyes new dawn
AUSTRALIAN FLAG carrier, Qantas, is
mooting a 2024 launch for its
much-anticipated ultra-long-haul
Project Sunrise flights from Australia
to Europe and North America. In a
February EUROCONTROL webinar,
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said: “We
want to revisit [the plan] at the end of
2021 with the intention of doing it in
2024 and onwards.”
The carrier initially planned to launch
non-stop, hemisphere-spanning
services from Sydney, Melbourne and
Brisbane in 2023.
During 2019, it undertook three
Alliance inks capacity deal
BRISBANE-BASED ALLIANCE
Airlines is set to supply Qantas with
Embraer E190s from June 2021 as
the Australian flag carrier anticipates
an “expected surge in local travel
demand” once COVID-induced
border restrictions ease. As part
of the three-year deal, Qantas will
16 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
direct test flights from London/
Heathrow and New York/JFK to
Sydney at a distance of 9,611nm
and 8,747nm, respectively, using its
Boeing 787-9s. With approximately
19 hours in the air, the rotations
were used to learn more about crew
experiences and in-flight comfort.
Qantas subsequently placed a
provisional order for Airbus
A350-1000s to serve the routes,
which was
weeks away
from finalisation
when the COVID
initially use three, 94-seat E190s on
its Adelaide-Darwin, Adelaide-Alice
Springs and Darwin-Alice Springs
services. However, Qantas states
that depending on future market
conditions, an additional 11 E190s can
be procured from Alliance if needed
to provide extra capacity. It also noted
pandemic and the collapse in global
air travel put the plans on ice.
Joyce reckons that when demand
returns, the impact of COVID-19 will
probably mean “people are less likely
to stop off in hubs” and prefer direct
flights to simplify their journeys.
He noted the performance of Qantas’
direct Perth-Heathrow return service
“was very strong” pre-pandemic:
“We’re still very keen [and it] will
give us a sustainable competitive
advantage nobody else is
probably going to introduce.”
He explained: “It is a
unique opportunity for
that if conditions deteriorate, Qantas
can return E-jets back to Alliance.
John Gissing, CEO of QantasLink,
said: “We know this current climate
of snap border closures will pass and
we want to be ready for the recovery
and for what is a structurally different
market to what we had pre-COVID.
Qantas because Australia is so far
away from everywhere. We could
justify a fleet that makes it economic.
“If you are a [European or North
American] carrier probably the only
place you’ll need it is Australia, which
[would mean] two or three aircraft.
We have three major cities on the
east coast... having flights to London,
Frankfurt, Paris, New York, Chicago,
Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town from those
cities creates a significant sub-fleet,
economics and scale we think will
work really well.”
(Photo AirTeamImages.com/
John Kilmer)
“The ability to switch on extra
capacity with Alliance will help us
make the most of opportunities in a
highly competitive environment and
having the right aircraft on the right
route helps us deliver the schedule
and network that customers want.”
(Photo Ivan Nishimura)

Singapore shop swap
THE SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) Group
has reached an agreement with
manufacturers Airbus and Boeing to
revise its aircraft delivery schedule.
The plan will enable the SIA Group
to defer more than US$4bn of capital
expenditure between financial year
2020/21 and 2022/23 to later years.
It’s expected to also recalibrate the
introduction rate of capacity, following
the disruption to demand for air travel
as a result of COVID-19.
Included in its agreement with
Boeing is the conversion of 14 Boeing
787-10s into 11 777-9 aircraft, which
are set to be delivered after the
2025/26 financial year.
On course for great success?
PROPOSED HONG Kong-based
start-up, Greater Bay Airlines, has
applied for 104 routes with the Special
Administrative Region’s Air Transport
Licensing Authority.
In the January filing, 48 of the
destinations are located in mainland
China such as Beijing, Chengdu and
Shanghai. The remaining routes are
spread across the Asia-Pacific region
Korean makes 2020 profit
DESPITE THE unprecedented industry
downturn caused by the COVID-19
crisis, Korean Air reported an
operating profit for 2020.
At a board meeting on February
4, the Seoul-based firm revealed
tentative financial results for the year,
including revenues of ₩7.4 trillion
(US$6.8bn) and an operating profit of
₩238.3bn (US$219m). Its operating
profit fell by only 17% while gross sales
reduced by more than 40%.
Goh Choon Phong, chief executive
of Singapore Airlines, commented:
“[The deferment plan] retains our
commitment to operating new
generation aircraft that will enable the
SIA Group to continue offering greater
comfort and innovative products to
customers, further drive operating
efficiency and support ongoing
efforts to materially lower our carbon
emissions.
“These will help to cement our
leadership position in the airline
industry as it recovers from
the pandemic.”
As of February 15, SIA Group’s order
book comprised: 35 A320 Family, 15
including 13 in Japan, six in Thailand
and four in Taiwan.
It was reported by ch-aviation
that the fledging firm was due to
receive a trio of dry-leased Boeing
737-800s during mid-February
before undertaking extensive cabin
reconfiguration in Guangzhou,
southern China.
The airline aims to start its inaugural
Like most airlines around the world,
the operator experienced a sharp
decline in international traveller
demand throughout the year, which
caused passenger sales to fall by
74% year-on-year. As such, the key
to Korean’s success is largely thanks
to its cargo division which increased
sales by 66% compared with 2019.
Kee Hong Woo, Korean Air’s
president, commented: “Almost
24% of the global air cargo capacity
News Review • Asia/Pacific
A350-900s, 31 737 MAX 8s, 20 787
family and 31 777-9s.
In other developments, Singapore
Airlines was billed to start revenue
operations with the 737-800 from
March 4 on a rotation to Phuket,
Thailand, subject to regulatory
approvals. This comes as the flag
carrier integrates its regional
subsidiary SilkAir after the merger,
announced 2018, and is expected to
be complete by the “2021/22 financial
year”. Nine 737-800s, including
9V-MGK (c/n 44227) – pictured – will
be transferred from SilkAir and feature
a two-class, 162-seat layout.
(Photo Singapore Airlines Group)
revenue services during Q3 of this
year, subject to receiving an air
operator's certificate, among other
documents. By 2025, Greater Bay
Airlines plans to have a fleet of 30 737-
800s with more than 3,000 staff.
Bill Wong Cho-bau, a Chinese
property tycoon who previously
founded Shenzhen-based Donghai
Airlines, is behind the new venture.
disappeared last year when airlines
suspended most international flights
because of coronavirus.
“However, [we] boosted our cargo
[rotations] by operating extra/charter
freighters to meet the demands of
medical supplies such as COVID-19
test kits and masks. We also increased
cargo capacity by converting
passenger jets into freighters.”
(Photo Flickr Commons/Gerard van
der Schaaf)
in brief
Full-service carrier, Vistara, flew its
inaugural rotation to Frankfurt, Germany, on
February 18. The twice-weekly service from
Delhi, rostered on Thursdays and Saturdays,
is flown by the Indian firm’s pair of Boeing
787-9 Dreamliners, VT-TSD (c/n 66526) and
VT-TSE (c/n 66527). This latest addition
to its burgeoning network – operated as
part of a transport bubble between India
and Germany – becomes Vistara’s second
city in Europe following London/Heathrow.
According to the airline’s CEO, Leslie Thng,
Frankfurt is a “significant addition” thanks
to its status as a global hub for finance,
commerce and trade.
The sole Boeing 757-200F for
Malaysia-based Raya Airways has been
returned to the lessor. The 31-year-old
narrowbody, equipped with a pair of Pratt
& Whitney PW2037 powerplants, was
flown to the Marana Airpark in Arizona on
February 3 for storage. The 757, 9M-RYA
(24472), was initially delivered to Shanghai
Airlines in August 1989 in a three-class,
200-seat layout before being converted to a
dedicated freighter in 2006 for China Cargo
Airlines, then acquired by Raya in October
2015. After Raya phased out the 757, it’s
left with three Boeing freighters; two
767-200Fs, 9M-RXA (c/n 22317) and
9M-RXB (c/n 22215), along with a single
737-400SF, 9M-RZA (c/n 27660).
Air New Zealand has conducted several
new freight-only links between Christchurch
and Guangzhou, China. According to the
Kiwi flag carrier, the rotations – operated
by its 14-strong contingent of Boeing
787-9s – were used to transport the export
and import of “premium goods” during the
peak of the Chinese New Year (February).
On the outbound leg to Guangzhou, items
including seafood and milk powder were
carried while goods such as electronics
and personal protection equipment
were shipped back to New Zealand.
(Photo Flickr Commons/Masakatsu Ukon)
Bamboo Airways has accepted its first
Airbus A321neo outfitted with the
‘Airbus Cabin Flex’ (ACF) configuration.
The aircraft, VN-A222 (c/n 9539), was
ferried from Hamburg/Finkenwerder to
Hanoi via Abu Dhabi between February
6 and 7. This jet differs from Bamboo’s
four existing A321neos. For example,
VN-A222 features 223 seats in a two-
class layout in comparison with the firm’s
standard 198-seat A321neo. Other notable
differences include the removal of door
two and introduction of a pair of over-wing
emergency exits.
China Aircraft Leasing (CALC) has placed
a 30-strong firm commitment – prices not
disclosed – for the COMAC ARJ21-700,
with options for 30 more. It’s understood
these airframes will join Indonesia-based
TransNusa by 2026, making it the first
non-Chinese carrier to opt for the type.
The airline fields ATR 72-600s: PK-TNE (c/n
1324), PK-TNF (c/n 1334), PK-TNM (c/n 1108)
and PK-TNO (c/n 1286); plus a 31-year-old,
ex-RAF BAe 146-100, PK-TNV (c/n E1124).
www.key.aero 17
 News Review • International
EASA clears Boeing 737 MAX
THE BOEING 737 MAX was given the
greenlight to return to fare-paying
service by the European Union
Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on
January 27, ending a nearly two-year
grounding period.
The regulator has mandated a
package of software upgrades,
electrical modifications, maintenance
checks, operational manual updates
and crew training, which, once
completed, will allow airlines to
reintroduce the embattled type. TUI
Airlines Belgium was the first carrier
in Europe to resume services with 737
Continued woes for 777X
IT’S BEEN confirmed that the next
generation of the Boeing 777 will
not enter service until late 2023.
In January, David Calhoun, Boeing
Commercial Airplanes president and
CEO said during the firm’s Q4 2020
earnings call: “COVID-19 has had a
significant impact on passenger traffic,
particularly international long-haul
routes serviced by large widebodies
such as the 777X, which has shifted
the anticipated replacement wave
and overall demand for widebody
airplanes to the right.”
The delay means the 777X will
enter service a full decade after its
November 2013 launch. At that time,
first flight was targeted for 2019 and
service entry in 2020, but problems
with the General Electric GE9X engine
and testing delays pushed back the
schedule. The first 777-9 did not fly
until January 2020. Calhoun told
18 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
MAX 8, OO-MAX (c/n 44588), pictured
(see Europe News page 7).
Patrick Ky, EASA executive director,
commented: “We have reached a
significant milestone on a long road.
Following extensive analysis by
EASA, we have determined that the
737 MAX can safely return to service.
This assessment was carried out
in full independence of Boeing or
the Federal Aviation Administration
[FAA] and without any economic or
political pressure – we asked difficult
questions until we got answers and
pushed for solutions which satisfied
investors the latest delay has led to
a US$6.5bn “reach-forward loss” on
the programme, which he said, “will
result in some cash flow headwinds
in 2021 and 2022”. He added: “We
anticipate the programme to turn cash
flow positive approximately one to two
years after starting initial deliveries.”
In more positive Boeing news,
the Chicago-based manufacturer
has outlined a bold target for its
commercial aircraft to be “capable”
and “certified” to fly on 100%
sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) by
2030. The response comes as the
airframer seeks to address the urgent
challenge of climate change. Several
bodies, including the US Department
of Energy, concluded that SAF can
reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 80%
over the fuel life’s cycle – a figure
which is expected to rise in the future.
(Photo v1images.com/Huy Do)
our exacting safety requirements. We
carried out our own flight tests and
simulator sessions and did not rely on
others to do this for us.”
The type was grounded worldwide
in March 2019 following the second of
two accidents within just six months,
which together claimed 346 lives.
The cause was traced to software
known as the MCAS (Manoeuvring
Characteristics Augmentation
System), intended to make
the aircraft easier to handle.
EASA’s decision follows
similar moves by other
BelugaXL set for ETOPS?
A SENIOR figure from Airbus has
hinted at the potential for extended
range twin operations (ETOPS)
approval for the BelugaXL.
During a virtual Royal Aeronautical
Society presentation on February
4, Pascal Vialleton, BelugaXL chief
engineer, said the manufacturer is
studying 180-minute ETOPS
approval for two out of three
yet-to-be delivered examples of the
type for transatlantic operations.
Currently, a trio of BelugaXLs are in
service with Airbus, including F-GXLI
(c/n 1930) XL3 – pictured – with three
more due to follow by 2023.
With ETOPS approval, the BelugaXL
could transport satellites for launch
from the USA and support Airbus’
operations in North America. At
present, the airframer uses both the
BelugaXL and BelugaST to transport
Airbus components between
aviation safety agencies around the
world including those in the United
States, Brazil, Panama and Canada
(see Airliner World, March 2021). The
UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority
was the latest regulator to clear the jet
in mid-February.
According to travel analytics expert,
Cirium, there were 46 MAXs (37
-8s and nine -9s) in service globally
as of January 28. There was also
385 in storage, although this does
not include those built after the
March 2019 grounding. (Photo Flickr
Commons/Gerard van der Schaaf)
production sites across Europe.
In other news, Airbus is set to
increase the production rate of its
flagship A320 programme more
slowly than previously reported.
In response to the “market
environment”, the manufacturer will
gradually increase output from the
current rate of 40 per month to 43 in
the third quarter and 45 in Q4 during
2021. This latest production plan
represents a slower ramp-up than
the previously anticipated 47 jets per
month from July.
Meanwhile, the A220 monthly
rate will increase from four to
five airframes by the end of Q1 as
previously forecast. Widebody
manufacturing is expected to remain
stable at current levels, with monthly
production rates of around five and
two A350s and A330s, respectively.
(Photo Daniel Crawford)

Embraer 2020 roundup
THE BRAZILIAN manufacturer,
Embraer, has disclosed its final
airframe delivery data for 2020.
For the full year it handed over 130
airframes, made up of 86 business
jets and 44 commercial passenger
aircraft, with production down 35%
compared to 2019 figures (198
airframes). Unsurprisingly, due to
the effects of COVID-19 earlier in the
year, the fourth quarter was its most
successful regarding deliveries – for
commercial, it handed over 28 in this
period, comprising 21 E175s, a single
E190-E2 and six E195-E2s.
In comparison, its executive aviation
division delivered 43 business
aircraft, consisting of 23 light (a single
Phenom 100 and 22 Phenom 300s)
and 20 large jets (a single Legacy
500, six Praetor 500s and 13 Praetor
600s). (Photo Embraer)
News Review • International
Dash 8-400 build suspended
DE HAVILLAND Aircraft of Canada
has confirmed it will temporarily halt
production of the popular Dash 8-400
turboprop and leave its Downsview
Toronto facility in the second half
of this year. In a statement, the firm
described the move as “responsible
and prudent” given that “prevailing
industry circumstances have hindered
the ability to confirm new aircraft
sales.” The company said it will not
produce new examples beyond
currently confirmed orders and later
stated production would cease in the
first half of 2021.
Approximately 500 employees will
be affected. The statement added
that it was the company’s aim to
“resume new aircraft delivery at the
earliest possible time, subject to
market demand.”
David Curtis, executive chairman
of Longview Aviation Capital, De
Havilland Canada’s parent firm, said:
“The Dash 8 is a segment-defining
aircraft, and it has never been in
better hands – strengthened by being
part of a robust aviation portfolio
with patient long-term ownership…
We are fully committed to the Dash
8 and intend to further enhance
its capabilities and performance
and remain a leader of the regional
aircraft market of the future.”
The airframer’s Downsview
production site was sold by the
previous owner, Bombardier, in 2018,
with deadlines for the site and runway
to be decommissioned. As a result,
the Dash 8 programme's current site
lease expires this year. Accordingly,
De Havilland Canada has begun
preparing to leave the complex over
the latter part of the year.

HEART beats faster

A CONSORTIUM of UK companies
is working on the Project HEART
(Hydrogen-Electric and Automated
Regional Transportation) initiative to
create a “fully sustainable and scalable
commercial aviation network that
could connect the whole of the UK”.
The project is led by Blue Bear
Systems and Britten-Norman, and
they will work together to automate
the latter’s BN-2 Islander as a
demonstrator. The first milestone will
be to showcase single-pilot operations
with an autonomous co-pilot. Overall,
the intent is to create zero-carbon
regional aircraft that can offer
high-frequency air services to help
regional air transport to compete with
traditional ground services.
Other organisations involved
include hydrogen-electric powertrain
developers ZeroAvia, green hydrogen
experts Protium Green Solutions,
satcom provider Inmarsat, the
regional airline Loganair, Highlands
and Islands Airports, architect
Weston Williams and Partners, hire
company Fleetondemand, and
Edinburgh Napier University. Each
project member will focus on a
specific issue including cutting
carbon emissions to zero,
reducing costs to operators
and passengers, expanding regional
airports and increasing
service frequency.
(Photo
Britten-Norman)

Boeing Deliveries Airbus Deliveries

Air China took delivery of its 31st Airbus A320neo on January 30 AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/HAMFIVE
Airbus delivered the following aircraft in January:
A220-100 1 Delta Air Lines
A220-300 2 Air Canada, Delta Air Lines
Alaska Airlines was the first carrier to introduce the Boeing 737 MAX into its fleet post-grounding A319neo 1 Private Customer
V1IMAGES.COM/BRANDON RAVELO
Air China; Avolon (Scandinavian Airlines); BOC Aviation (Air China) (2); BOCOMM Leasing
Boeing delivered the following aircraft in January: A320neo 10 (Air China), China Eastern Airlines; CMB Financial Leasing (Flynas); ICBC (Vietnam
737 MAX 8 12 American Airlines (5); CDB Aviation (GOL); SMBC Aviation Capital (Southwest Airlines) (6) Airlines); Shenzen Airlines; SMBC Aviation Capital (Scandinavian Airlines)
737 MAX 9 9 Alaska Airlines (2); Copa Airlines (2); United Airlines (5) A321ceo 4 Delta Air Lines (4)
767-300F 1 FedEx Express A321neo 1 American Airlines
777-300ER 2 Novus Capital (British Airways) (2) A330-800 1 Uganda Airlines
777F 1 China Airlines A350-900 1 Turkish Airlines
Total 25 Total 21

www.key.aero 19
 News Review • Business Aviation

Learjet production to end

BOMBARDIER HAS confirmed that it
will cease manufacturing the Learjet
75 Liberty in Q4 of 2021 – heralding
the end of Learjet production after
almost six decades.
The move came as the company
shifts focus on to its more profitable
Challenger and Global business jet
families. The Learjet final assembly
facility in Wichita, Kansas will become
a hub for Bombardier’s specialised
aircraft platforms.
Éric Martel, president and CEO of
Bombardier, said: “With more than
3,000 aircraft delivered since its
entry into service in 1963, the iconic
Learjet has had a remarkable and
lasting impact on business aviation.
Passengers all over the world love
to fly this exceptional aircraft and
count on its unmatched performance
and reliability. However, given the
increasingly challenging market
dynamics, we have made this difficult
decision to end Learjet production.”
Bombardier will continue to support
the global Learjet fleet into the future.
Additionally, it announced the launch
of its Learjet RACER remanufacturing
programme for Learjet 40 and 45
aircraft on February 11, 2021 which
includes a range of interior and
exterior updates.
In other developments, Bombardier
revealed a 3% year-on-year growth in
its business jet activities and revenues
of US$5.6bn in 2020. During the
period, the Canadian manufacturer
reported deliveries of 114 aircraft,
comprising 59 Global, 44 Challenger
and 11 Learjet examples. In the fourth
quarter alone, it handed over a record
16 Global 7500s. (Photo Bombardier)
BUSINESS AVIATION NEWS BY NIGEL PITTAWAY

Russian approval received

HONDA AIRCRAFT Company obtained
type certification for its HA-420
HondaJet Elite from Russia’s Federal
Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya).
As a result, the maiden type
registered in the country, RA-07878
(c/n 42000094), was permitted to
commence operations with immediate
effect at the end of January.
Michimasa Fujino, Honda Aircraft
company president and CEO,
commented: “The HondaJet Elite is
well-suited to the needs of business
travellers in Russia and the CIS, as it
can provide safe, quick and efficient
transport between cities in the region
or between Russia and the European
Union. We are excited to see that the
first HondaJet in [the nation] is already
in operation and look forward to
further expanding our Russian fleet.”
Russia is the 13th nation to award
type certification for the model, behind
countries including Brazil, India,
Mexico, Panama and Turkey.
In other developments, HondaJet
announced on January 14 that its
new wing production and service
parts facility (pictured at right)
had begun operations. Located
within the company’s headquarters
in Greensboro, North Carolina,
the complex houses a new wing
production process for the HondaJet
Elite, enabling the concurrent
assembly of more wing sets and
increasing production efficiency.
(Photo Honda Aircraft Company)

Praetor 600 Canadian type certification Challenger

EMBRAER’S PRAETOR 600 super
mid-size business jet was awarded
type certification from Transport
Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), ahead of
the first handover to operators in the
country. Initial deliveries of the Praetor
600 to customers around the world
began in June 2019. Announcing the
latest milestone on February 12, 2021,
Embraer Executive Jets president and
CEO, Michael Amalfitano, said: “The
certification by TCCA reinforces the
great momentum of the Praetor 600
in the global market.”
In other news, the Brazilian
airframer declared that it had
delivered 71 executive jets during the
fourth quarter of last year, including a
single Phenom 100, 22 Phenom 300s,
one Legacy 500, six Praetor 500s
and 13 Praetor 600s. The company
revealed that it had handed over a
total of 86 business aircraft during
2020. (Photo Embraer)
350 added
EXECUTIVE JET management and
private charter operator Latitude
33 Aviation has taken delivery of
a Bombardier Challenger 350 on
behalf of one of its clients. The new
aircraft will be based at Latitude
33 Aviation’s facility in San Diego,
California, and became available to
operate on charter rotations from
the end of January.
Latitude 33 was founded in 2006
and is one of the major operators of
light, medium and super mid-size
executive jets in North America.
It also maintains bases in the
greater Los Angeles area, as well
as in Colorado Springs in Colorado,
Scottsdale, Arizona, Houston,
Texas, Redmond, Oregon, Nashville,
Tennessee and Seattle, Washington.

20 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

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W
hile Rex’s next
chapter is set to
revolutionise the
business, a brief
history lesson is
important to understand the sheer
scale of what is now taking place.
The rapidly expanding company can
trace its origins back to 2001, amid
the catastrophic collapse of Ansett
Australia. The failure of Ansett
– once one of the largest mainline
carriers in Australasia – threatened
to take down two of Australia’s most
respected regional airlines.
The first of these, Kendell, was
established in 1965 to service
communities across New South
Wales. While the airline retained its
independence for 25 years, it formally
joined the Ansett stable in 1990. As
Kendell was integrated into the larger
Chris Frame caught up with John Sharp, Rex’s
deputy chairman, to learn more about the Australian
regional carrier’s jet-setting plans
jet age
22 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
operation, it became an important
vehicle for regional expansion.
Retaining the Kendell name, the
carrier proudly wore the Ansett
livery, as did its various subsidiaries.
By the time of the Ansett collapse
in 2001, Kendell’s fleet had been
bolstered with Bombardier
CRJ200ERs. These speedy jets were
used to link Sydney and Melbourne to
the national capital of Canberra.
Another regional carrier, Hazelton,
predated even Kendell; first
taking to the air in
1956.
The airline
had been in
partnership
with Ansett and
utilised its booking
and schedule systems
from 1980. Despite their
The arrival of the 737
is considered a major long-term relationship, Hazelton
escalation in competition didn't officially join the larger
between Aussie carriers Australian carrier until early 2001. The
ALL IMAGES REX AIRLINES
UNLESS STATED
two entities integrated just months
before Ansett entered administration
in September of that year.
While an attempted reboot of Ansett
failed by March 2002, there remained
a need for the regional services that
Hazelton and Kendell offered. The two
Ansett orphans were sold and merged
in 2002, to create an independent
entity: Regional Express (Rex).
joins the
 The new airline quickly established subsequent years, the carrier
itself in the regional market, utilising refreshed its aircraft portfolio
Saab 340As and Fairchild Swearingen with secondhand Saab 340Bs,
Metroliner ‘Metro 23s’ which allowing the retirement of older
previously enjoyed service with both 340As, as well as the entire Metro
Hazelton and Kendell (the latter’s 23 fleet. At the same time, a growing
Bombardier jets never flew for Rex). stock of 340B examples allowed Rex
Adapting a new livery to expand its presence in key markets,
featuring a stylised Rex linking more rural centres with hub
brand mark, the Ansett airports in Sydney and Melbourne.
livery was quickly Since those fledgling years in the
removed from early 2000s, Rex has evolved to
its fleet. Over become a true Australian success
story. It now serves all six Australian
states, with a route map that takes it
to the extreme north of Queensland,
A Boeing 737-800 aircraft
south to Tasmania and the remote
belonging to Rex in the skies shores of Western Australia.
above Sydney/Kingsford Now, 20 years later, the airline is
Smith on January 22, 2021 set to soar once again in the latest
GETTY IMAGES/
JAMES D. MORGAN phase of its fascinating development.
Emerging from the world’s worst
aviation crisis, the firm is launching
commercial jet services, linking
Australia’s three most populous cities.
Setting the stage
From the outset, Rex took on a
friendly, yet professional, brand
persona. Its pilots personally welcome
passengers at the aircraft door and
the airline’s historic links to regional
Australia (via its shared Kendell and
Hazelton heritage) mean that it enjoys
a strong brand loyalty from many
rural communities.
Speaking to Airliner World, John
Sharp, the airline’s deputy chairman
and independent director, reflected
on the immense progress made over
a relatively short period of time: “Rex,
over its various iterations, has been
in the aviation industry
for nearly 70 years.
www.key.aero 23
The jet fleet includes the
strapline 'Our heart is in
the country' in a nod to the
carrier's regional roots
Rex passengers are more
familiar with the airline's
turboprop examples,
such as this Saab 340
spotted at Wagga
Wagga in New South Wales
BIDGEE/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
24 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
As Rex we’ve been continuously state government, while successfully carriers included. A report published
profitable and we’ve had no debt. We tendering applications for key by the Australian Competition and
are unique in world aviation terms.” regional routes in South Australia and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in
Indeed, on several occasions, Rex Western Australia. Seemingly having September 2020 highlighted a 95%
has proved more profitable than a singular focus on the regional reduction in domestic passenger
either of Australia’s two largest market, behind the scenes the team numbers and seating capacity as
carriers, Qantas and Virgin Australia, has kept an eye on intercity domestic of April 2020.
as both of those airlines have faced expansion, as Sharp confirmed: “Rex All of Australia’s airlines have
their own structural challenges over has long held ambitions to expand reported difficulties during the crisis
the past decade. into the domestic market. We have and Rex was no exception. The airline
The approach taken by the Rex been aware that the Australian was close to shutting down all regular
team has allowed expansion of its domestic airline business is highly public transport (RPT) operations in
regional route map. It has added profitable for a well-run airline.” April 2020, as a national lockdown
multiple destinations across Regarding this intercity intrigue, led to a catastrophic collapse of
Queensland in partnership with the Sharp said that the timing had never passenger services. An eleventh-hour
been right. Until now. government intervention provided
much-needed support, allowing Rex
Saab 340
Challenging times to stay in the air throughout 2020.
Cruising Speed 323mph (520kph) The coronavirus pandemic has Elsewhere, Qantas, the nation’s
Cruising Altitude 25,000ft
brought unprecedented challenges largest airline, has mothballed
Two General Electric CT7
Engines turbo-props, each of
for airlines across the world, regional much of its international fleet,
1,600-1,750 SHP
Fully pressurised | Inflight catering |
Notes
Lavatory | Air conditioning
 Bamaga NPA
less apparent was the withdrawal
of several of the company’s leased
Boeing 737-800s. Despite the lack
of mainstream coverage about the
Mornington Island (Gununa)
Karumba
narrowbody departures, the news got
Cairns back to the team at Rex, who realised
Burketown Normanton
Doomadgee it opened up an opportunity.
Richmond Townsville
NORTHERN
Mount Isa
Julia Creek
Hughenden
Time to fly
TERRITORY Winton QUEENSLAND Noting Virgin Australia’s radical
Boulia

Bedourie
Windorah
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Birdsville
Carnarvon Quilpie
Monkey Mia Cunnamulla
Coober Pedy Thargomindah
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Ceduna Broken Hill NEW SOUTH WALES
Perth Whyalla
Mildura
Port Lincoln
Esperance
Narrandera-Leeton
Albany Kingscote Wagga Wagga
(Kangaroo Island) VICTORIA Albury
Mt. Gambier
King Island
Regional Routes
Domestic Routes
Operated in partnership with Burnie
Queensland Government
while domestic services remain the airline restructured and scaled
scaled back as recent COVID-19 back to become a ‘middle of the
outbreaks continue to dent demand market’ carrier. This approach saw
for domestic travel across New South the carrier end some regional routes,
Wales and Victoria. while scaling back its head-to-head
Despite Qantas’s woes, the competition with Qantas within the
flag-carrier’s headaches have been business market. The reorganisation
modest compared to the catastrophic also led Virgin Australia to retire its
problems facing the nation’s leased Airbus A330 fleet, as well as
second-largest carrier. Plagued by withdrawing all its Boeing 777s used
high debt, Virgin Australia was unable previously on international routes
to maintain its positioning when between Australia and the USA.
faced by the COVID-19 capacity While the removal of Virgin’s
crunch, forcing the firm to enter widebody roster made the headlines,
administration in April last year.
The brand survived the Boeing 737-800
administration process through
Cruising Speed 518mph (833.7kph)
acquisition by US private equity firm
Cruising Altitude
32,000ft-39,000ft
Bain Capital. However, this survival
Two CFM56-7B26 engines delivering
came at a cost to Virgin Australia’s Engines
26,300lb max thrust
once sizeable domestic presence, as Maximum Seating 176
Two-class cabin including a premium
business class | Inflight catering |
Notes
Integrated inflight entertainment
and Wi-Fi capability
Longreach fleet reorganisation and the overall
Charleville downturn in aviation across the
Brisbane West Wellcamp
(Toowoomba) country, Rex management took
Brisbane a bold decision. Ready to achieve
St George
its long-held ambitions to expand
Lismore Ballina
domestically, the carrier leased six of
(Byron Bay)
Grafton
Dubbo Virgin’s recently retired 737s.
Parkes Armidale
Orange “Out of the adversity of the COVID
Griffith
Bathurst
Sydney pandemic, comes opportunity,”
reflected Sharp of this decision.
Moruya
Snowy Mountains(Cooma) “Suddenly pilots, usually in short
Merimbula
supply in Australia, were available.
Melbourne
Spare aircraft were also in abundance,
at greatly reduced cost.”
Rex bosses were keen to leverage
TASMANIA
the potential to utilise the jets on the
lucrative Sydney, Melbourne and
Brisbane circuit, with flights set to
An overview of the Rex launch in March 2021. Nicknamed
operation as of March 2021 ‘the golden triangle’, connections
between the cities are valuable, with
the air corridor between Sydney and
Melbourne one of the busiest in the
world prior to the pandemic.
“The [Qantas/Virgin] duopoly has
meant travellers have traditionally had
to choose between premium service
at premium costs and minimal
service at low costs. Our entry into
the market means travellers can have
both at once: full-service at low-cost
prices. It’s a big change.”
While some observers may question
the rationale of launching jet services
during a pandemic, Rex has taken the
challenges of COVID-19 into account.
The airline intends to start small,
growing with the market as demand
returns to the Australian skies.
Rex has leased former
Virgin Australia
737s for the new project

www.key.aero 25
Sharp described this approach as A distinctive blue and orange December 2020. Registered VH-RQC, the remaining Rex fleet, not only due
being “in stark contrast to our larger branding adorns the jets the Boeing 737-800 flew for Virgin to the obvious size difference, but also
competitors, who are waiting for the between 2003 and 2020 under the thanks to the addition of the airline’s
market to return to them.” registration VH-VOP. slogan, ‘Our heart is in the country’.
Its livery sports the familiar blue Rex believes its positioning within
Country hospitality and orange brand mark on the tail, the Australian domestic market will
To stand out from the larger carriers, along with large, stylised branding on attract customers from existing
Rex is planning to bring Australia’s the aft fuselage. It stands out among airlines, with Sharp noting that
renowned country hospitality to the
city. “This will be a significant point The new operation will
include many of the perks
of difference with our competitors, offered by Qantas on its
and one we think our passengers will domestic flights QANTAS
enjoy. Qantas service at Jetstar prices
– our low-cost base allows us to do
that,” Sharp quipped.
Much to the surprise of some
analysts, Rex is also launching a
business class cabin on its 737s,
making the Boeing product notably
different from the all-economy cabin
found on board its Saab
340B turboprops.
Sharp said the company’s 737s will
“comfortably rival our competitors’
product”, with the airline’s premium
cabin feeling familiar for many
Australian business travellers, as Rex
is retaining Virgin Australia’s 2-2 seat
layout. This eight-seat configuration Before the pandemic, flights
between Melbourne and
includes wide recliners with a 38in
Sydney were considered
pitch, a dedicated business class to be some of the most
lavatory up front and a stylised divider profitable in the world
at the rear of the cabin, to separate MELBOURNE AIRPORT
business from economy class.
While Rex is remaining
tight-lipped on the specific details of
the final cabin finish, it is reasonable
to assume that the leather-embossed
Virgin branding will be removed from
seats, along with the red and purple
corporate colours found aboard the
aircraft during their time with their
former operator.
In terms of the exterior, Rex
received its first repainted 737 in late

26 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

some people may be considering
holidaying within Australia rather
than overseas as the fallout from the
pandemic continues.
Fare play
Rex’s discounted ticket prices have
already turned heads. Business
class seats on the popular Sydney to
Melbourne route have been selling for
as little as AUD$299 (£167), noticeably
cheaper than either Qantas or Virgin
Australia. Meanwhile, economy
travellers can snap up a flight from as
little as AUD$79 (£44).
Rex fares typically include checked
baggage and assigned seating, as
well as on-board meals. The airline
will also offer lounge access and
complimentary onboard Wi-Fi to
its business class passengers, with
economy travellers able to access both
perks for a supplement.
Sharp said that Rex’s successful
business model is the key to its
ability to offer a full service at low
fares: “We are already running a
successful, profitable airline business,
with existing infrastructure and
expert staff.”
The deputy chairman also revealed
that, to support its expansion, the
airline has bolstered its staff numbers.
This has bucked international
trends, with as many as 50 pilots
being hired by Rex to fly its 737
fleet, a positive outcome for
experienced aviators struggling
with the downturn: “This is a huge
opportunity for people who’ve
been suffering badly through the
pandemic. By our launch date on
March 1, we will have recruited
and trained 50 pilots and 100 flight
attendants, the vast majority of
whom were made redundant by
Virgin and Qantas.”
With its first jet services linking
Brisbane is poised to
join the trunk network
soon, bolstering Rex’s
'golden triangle' operation
Expect to see more
Rex-liveried jets plying
trunk routes across
Australia in the future
Australia’s two largest cities
operational from March 1, the airline
is due to add Brisbane into the mix
by Easter this year. The firm intends
to initially build up its jet fleet to six
examples, but it does have one eye set
on future expansion opportunities.
“Rex will wait to see how our
immediate expansion into the ‘golden
triangle’ succeeds. If it is successful,
which we believe it will be, there is
every intention to spread to Adelaide
and Perth and possibly Canberra,”
Sharp said.
He further said the airline could
also contemplate “servicing some of
the bigger regional centres, such as
Cairns and Townsville. New Zealand
is also something we will consider
down the track.”
Remembering its roots
Although much of the focus is
currently on the airline’s expansion
within metropolitan markets, Rex
remains committed to its more rural
customers.
In fact, one of its motivations for
entering the big city markets is
to offer connectivity to smaller
population centres. Regional
customers can now book a flight
from Wagga Wagga to Melbourne on
a single website and they can transfer
at a major hub without having to
worry about baggage and check-in.
Looking ahead, connecting Rex
passengers are due to enjoy enhanced
facilities. The airline expects to
unveil various enhancements later
in the year, including a relocated and
expanded Sydney lounge and the
significant expansion of the existing
Melbourne facilities. Additionally,
Brisbane will see its first Rex lounge
built, enabling dedicated premium
access for passengers at all three
‘golden triangle’ airports.
According to Sharp, the various
developments, coupled with the
airline’s expanding route map and
growing 737 fleet means that, by
the end of 2021, Rex expects to have
added 400 staff to the company, a
valuable contribution to the nation’s
post-COVID-19 economic recovery:
“Rex’s domestic plan isn’t just good
news for consumers, it’s a lifeline for
workers who’ve been desperate to get
back into the aviation industry.”
After the devastation experienced
across the sector in 2020, Rex’s 2021
expansion plans are certainly
something to celebrate.
www.key.aero 27
 E , tions
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Madame Airbus
With a career spanning more than 35 years, Barbara Kracht – Airbus’ former VP of media
relations – experienced first-hand the impressive growth of the pan-European airframer.
Here, she tells Thomas Haynes about her time working for what is
now one of the biggest names in the business

T
here are few people OPPOSITE • Barbara
who have witnessed the Kracht worked for Airbus
as VP media relations
meteoric rise of Airbus at a for more than 35 years
closer range than Barbara ALL IMAGES VIA AIRBUS
Kracht. From an obscure UNLESS STATED
start-up in the 1970s all the way
through to joining its US rival Boeing,
the former vice-president of media
relations at the pan-European firm RIGHT • Kracht was one of the
has seen it all. company’s early employees
and daughter of Felix
She recalled: “I started working Kracht, an Airbus founder
for Airbus in the 70s; during the
very early days of Airbus on what
was called public relations at the
time and switched very quickly to
media relations. I was lucky enough
to basically live through the whole
BELOW • The media guru
growth development of the company.
was present for the
“I even witnessed the very first flight first flight of the Airbus
of the A300 [before] retiring around A300 on October 28, 1972

30 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

eight years ago when Airbus had
been established as one of the two
big aircraft manufacturers – it was a
fantastic period.”
So early to the company was Kracht
that she happened to be among
the first of Airbus Industrie’s direct
employees. She explained that many
people in the initial years of the
airframer were hired via partner
companies, such as Aerospatiale, MBB
and Hawker Siddeley, and not by the
consortium itself.
“In my case, I was hired directly
by Airbus Industrie and I was the
seventh employee back in 1974 when
Airbus moved from Paris to Toulouse,”
Kracht said.
Aviation was an acquired taste
for Kracht. She explained that as
a student she didn’t like aircraft,
journalists or classical music, “but
I ended up being in love with and
working with all three of these”.
She added: “What really changed
was the opportunity of seeing the
aircraft and participating in the first
air show where Airbus was present
in 1973 at Le Bourget, and then
participating on the demo flights
where they needed someone with
language skills, which I had. I enjoyed
the atmosphere and fell in love with
the aircraft and the business.”
Barbara is the daughter of Felix
Kracht, who was one of the
five ‘founding fathers’ of the
pan-European giant which was

“I enjoyed the
atmosphere and fell in
love with the aircraft
and the business...”

www.key.aero 31
 with the tri and quadjet status quo.
This innovation combined with the
relatively unknown name of the
company contributed to its difficulties
in shifting airframes beyond the
partner nations in the early years.
Kracht said there was a sense in the
industry at the time that Europeans
were not capable of producing an
aircraft that was good enough to be
used by major international carriers.
A breakthrough came in 1979 when
– following a six-month trial of the
aircraft – US carrier Eastern Air Lines
became the first North American
customer for the type, placing an
order for the widebody.
Kracht commented: “That really was
something at the time because there
was a lot of doubt about whether we
would be able to continue.
“I remember Frank Borman [then
chairman and CEO of Eastern] and
his team conducting a survey to ask
people about whether they thought
the A300 had been built in the US
or Europe. The response was, ‘No,
no, it must have been made in
America; Europeans are not able to
build the aircraft’.”

Opening the market

The former Airbus executive said she
and others in the company thought
the order from Eastern would be the
key to opening the US market, but in
fact, it gave the stamp of approval to
established in Toulouse on December ABOVE • The A340 was “This is totally different now – back more European and Asian carriers.
18, 1970. Alongside Franz Josef produced for 20 years then, we were what today you would The pick-up in American orders
between 1991 and
Strauss, Henri Ziegler, Bernard call a start-up. In the beginning there eventually occurred and Kracht
2011, during which
Lathière and Roger Béteille, Felix time nearly 400 were built were 300 to 400 people in Toulouse, described the deal with Pan Am as a
Kracht helped the company focus everybody knew everyone and there “really great achievement, which help
on eliminating duplication of tasks were Germans, French, Brits, a couple establish Airbus on the world market”.
TOP • Following the success
and incorporating international of the A300/310, Airbus
of Spaniards, and everybody was Another notable moment for Kracht
collaboration into the airframer’s developed its widebody there in the same boat trying to keep was the launch of the narrowbody
manufacturing processes. offering even further by this alive. Basically, it was a fight to A320 variant: “This aircraft really
“He was in charge of setting up the adding the A330 and A340 establish the aircraft on the market, it showed the world that the Europeans
industrial organisation, which broadly was fantastic,” she said. were here to make it work and to
prevails to this day,” Barbara recalled. BELOW • The A380 is The European manufacturer’s continue to work together… it was
The fledgling company that the the largest commercial first aircraft was the A300, which a fantastic gain and, of course, it
passenger aircraft in the
industry veteran had joined in 1974 is eventually went on to revolutionise was very successful with all the
world. It was designed to
miles apart from the global aviation rival the Boeing 747 in the the widebody market through its developments and improvements
giant of today. very large aircraft market use of only two engines compared which have been introduced after
“It was totally different, for two
reasons. Firstly, the organisation
was completely unique as it was not
an integrated company throughout.
Airbus Industrie, as it was called at
the time, was a grouping of economic
interests (GIE). We had on one side the
partners…who were the shareholders
and they also decided who had the
money. On the other side, these very
same partners were subcontractors to
Airbus Industrie because they were
doing the work.
“This meant Airbus Industrie was
in between and we had no power
to impose anything on them. Roger
Béteille, really the father of Airbus,
said that the only power we had was
the power of persuasion. On the other
side, when people are convinced, they
are much more motivated, so this was
the way Airbus was run.

32 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

new technologies have come up.
Essentially, it showed that Airbus was
there to develop a complete family of
aircraft and that is very important for
the customers,” she declared.
Kracht’s position as VP of media
relations placed her in a privileged
position to be able to be present
for the majority of the firm’s
demonstration flights and tours. But
which one was the most memorable?
“There were many... it was during
the initial type demonstration flights
when we were basically all alone with
no support, the engineering team
was onboard the aircraft for the demo
flights because there was no aircraft
in service, it was like a flying circus.
We were self-sufficient wherever we
arrived, doing everything ourselves.
“Another memorable flight was
the first demo on the A340 which
involved flying very long distance
from Singapore to Paris non-stop
– before, you always had to make
an intermediate stop somewhere
in the Gulf when you were coming
from Asia. I also had the opportunity
during demonstration flights when
the technical publications’ pilot
journalists were testing the aircraft
to experience manoeuvres you never
Airbus' current product
line now spans five
separate aircraft families
including the A220,
A320, A330, A350 and A380
Roger Béteille (left),
pictured with Frank Borman
(middle) the chairman
and CEO of Eastern Air
Lines. The carrier's 1978
order for A300s was
pivotal in the eventual
success of the manufacturer
see when you are a passenger. That
was fantastic and I learned a lot
being in the cockpit, it was a great
atmosphere,” she said.
During her career of more than 35
years at Airbus, Kracht met thousands
of people, but who were the most
memorable?
“Well, first I would mention Roger
Béteille. He was a very introverted
and shy person; in meetings he
would hardly say anything. But then
he would speak with a very low tone
and low voice, say a few words and
everybody would listen. He would say
it all in a few words.
“Another person was Fabrice Brégier,
who was the Airbus COO in the
2000s; he was also a very similar
personality and I was extremely
impressed by him. Otherwise
externally, Frank Borman – again, a
similar personality to Béteille. Tony
Fernandes [founder of AirAsia] also
has a very remarkable personality.”
With five different aircraft product
lines, the question of which one
Kracht favours to fly on as a passenger
remains. Deciding is a tough task
though: “They are all are like children
to me,” she said jovially.
“I haven't flown on the A350 yet,
regrettably, and it depends very
much on what the airlines make out
of them and how they end up
configuring the airplanes. I'm looking
forward to flying on the A350 one
day though.”
www.key.aero 33
Asia-Pacific
The restarting line
Gordon Smith joined a roundtable discussion with Subhas Menon, director general of the
Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) to learn how the region’s carriers can bounce back
from the challenges of 2020

F
irst in, first out – or so the
old adage goes. Lockdowns
due to COVID-19, and
associated air travel
restrictions were originally
imposed in and around China in
January 2020, before spreading
across the wider Asia-Pacific region.
By March most of Europe and Africa
had followed suit with the Americas
not far behind.
Fast-forward to February 2021 and
much of the aviation sector remains
in a state of seemingly indefinite
paralysis, with renewed restrictions
on passenger travel, even within
areas which were the first to batten
down the hatches. April adventures
to Angkor Wat or June sojourns to
Japan continue to look rather unlikely
for the vast majority of inbound
international travellers.
While no-one is expecting a
magical rebound in fortunes for
An All Nippon Airways
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
takes off from Tokyo/Haneda
airport on January 29, 2021
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/
AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
airlines, there are growing calls
for a roadmap out of the current
restrictions to allow the industry to
restart safely and sustainably.
Among those leading the discussion
is the Association of Asia Pacific
Airlines (AAPA) – a Kuala
Lumpur-based trade body for
scheduled international carriers
in the region. Speaking at a virtual
roundtable event in February
attended by Airliner World, Subhas

34 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

Menon, the AAPA’s director
general, emphasised that a
patchy recovery isn’t in anyone’s
interest: “Everyone is pinning
their hopes on the vaccine and
mass immunisation, but no
one is safe until everyone is
safe. Unfortunately, this is not
the approach that is taken by
many [authorities], as the road to
immunisation is a story of ‘the
haves and the have-nots’.
”It seems that while the developed
world will be done and dusted by
the end of the year, developing
and emerging nations are on
a very long and slow road to
achieve the same result.
“Economic recovery cannot
hinge on progress within the
developed world.”
Before the crisis, the region’s
airlines carried 1.6 billion
passengers and 23 million
tonnes of cargo, representing
more than one-third of global
traffic. Preliminary results
for the 2020 calendar year
published by the AAPA in
January underlined the
collapse of international
airline operations. The 69
million passengers carried by
Asia-Pacific carriers in 2020
represented 18% of volumes in
2019, an annual decline not seen
in the history of commercial
aviation in the region. Offered
seat capacity was just 26% of the
levels recorded in 2019, while the
international passenger load factor
averaged at just 61%.
Last summer, many airline
executives suggested 2022-23 as
a likely timescale for the global
aviation sector to recover to
pre-pandemic operations.
Route to recovery
Menon said that despite
momentum building towards the
end of 2020, recent mutations of
the virus had delayed progress:
“The international air travel
market was beginning to show
signs of recovery up to November
2020, but with the resurgence
of the virus we saw everything
coming to a standstill by
December. In January things
took a further turn for the worse
and forward bookings are not
looking very healthy for both
domestic and international
aviation. A full rebound
to 2019-levels depends
on [the progress of] the
About the interviewee
Subhas Menon was appointed the director general of the Association
immunisation programme, of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) in March 2020. He has more than 35
and we expect this to happen years’ experience in international aviation with the Singapore Airlines
in 2024. I think the industry Group, having served in a range of senior roles including international
will move from the current and government relations, marketing, product development and
vicious circle to a virtuous logistics. Prior to joining the AAPA, Menon’s most recent positions
cycle and it will be even safer, at the firm were as regional vice-president for Europe for Singapore
more sustainable and ultimately Airlines and chief executive of SilkAir – the group’s since-closed
regional subsidiary. He is a graduate of the National University of
– after what we have gone
Singapore, with a degree in sociology.
through – future-proofed.”
www.key.aero 35
 With 2024 still feeling very far away
and many options already exhausted,
attention has turned to governments
and local bodies to establish what,
if anything, they can do to ease the
strain and expedite the recovery.
“At the moment, some of the issues
we were confronting last year in
terms of inconsistent and incoherent
application of border measures and
protocols are still a major issue for
us,” Menon said. “How do we get the
governments to talk to each other and
harmonise all these things?
“The world is trying to get ahead of
the virus and, as a result, the travel
and tourism sector is the lowest
priority for governments – I suppose
we are a victim of circumstance.
There are more important things for
governments to focus their attention
on, so it is a price we have had to pay.”
Despite the recognition that
governments are stretched, Menon
argues that proactive measures are
needed now to ensure there is a
meaningful air transport sector still
operating by the end of the crisis:
“The cash crunch is universal in the
industry. I don’t think there is any
airline out there who can say they’re
not facing it by now. Liquidity is an
Flag carriers such
as Malaysia Airlines
were already facing
challenges prior to the
pandemic AIRBUS
Many regional carriers are
exposed to the downturn in
international tourism ATR
issue for everyone. My message to that many national administrations
governments is that this is no time had already offered to airlines to help
to pick winners and losers, this navigate the worst of the crisis and
is the time to support your entire warned that carriers themselves must
industry because air travel is such also make some tough decisions:
an important part of our lives. The “Airlines have turned to governments
connectivity that the world has and their shareholders to be able to
achieved over the years is a very survive the cash crunch. This has
significant development and we been going on for 12 months now
The crisis has led
shouldn’t cast away the gains that and we have to assume that since
to the demise of
the Cathay Dragon brand we have made.” they are still around, [this strategy]
CATHAY PACIFIC Menon acknowledged the support must be working. Governments have

36 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

been assisting in areas such as wage
subsidies and loan guarantees, which
helps too, but airlines also need to
do their thing, and this is where
restructuring comes in. They have
to ensure they have enough funds
to survive the crisis and also look at
their debt – some have been able to
recapitalise and others have had to
work with their lessors and through
the bankruptcy courts.
“There are others who are not so
fortunate to have governments with
big pockets, so they may have to
downsize to survive.
“I think the industry will definitely
be different when we come out of
this crisis – it is a restart situation.
We have to recalibrate, and the world
needs to come together and go back
to the basic principles of globalisation
and interconnectivity, which
bolstered air travel and propelled the
aviation industry to the situation we
were in in 2019.”
Menon was relaxed when asked by
Airliner World if the regional recovery
could be hindered by a wave of
Boeing 737 MAX aircraft entering the
market: “I don’t really foresee a big
Singapore Airlines
is one of the most
high-profile operators
of the Airbus A380-800
SINGAPORE AIRLINES
Carriers such as Taiwan's
Eva Air have experienced a
near-complete reduction in
transfer traffic BOEING
BELOW • Garuda Indonesia
has used its aircraft to
promote public health
messaging and the role
of aviation in distributing
essential supplies
ANTON RAHARJO/ANADOLU
AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES
flood of MAX jets coming on-stream
in the Asia-Pacific region. Many
aeronautical authorities are still
looking at certifying the narrowbody.
The United States and the Europeans
have already done so, but it is not
necessarily the case that the others
will do the same – they need to do
their own due-diligence.”
Pressed on whether he thought
the return to service of the MAX
would – or could – align with a
pick-up in passenger demand, the
director general said he expected
the beleaguered US airliner to make
only a modest impact on operations:
“[The reintroduction] will not happen
suddenly, but when recovery is on the
horizon, I think there will be a
gradual uptake of aircraft, but the risk
is not immediate.”
Freight focus
Even in normal times, Asia-Pacific
carriers account for more than a third
of global air cargo traffic with strong
networks and logistics expertise built
up over the years.
During the pandemic, the region’s
carriers have played a critical role
in transporting medical supplies
including personal protective
equipment, even though capacity
was restricted following wide-scale
grounding of passenger aircraft.
www.key.aero 37
 AAPA figures suggest that as global Philippine Airlines' that are participating in the rollout are Menon. Trying to break the gloom,
economic activity rebounded in the widebody fleet is those that have made the necessary the AAPA chief said that once
essential to the success of
latter half of last year, an increase in changes to their aircraft holds to be restrictions are relaxed, he expects
its overall operation
export orders grew with the rising AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ able to transport the vaccines. the appetite for flying to be strong:
demand for the speedy delivery of BASTIAN DING “Speedy delivery is another “When borders reopen, I think air
merchandise by air. consideration, tied up with the whole travel will return with a vengeance.
In December 2020, air cargo transport network [in a country] We don’t want this time-honoured
demand improved further in freight as well as storage at places such as industry to be defined by the
tonne kilometres (FTK), recording a airports. All these things need to be pandemic. We have to think
single digit year-on-year decline of in place before an airline is able to beyond COVID.
just 6.4%. For the 2020 calendar year, transfer the vaccines. Discussions “Pent-up demand will be there
international air cargo demand fell by are ongoing and every bit of capacity not just for leisure travel, but also
15.5%, while offered freight capacity available will be required,” said corporates. We’ve seen a surge in
tumbled by 24.4%. Despite this, the
average international freight load In 2019, Bangkok Airways
factor rose significantly, by seven welcomed new ATR 72-600
examples to its growing fleet
percentage points to 66.4%.
BANGKOK AIRWAYS
Menon observed: “Cargo is the silver
lining in the COVID cloud and, while
freight capacity is down
by double-digits because of the lack
of belly-hold space [on passenger
jets], the sector has actually done
pretty well with only a single-digit
decline compared to the previous
year. As a result, the supply is less
than the demand, which has meant
yields have increased, which provides
a welcome boost to the revenue of
many airlines.”
While many mainline legacy
carriers in the Asia-Pacific region
have stepped up to assist in the
distribution of vaccines, what about
nations that are more reliant on Demand for air cargo has
low-cost carrier operations, such as been robust during the crisis
CATHAY PACIFIC
Indonesia and the Philippines? These
firms typically operate turboprop or
narrowbody jet examples that have a
lower belly-hold capacity than
twin-aisle counterparts.
Could this create a bottleneck for
efficient vaccine distribution? “The
air travel industry stands ready to
play a vital role in the distribution of
vaccines, which hold the key for the
recovery of the air transport sector.
The vaccines typically require certain
aircraft hold capacity, including
temperature control, so the airlines

38 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021


bookings whenever the easing
of travel restrictions is initiated,
even fleetingly, as in the case of
the aborted Singapore-Hong Kong
travel bubble. But the inconsistent
and often complicated nature of
border restrictions will be a serious
impediment to recovery unless we
can offer a solution for travellers to
navigate and fulfil these requirements
conveniently. The industry is working
with various stakeholders to make
seamless air travel a reality again.”
Smarter solutions
This drive towards improving
the passenger experience while
enhancing the health and safety of
travellers is gaining traction across
Asia-Pacific and around the world.
Innovations that were already under
way pre-COVID, such as biometric
boarding and single-token journeys,
look likely to be supercharged by
the crisis, with a likely catalytic leap
forward in systems and processes.
“When you consider what’s needed
for a ‘beyond COVID-19 reality’, I
think you have to go back to the
basics. We believe four elements are
travel essentials in the 21st century:
a continued dedication to safety; a
commitment to environmental goals;
collaboration and consistency
within the aviation ecosystem
– including governments; and finally
a contactless and streamlined
travel process.”
Pressed on the details of this last
initiative, Menon revealed that work
was already taking place behind the
scenes: “We are looking at a smart
solution to facilitate contactless
and seamless air travel. It has to
be a holistic and integrated smart
app for traveller identification with
health status identification, as well
as a tool that offers access to border
control and authorisation. It has to
be digitalised in order to safeguard
the transmission of confidential
information. This can also be useful
Restrictions on
travel have impacted
major hubs including
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi
Airport NICOLAS ECONOMOU/
NURPHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
The AAPA forecasts that
traffic in the region will
return to pre-crisis levels by
2024 AIRBUS
for harmonisation of all the different
requirements that are necessary for
international air travel to resume.
I think it will build passenger
confidence if they have all of the
information and tools they need to
travel at their fingertips.”
Aviation outlook
Menon reaffirmed the need for all
aviation stakeholders to work together
to help achieve commonly held goals.
In an industry familiar with rivalry
and even the occasional feud, this
collective purpose is testament to the
severity of the current crisis.
“COVID-19 is not a competitive
differentiator,” he said. “It isn’t
particularly partial to a specific
business model – it affects all
industries and all airlines. The
fundamental question is, if there will
be a rationalisation of capacity and
operations once we are able to recover
from this crisis? My answer is yes, I
think so initially. We need to look at
how demand evolves. I think there
will be a lot of capacity in fleets that
are still grounded. It will take time
before air travel returns to the highs
we were used to until 2019.”
The AAPA chief said that despite
furloughed staff and grounded jets,
carriers were staying sharp ahead of
the recovery. By combining
safety-focused remote training,
inspection, audit and certification
applications, airlines are keeping their
airplane and crew resources ready
to restart operations while meeting
stringent regulatory requirements.
Asked if a patchy vaccine roll-out
could mean air travel in the region
lags behind international players,
Menon said: “I don’t think Asia will be
the last region to recover, logically it
should be the first to come out of this.
The aviation industry is resilient. I like
to compare it to a very good teabag
– the hotter the water, the stronger
the response.”
www.key.aero 39
Outback
and out of
SERVICE
Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage in Alice Springs is enjoying its moment in the sun. Opened in 2011,
it was the region's first purpose-built airliner parking and recycling facility and aims to offer a
more cost-effective storage solution than far-away alternatives.
Seth Jaworski viewed the fascinating facility from the air...

40 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

W
hile airline traffic
at most global
airports is a
fraction of what
it was 12 months
ago, one facility in Australia’s
outback is bucking the trend.
The wholesale downturn in
worldwide air travel has meant that
many carriers, including those
based in Asia-Pacific markets,
have fleets destined for storage.
Around the globe, only certain
regions with hot and dry climates
are suitable for long-term aircraft
parking as the conditions reduce
the rate of airframe corrosion and
it is a cheaper option than parking
jets at hub airports.
Enter Alice Springs
Located in the southern part of the
Northern Territory – known as the
‘red centre’ and roughly 800 miles
from either Darwin and Adelaide
in the country’s north and south,
respectively – Alice Springs has
an average annual humidity of
One of the reasons for opening
24% while each day typically a large storage facility at Airlines Airbus A380-800s, which
receives around ten sunshine Alice Springs was to offer arrived in quick succession and
hours during all seasons. airlines in the Asia-Pacific garnered much local media
region a flexible and cheaper
While aviation activity at the alternative to ferrying
attention. Joining the super
settlement has existed since the jets at a high expense to jumbos were a plethora of different
first half of the 20th century, it was other parts of the globe aircraft types from the likes of
not until 2011 that the Asia Pacific ALL IMAGES SETH JAWORSKI Cathay Pacific (and its now-closed
Aircraft Storage (APAS) facility Cathay Dragon subsidiary), Cebu
opened on the grounds of Alice Pacific, Fiji Airways and Scoot,
Springs Airport. APAS was the among others.
first purpose-built aircraft parking Not all aircraft were flown
and recycling complex in the directly into storage from their
Asia-Pacific region and occupies home bases, however. With
a 247-acre space on the edge
of the airfield, which allows for
unrestricted expansion.
The maiden airframe touched
down in 2014 and over the
following years, APAS handled
just a sprinkling of jets. However,
this all changed in March last year
with the onset of coronavirus. At
present, more than 100 airliners,
mainly from Asian carriers,
occupy the desert landscape of the
Northern Territory.
Some of the most notable
residents include seven Singapore
www.key.aero 41
 Some of the smallest
aircraft types at Alice
Springs include 78-seat
Pratt & Whitney Canada
PW127M-powered
ATR 72-600s belonging to
Philippines-based Cebu Pacific

42 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

Australia’s unique geographical
position some operators opted to
perform final passenger/freighter
rotations to the country’s major
gateways before the aircraft were
ferried to Alice Springs.
Looking ahead
Currently, expansion work is well
underway to create parking space for
an additional 150-200 aircraft. While
there will be some fluctuation in the
numbers over time as airlines recover
and begin to reintroduce services, the
final tally of airframes in long-term
storage is expected to settle to around
200 examples.
Out of the crisis, one positive
has emerged: nearly 100 jobs were
created. Many new roles have been
filled by engineers from airlines in
Australia (and its environs) who had
already been made redundant or were
on minimal work hours.
While the ongoing worldwide
uncertainty means that arrivals at
the facility will continue for the time
being, it’s hoped that these aircraft
will eventually depart Alice Springs
for good and return to service.
Photographer’s perspective
After many months of state border
closures and quarantine restrictions,
ABOVE• Figures from the
travel data and analytics
expert, Cirium, show the
Asia-Pacific region has had
the strongest recovery for
flight activity in comparison
to the rest of the world
TOP • This General Electric
GE90-powered Boeing
777-300ER of Cathay
Pacific, B-KPR (c/n 36163),
was originally stored
at its Hong Kong base
between June 30 and
October 12. The ten-year-
old widebody was ferried
to Australia’s Northern
Territory on October 13
LEFT • Joining this pair of
Singapore Airlines Airbus
A380-800s, 9V-SKW (c/n
251) and 9V-SKQ (c/n 079),
are five more examples:
9V-SKK (c/n 051), 9V-SKP
(c/n 076), 9V-SKT (c/n
092), 9V-SKY (c/n 253)
and 9V-SKZ (c/n 255)
I was finally able to take the three-hour
flight from Sydney to Alice Springs in
order to photograph the region’s first
aircraft ‘graveyard’.
Having not had the opportunity to
visit any of the US boneyards yet, this
would be the first time I would be able
to capture a storage facility.
The photography flight was operated
by Alice Springs Helicopters in a
Robinson R44. We were airborne
shortly after 5pm local time and flew a
series of circuits of the storage facility
at varying heights and distances to
photograph different angles. My aim
was to not only capture the variety of
aircraft and airlines, but importantly,
to show the wider Australian
environment of the outback.
As an aviation photographer it was
clearly exciting to shoot pictures of all
the aircraft on the red dirt. However,
what really struck me was the number
of lost aviation jobs that all those
aircraft represented.
No doubt many of the pilots and crew
that would normally be operating
these aircraft across the globe are
now facing unemployment or
indefinite periods of furlough.
www.key.aero 43
 Eastern OPANRT
E
More than 30 years on from the collapse of the
USSR, Keith Otto peers over Berlin Walls and
through Iron Curtains for a look back at the airlines
of the Eastern Bloc in this two-part feature

44 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

A
s the guns fell silent at
the end of World War
Two, Europe was sharply
divided. The free west
was on one side of the
Iron Curtain and on the other were
the states controlled by the Union
of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
The divisions were formalised by the
setting up of distinct organisations.
In the case of Eastern Europe, it was
the creation of the Council for Mutual
Economic Assistance (COMECON)
in 1949, a mutual aid and trading
bloc for like-minded socialist
nations. The founding members
were all the countries in Eastern
Europe under Soviet influence,
later joined by Cuba, Mongolia and
Vietnam. Communications and
travel were given a high priority,
and the members were encouraged
to create, or to revitalise national
carriers as appropriate. They were also
encouraged to purchase equipment
from the trading bloc, and that meant
Soviet-built airliners – Antonovs,
Ilyushins, Tupolevs and Yakovlevs.
Those aircraft were delivered to a
host of state-owned carriers from the
1950s onwards, including Aeroflot in
BELOW• A view of the USSR, Balkan Bulgarian Airlines,
Pulkovo Airport from its
TAROM serving Romania, MALÉV
former ATC tower in 1991
GERRY MANNING Hungarian Airlines, Czechoslovak
State Airlines (CSA), Interflug
representing East Germany and LOT
Polish Airlines.
For the following three decades
the Soviet industry seemed to
be more or less able to match
Western innovations – jet aircraft
were introduced with incremental
increases in range and passenger
numbers as technology advanced.
The first widebody, the Ilyushin
Il-86, entered service with Aeroflot
in 1980. Yet beneath the veneer, both
the Soviet aviation industry and the
airlines that relied on its products,
began to struggle to keep pace with
the West. Added to this was growing
political and social tensions
www.key.aero 45
throughout Eastern Europe, and by
the time the Berlin Wall came down
in November 1989, the whole system
was in the grip of seismic changes
and facing major new challenges.
The question that many financial
commentators in the West were
asking during the early 1990s was
which – if any – of the COMECON
airlines would survive in the new
‘Free Market’ world. On the face
of it their prospects did not look
encouraging. They operated fleets
of noisy, gas-guzzling Soviet-era
airliners, had bloated payrolls and
were renown for both poor service
standards and patchy safety records.
Except for Russia, their home markets
were small and fragmented with
networks geared towards links with
other socialist countries.
Western Airlines by comparison
had slick marketing departments,
were developing ‘frequent flyer’
programmes, introducing lounges for
business passengers, and operating
the latest fuel-efficient Airbuses and
Boeings. They were expanding their
operations rapidly in the late 1980s
– swallowing up weaker competitors,
widening networks with code-share
46 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
ABOVE• Initially reluctant agreements and starting to develop fleets of Western and Soviet-era
to accept the Ilyushin
the alliance groupings that are types, while restructuring route
Il-96 into its fleet in
preference to those of recognisable today, a trend towards networks, would be a difficult
Western-built types, globalisation. It was widely expected balancing act. However even before
Aeroflot operated the that the COMECON carriers would the fall of the Wall, the first tentative
second-generation Soviet
jet until March of 2014
either be marginalised or simply steps towards modernising their
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ disappear altogether. fleets had begun.
ARTYOM ANIKEEV On closer inspection, however,
the position was not quite so Western widebodies
straightforward. In the boardrooms of One of the first to make the switch
the COMECON operators there was a to Western airliners was LOT.
realisation during the 1980s that they The Polish carrier had suffered
could no longer rely on such two Ilyushin Il-62 crashes, the
Soviet-built types to meet the needs of second of which, in 1987, led to
a modern airline. The poor economics
of their Soviet-built fleets were
now compounded by increasingly
stringent noise regulations in the
West. One consideration that required
some thought, was how to finance the
BELOW• Soviet technology transition. Buying aircraft from the
was able to keep pace with
Western airliner offerings Soviets was paid for in ‘soft’ currency,
during the Cold War, and sometimes even through bartering
in the case of the Tupolev (tractors for Tupolevs!), buying from
Tu-114, exceeded it. At the West would be hard currency only.
the time of its entry into
service in April 1961, the Leasing was a short-term option, but
Tu-95-based design was in the longer term the airlines were
the largest and fastest going to need partners with deep
aircraft in production and
pockets, willing to invest and support
boasted a 5,900nm range
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ them in what would be a bumpy
ATI COLLECTION journey. Simultaneously operating
a temporary grounding of the fleet.
It needed a suitable aircraft for the
prestigious Warsaw-New York service
and, by April 1989, the first of an
initial order for a trio of Boeing
767-200s had arrived. MALÉV
by contrast had started its own
modernisation by concentrating on
its short-haul game, leasing three
737-200s from Guinness Peat Aviation
which arrived at the end of 1988.
The biggest surprise, however,
was East Germany. The German
Democratic Republic was among the
staunchest supporters of COMECON
and Interflug’s snubbing of the
Ilyushin Il-86 in favour of three
Airbus A310s was an unwelcome
shock for the USSR. The 1988-signed
deal was on condition that Lufthansa
carried out heavy maintenance on
the type at its Hamburg facility.
COMECON was formally dissolved
in 1991 and within 12 months, all
the Eastern Bloc carriers had either
placed orders, or were in negotiation,
with Western suppliers and leasing
companies. The Il-86 failed to make
an impression on the airlines of
Eastern Europe, whose heads had
already been turned westwards by
Airbus and Boeing.
Service standards in some cases
could be surprisingly good, even if
considered a bit old-fashioned; rather
reminiscent of a lost pre-war gentility
according to one travel expert.
MALÉV for instance was renowned
for the quality of its in-flight service
and catering way before 1989. Eating
and drinking were food for thought in
Czechoslovakia too, as CSA brought
in two French chefs to oversee the
upgrading of its catering building and
ensure that the company’s plane food
was anything but.
There were also significant
improvements in marketing;
advertising material was much slicker
than had previously been the case
and MALÉV, for example, had formed
a distinct marketing department in
1988 with a specific remit to target
the Western business market. One
complication in the drive to increase
ticket sales in the West was the
need to standardise or at least link
into Western computer reservation
systems. On the ground, new
terminal buildings at Warsaw and
Budapest enabled LOT and MALÉV
to offer lounges. As another incentive
to attract custom, business travellers
were offered free overnight stays.
It was viewed that the Hungarian
flag carrier was the most efficient
by any measure, and with its central
European position and positive
attitude to change, it offered the
brightest prospects in the region.
Aeroflot (1923-Present)
The largest airline in the world during
the 1980s, Aeroflot reputedly fielded
a fleet of 14,000 active aircraft. It was
hit hard by the break-up of the Soviet
Union in 1991, the creation of 15 new
states meant a plethora of new firms
– more than 300 – sprang up while
the old certainties once expressed
in the Soviet Five-Year plans quickly
disappeared. The international routes
were left, nearly all domestic services
were dropped and it was operating
“Service standards in some cases
could be surprisingly good, even
if considered a bit old-fashioned;
rather reminiscent of a lost
pre-war gentility”
with a fleet of around 100 airframes.
In 1992 it was renamed Aeroflot
Russia International Airlines (RIA) to
reflect its changed circumstances.
The Aeroflot of old and its ‘scowling
stewardesses’ had a reputation for
dreadful in-flight service, basic meals
and poor aircraft reliability. The
airline clearly had a long way to go
in terms of customer appeal. One of
its first actions was to lease in a fleet
of A310s and this was followed by
767-300s and 737-400s. The Russian
State reduced its holding in the
airline down to 51% initially through
employee ownership, but later
shares shifted to private and
institutional investors.
By the late 1990s, Aeroflot (RIA) was
operating an increasingly Western
fleet but was under considerable
political pressure to support the
domestic aviation industry. The
airline reluctantly took delivery of
Ilyushin Il-96-300s but turned its
nose up at the much-delayed Il-96T
freighter variant, opting for
BELOW• Only two airlines second-hand McDonnell Douglas
operated the Tupolev
Tu-104 – Aeroflot and DC-10-40Fs. Many of the senior
CSA Czech Airlines. The directors were government
Soviet Union found greater appointees, even relatives of
export success with later
then-President Boris Yeltsin, and
Tupolev designs such as
the Tu-134 and Tu-154 arguments over supporting domestic
GERRY MANNING industry spilled over into the
www.key.aero 47
boardroom. Political and economic
upheavals in Russia led to fluctuating
profitability throughout the 1990s and
2000s. Swings in fuel prices, fraud
investigations and difficulties in
obtaining credit did not help, nor did
the political and ownership battles.
Heavy taxes on Western-built
types led to complex leasing deals,
designed to keep new aircraft off the
Russian register.
Image remained a problem, and
a British consultancy was wheeled
in to try to improve the poor
perception of the airline in the West.
The winged hammer and sickle
was quietly dropped, a new livery
introduced with orange and blue
tones that also extended to the staff
uniforms – everything was designed
to reflect the new look. Cabin crew
went on customer service courses,
with new recruits selected based on
appearance, personality and language
skills – surly staff didn’t get a look in.
The hammer and sickle weren’t
gone for long, returning on the
48 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
ABOVE• Indecision
regarding how best to
standardise MALÉV Express'
fleet complicated the
airline’s financial issues.
Having initially acquired
Fokker 70s, it later opted
for Bombardier CRJ200s
before standardising on
the Dash 8-Q400 turboprop
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/EUROPIX
BELOW• Balkan, which was
exclusively operating Soviet
aircraft, had fallen well
behind its contemporaries
by November 1989 when the
Berlin Wall came down
RICHARD VANDERVORD
basis that it was an integral part of
its heritage. However, despite the
distraction of regular rebranding
exercises, there had been an
underlying improvement in the
product, the airline’s image and in
its customer ratings. The turnaround
was recognised internationally
when Aeroflot joined the SkyTeam
alliance in 2006. The carrier
was strengthened in 2011 by the
consolidation of government
holdings in other airlines, including
taking ownership of Rossiya. It was
decided to operate a joint
Airbus-Boeing fleet, with A320
Family jets rubbing shoulders with
737s on short-haul sectors. Similarly,
777-300ERs would ply long-haul links
alongside A330s and A350s. The last
Soviet-era aircraft, a trio of Il-96s, left
at the end of March 2014.
contemporaries. It boasted an
Balkan Bulgarian Airlines all-Soviet built fleet that had an
(1968-2002) average age of 17 years, largely
On the collapse of the communist comprising earlier Tupolev Tu-154
regimes in late 1989, Balkan was variants and ageing Tu-134s. The new
lagging Bulgarian President drew up plans to
well modernise the airline and move to an
behind its all-Western-built fleet.
Hungarian, Polish Three 737-500s were brought in
and East German on lease from Ansett Worldwide
Aviation Services from 1990, and
these went on to serve the airline
until 2001. Attention then turned

to the long-haul offering, and for
that purpose two 767-200ERs were
leased from Air France. These were
primarily intended to serve the Sofia
to New York (via Malta) route, and
several destinations in the Far East.
The final piece of the jigsaw involved
a lease agreement for four A320s to
strengthen operations to Europe, the
Middle East and North Africa.
However, the situation started to
unravel very quickly. With the airline
taking delivery of three new types in
quick succession, maintenance and
training resources were stretched to
the limit. Compounding the carrier’s
problems, serious miscalculations
began to emerge.
The long-haul operations were
hopelessly unprofitable, low yields
and high leasing costs meant that
even if the aircraft flew at capacity,
they were making a loss – it was
estimated that every flight to New
York cost Balkan around US$40,000.
The fixed lease agreements on the
ABOVE• The winged hammer
and sickle's departure from
Aeroflot's corporate identity
was short-lived, returning
as part of this livery,
although it was only applied
to Boeing 737s and 777s
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/EUROPIX
A320 fleet proved to be equally
expensive and the four jets were
returned to lessor ORIX Aviation a
year early. Worse still, the Bulgarian
economy was in sharp decline – costs
had risen dramatically and demand
for flights plummeted. During the
communist era, the airline had a
significant domestic operation,
principally from Sofia to the Black Sea
cities of Varna and Bourgas, but by
the mid-1990s these had shrivelled
to almost nothing. Charter and
European international services were
also showing declining load factors,
significantly affecting many once
profitable routes. The result was that
by 1996 the scale of the losses was
such that they cast serious doubt over
the firm’s long-term viability.
Privatisation had been touted as
a solution to the carrier’s problems
from the mid-1990s and a potential
saviour appeared in 1999. An Israeli
consortium comprising Arkia
Israeli Airlines and the Zeeki Group,
took control of 75% of the airline.
However, almost immediately
after the deal had been done, Arkia
pulled out leaving the Zeeki group
without the necessary cash to turn
the company around. A pilots strike
soon followed, alleging that some
contractual obligations had not been
met. Changes were pushed through
including the retirement of the last
of the Tu-154Bs and several 737-300
were brought in on lease, but these
improvements were insufficient to
change the gloomy outlook.
The airline cancelled services
in February 2001 and with
administrators appointed, limited
operations recommenced in April.
However, despite all efforts to find
a solution, the cash-starved carrier
could not be profitably operated,
and was forced into liquidation in
November 2002.
A new airline, Bulgaria Air was
formed the same month.
www.key.aero 49
TAROM (1954-Present) ABOVE• MALÉV Hungarian
Airlines ceased operations
The Romanian national carrier was on February 3, 2012.
one of the Soviet aircraft industry’s Following this, many of the
earliest customers and, by the 1980s, carrier's aircraft were ferried
from its Budapest base to
it was operating a range of Russian Shannon, Ireland for storage
types. However, both the airline and AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
the country took a rather different TREVOR MULKERRINS
path from its COMECON neighbours.
An order was placed in the late 1960s
for six BAC One-Eleven 400s to join
TAROM (Transporturile Aeriene
Române) and its sister airline Liniile
Aeriene Române (LAR), which was
supplemented by a series of further
orders including larger 500 series
variants. More remarkably, an
agreement was signed in 1979 for
ROMBAC to build One-Elevens at
Bucharest/Băneasa, with a view to
supplying the country’s domestic
needs and meet export orders from
developing countries. From 1974
TAROM received the first of six
Boeing 707s to support the carrier’s
long-haul and charter ambitions,
operating the Washington state-built
quad jets alongside Ilyushin Il-62s.
Regime change occurred in late
December 1989 when Nicolae
Ceausescu was overthrown in the TOP• TAROM celebrated its
Romanian Revolution – the only 60th anniversary in 2014
violent confrontation of its kind by updating the titles on its
Boeing 737-700 retrojet,
to occur in Eastern Europe in this
YR-BGG (c/n 28442). Last
period. TAROM was suddenly free March the carrier revised
to build its own network, dropping the markings on the jet's
unprofitable routes, and to right vertical stabiliser to
read 'Happy 60 Years'
size the key routes with modern MARTIN NEEDHAM

50 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

aircraft. A major renewal programme
followed, with the ageing Boeings
being replaced with a trio of A310s for
long-haul operations. ATR 42s were
brought in for the regional routes,
later supplemented by a pair of ATR
72s. For the European and Middle
Eastern connections, 737s were
ordered in different variants, together
with four A318s – an unusual choice
as TAROM was one of a handful of
airlines to purchase the type and the
only customer to have no previous
experience of A320 Family operations.
Despite all the changes, losses were
starting to mount rapidly from the late
1990s and the load factors on long-
haul routes looked poor. The last of
these links – to Chicago, New York
and Beijing – was withdrawn in 2003
and despite hopes of at least restarting
the latter, TAROM has yet to make a
return to intercontinental services.
Competition from budget carriers at
its Bucharest/Henri Coandă hub has
proved relentless, with significant
operations from Ryanair, Wizz and
Blue Air. With Romania joining
the European Union (EU) in 2007,
there had been discussions about
privatisation, or at least a partial sale
of equity, but the airline remains
under state control. TAROM was
admitted to full membership of
the SkyTeam Alliance in 2010 and
celebrated its 60th birthday in 2014
with a special livery on one of its
737-700s, YR-BGG (c/n 28442).
It has an outstanding order for
five 737 MAX 8s, but losses were
continuing to mount and, in February
2020, the EU approved the Romanian
government to intervene, handing its
flag carrier a €36m bail-out.
MALÉV Hungarian Airlines
(1946-2012)
The 1980s had proved to be a great
decade for MALÉV – consistently
profitable, an improving reputation
BELOW• MALÉV deployed on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and
Boeing 767s on long-haul a distribution and yield management
routes to New York, system that was the most advanced of
Toronto, Beijing and
Bangkok, however these the Eastern Bloc airlines. The carrier
were abandoned in 2008 was further buoyed by significant
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/TT improvements to the infrastructure at
its Budapest/Ferihegy hub, including
a new terminal building and runway.
MALÉV accepted its last Tupolev
Tu-154B in September 1988 and hot
on its heels were the first of seven
leased 737-200s. The Western-built
narrowbodies arrived to strengthen
the carrier’s European network and
to showcase the airline’s increasingly
Western credentials.
The Hungarian heavyweight was
“Despite all the changes, [TAROM’s]
losses were starting to mount
rapidly from the late 1990s and the
load factors on long-haul
routes looked poor”
www.key.aero 51
keen to break into the
long-haul market and believed
there was significant demand for
connections to North America. To
this end, two 767-200ERs joined
the fleet in 1993, and New York and
Toronto rotations soon followed.
These would later be supplemented
with a pair of larger -300ER variants,
while the route network also grew to
include Bangkok and Beijing.
MALÉV also operated a fleet of
Tupolev Tu-134s which were nearing
the end of their useful lives by the
early 1990s. These were supplemented
for a short period by Yak-40s before
seven Fokker 70s were leased in from
1995. However, this rapid expansion
was severely denting the carrier’s
bottom line and it began searching
for a strategic partner. Alitalia took a
35% stake in 1994 along with several
other investors. With problems of
its own, the Italian flag carrier soon
sold back its share to the Hungarian
government. A series of tenders were
opened to encourage prospective
owners to come forward, but various
proposed deals fell through until
April 2007 when AirBridge Zrt, with
strong links to Russian airline alliance
AiRUnion, took control.
The carrier’s last Tupolev left the
fleet in March 2001 and an order for
18 Next Generation 737s was placed
later that year. Bombardier CRJ200s
bolstered the Fokker 70s on shorter
European routes from 2002 however,
regional arm MALÉV Express later
standardised on the Bombardier
Q400 turboprop. The events of
September 11, 2001 had hit Hungarian
long-haul operations hard and a
52 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
ABOVE• MALÉV Hungarian
Airlines had been considered
to be best placed to thrive
following the fall of the
Berlin Wall thanks to its
consistent profitability,
its speed in adopting
Western-built types and the
modern terminal at its hub
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
WOLFGANG MENDORF
BELOW• Romania was
unique among Eastern
Bloc countries as it had
not only acquired Western
aircraft, but had secured
licences that enabled it to
build BAC One-Elevens
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
KEITH BLINCOW
significant drop in transatlantic travel
prompted the 767s to be returned to
the lessor. Adding insult to injury, the
formation of Wizz Air Hungary in
2004 put pressure on short-haul links
and losses continued on all fronts.
One glimmer of hope was MALÉV’s
acceptance into the oneworld
alliance in April 2007 – the same
month the carrier was privatised.
Despite a major restructuring
and significant redundancies, it
proved to be a false dawn and losses
continued unabated, causing the
holding company financial problems,
and shares in Airbridge passed to
Vnesheconombank. The possibility
of MALÉV coming under Aeroflot’s
control by virtue of a Russian
state-owned bank taking a minority
stake was enough to prompt
the Hungarian government to
renationalise in February 2010.
AirBridge’s holding in the airline was
reduced to just 5%.
Hungary had joined the EU in 2004,
and the government subsidies
handed to MALÉV came under
scrutiny from the commission. In
January 2012, the EU ruled that the
amount of state aid handed to the
firm since 2007 was illegal and the
carrier was instructed to return the
equivalent of US$171m to the state.
Already in a weakened position,
MALÉV could no longer fund its own
operations and, ironically, called on its
government for subsidies. None were
forthcoming and the company
collapsed with estimated debts of
more than US$270m.
Keith Otto turns his attention to LOT
Polish Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines and
Albanian Airlines in the second instalment
of this article, scheduled to appear in the
May issue of Airliner World
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Xian MA60
Modern Ark, classic design
Improving on the tried, tested and trusted doesn’t come without trials and tribulations,
as many well-known brands have discovered (New Coke, anyone?). With that in mind,
Daniel Johnston travels to Laos to sample Xian’s take on a Soviet stalwart

T
he Lao People’s
Democratic Republic
(LPDR) is among the
lesser explored countries
in Southeast Asia. One
of the region’s three communist
states and its only land-locked
nation, its primary gateway is Wattay
International Airport on the outskirts
of the capital, Vientiane. Here foreign
firms compete with Lao Airlines
– the country’s flag carrier.
Domestic connections are contested
with Lao Skyway. The regional carrier
began rotary-wing operations in 2002
before offering scheduled services in
December 2003 with a leased Cessna
208 Grand Caravan.
It has since expanded to offer fixed
and rotary wing scheduled, charter,
cargo, medical and scenic flight
services on a variety of aircraft types,
while it also owns two hotels – in
Vientiane and Phonsavan – complete
with company branding. As of 2020,
it operates a hub and spoke network
connecting seven destinations across
the LPDR with its capital city. The
links are plied by a pair of Cessna
Grand Caravans, a trio of Let L-410
Turbolets on lease from AirTec South
Africa and three Xian MA60 Modern
Arks, a licence-built derivative of the
Antonov An-24 (NATO reporting
name: Coke).
Keen to fly on the Chinese
Lao Skyway put its maiden
Xian MA60 into service in
2014 and now fields three of
the Pratt & Whitney Canada
PW127J-powered Modern Ark
ALL AUTHOR UNLESS STATED
second-generation, licence-built
Antonov An-24, I made a reservation
on Lao Skyway’s website for a
one-way flight between Vientiane
and Luang Prabang – the country’s
fourth-largest city, halfway between
the capital and Lao’s border with
China to the north.
Bangkok departure
I arrived in Laos in March 2020 with
the coronavirus crisis making its
presence felt at terminals across the
world. Just 41 passengers – myself
included – were on board the Airbus
A320 connection from Bangkok,
despite its numbers having been
boosted by travellers transferred

www.key.aero 57
from a cancelled Bangkok Airways
flight. Wattay Airport was similarly
quiet, with most waiting in the
modest departure lounge for a heavily
delayed Lao Airlines A320. A call was
made around 20 minutes ahead of
our scheduled departure time for
flight LK264 to Luang Prabang, and a
member of staff wielding an umbrella
to provide shade from the harsh
sunlight led us out on the ramp.
Two thirds of Lao Skyway’s MA60
fleet bookended a Lao Airlines ATR
72 and a company L-410. There was
a brief panic from several passengers
fearing that our group might be piled
on to the turbolet, but this subsided
as we continued past the Czech-built,
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-powered
commuter and toward the second
MA60. Three more MA60s and an Lao Airlines operates a Caravans, wears a livery with some find themselves in a surprisingly
quartet of Airbus A320s,
example of the type’s predecessor, similarities to that applied to Yamal spacious cabin, with a galley ahead
including RDPL-34188 (c/n
the Xian Y-7, belonging to the Lao 4596), which was delivered Airlines’ Sukhoi Superjets. and a modern toilet to the right. A
People’s Army Air Force could be to the Southeast Asian The Chinese-built turboprop has storage compartment is located on
seen in storage on the opposite side of carrier in October 2011 one main passenger door, on the port the opposite side of the lavatory
the runway. side of the aft fuselage. Entering the to the passenger door, where the
Our transport for the journey north aircraft is made easier by means of fuselage tapers up to the tail. This
was a 2013-built MA60, RDPL-34226 a detachable metal stepladder that tends to be used for ground support
(c/n 0801). It, along with the other hooks into the airframe. Ducking and maintenance essentials, but also
two MA60s and the pair of Grand through the low doorway passengers doubles up as an additional area for

Lao Skyway fleet A turboprop trio on the

Reg'n Type C/n Notes Vientiane ramp comprising
a Lao Skyway Let L-410
RDPL-34149 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan 208B1159
Turbolet and Xian MA60 as
RDPL-34160 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan 208B2006 well as a Lao Airlines ATR 72
HS-SAB Dornier Do 228-200 8007 Possibly withdrawn from use SIMON DERUDDER
HS-SAE Dornier Do 228-200 8124 Possibly withdrawn from use
ZS-ATK Let L-410UVP-E Turbolet 62637 Leased from Airtec South Africa
ZS-ATN Let L-410UVP-E Turbolet 72639 Leased from Airtec South Africa
ZS-DIH Let L-410UVP-E Turbolet 82630 Leased from Airtec South Africa
RDPL-34171 Xian MA60 507 ex Lao Airlines
RDPL-34226 Xian MA60 801
RDPL-34262 Xian MA60 802
Transferred from Lao People's
RDPL-34252 Xian MA600 907
Army Air Force

58 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

stowing baggage. Boarding is via ladder
that hooks into the bottom
Turning left, the cabin’s fresh, of the passenger door
modern interior seats 56 passengers
in a 2-2 configuration. While there
are overhead lockers, the primary
baggage hold is located behind the
flight deck in a similar fashion to
those found on ATRs; however it is
accessed externally through a hatch
on the starboard side.

Getting airborne
With bags up front and a quiet
passenger load mostly seated towards
the back for balance, the tail stand can
be detached along with the steps. The
rear passenger door is barely closed
when we hear the starboard Pratt &
Whitney Canada PW127J engine burst
into life. We push back five minutes
ahead of schedule. excursion on landing at Vientiane in nine days earlier. A Thai Airways
Safety briefings are given in Laotian November 2015. While there were no A330-300, HS-TEU (c/n 1090), collided
and English, with the passengers’ injuries, the starboard main landing with Gulfstream IVSP, M-YWAY (c/n
attention drawn to the two exit gear collapsed, and the aircraft was 1486), damaging the widebody’s
windows just ahead of the leading nursed back to full strength before outermost port leading-edge slat and
edge of the wing, the main door and being returned to service. shearing the business jet’s tail. The
a rear service door in the galley in BELOW • A member of staff
My window seat in the rear of the empennage had almost been severed
case we need to evacuate. It wouldn’t leads passengers to the cabin afforded views of numerous and the starboard horizontal stabiliser
be the first time for this particular MA60 on foot, despite the other parked aircraft, among them was resting on the tarmac at 90° to
turboprop; it suffered a runway distance from the terminal two that had made headlines just its usual configuration. While the

www.key.aero 59
Thai twin-aisle was towed into Lao
Airlines’ hangar for attention, the
Gulfstream was written off – just two
months after receiving a fresh coat of
paint and a brand-new interior.
Spot the difference
It’s a short taxi to Runway 31 at
Vientiane and, with a light load and a
45-minute flight ahead of it, the MA60
took off smoothly and sedately. With
a shallow climb and flap retraction,
views of the lush vegetation and the
Mekong river, which forms the
Laos-Thailand border, quickly
disappear into the haze. In-flight
catering is the same for all passengers
on this link: water and a packet of
locally produced butter cookies.
60 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
Lao Skyway's trio of MA60s
are configured with a
one-class, 56-seat cabin
ABOVE RIGHT • In-flight
catering on the domestic
link consisted of a drink of
water and some cookies
A Lao Skyway MA60
is framed against the
mountains surrounding
Luang Prabang on
turnaround at the
northern Laos gateway
It's interesting to compare the
differences between the MA60 and
its grandfather, the Antonov An-24.
Externally the only major clue is
the Modern Ark’s black composite
propellers, while internally it's easier
to spot the changes. Those who have
flown in an An-24 will be familiar
with their round convex windows
and the thin curtains that barely
cover them. The red leather seats in
the Chinese-built derivative are far
superior to those in most Soviet-era
aircraft, which are prone to folding
forward at a gentle push owing to
their cargo-friendly credentials. To
compound matters, they often have
so little padding that your kidneys are
assaulted by the knees of a tall person
sitting behind you.
The distinctive drone of two
Ivchenko AI-24 powerplants is also
missing as the MA60 is equipped
with a pair of PW127Js matched to
Hamilton Sundstrand composite
propellers – similar to those that
power the ATR 42 and 72.
The Modern Ark is a
second-generation licence-built
variant of the An-24. From 1959, the
Ukrainian-designed and developed
44-seater was produced for a period
of 20 years. During this time it formed
the basis of the An-26 freighter,
the An-30 aerial cartography and
reconnaissance platform and the hot
and high-optimised, Progress
AI-20-powered An-32. In all, 1,285
examples were manufactured,
making it the most produced
twin-turboprop at the time.

Chinese takeaway
While China had acquired
Soviet-built examples, it was also keen
to create an aviation industry of its
own and secured licences to build the
Oleg Antonov-designed type as the
Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation
Y-7 in 1966. The prototype first
flew on December 25, 1970 but a
combination of engine performance
and airworthiness issues prompted by
the swap to the indigenous Dongan
WJ-5 turboprop, were compounded
by Chairman Mao Tse Tung’s Cultural
Revolution, and certification was only
issued in 1984. ABOVE • The domestic carrier
originally began operations
The aircraft was technologically with an all-rotary wing fleet,
obsolete and a partnership with which included this Mil Mi-17
Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/PHOMMA
Company (HAECO) was struck in
a bid to reclaim some lost ground.
Among the improvements made
were updated avionics, which
reduced the head count on the flight
deck from five to three, while the
cabin was reconfigured to seat 52. A
weather radar was also added. The ABOVE LEFT • Lao People's
major external difference was the remain in production. avionics were also sourced, which Democatic Republic flag
carrier Lao Airlines also
installation of short, stubby winglets. The Y-7-100 series slowly evolved this time reduced the cockpit operated the Xian MA60,
The end result was called the Y-7-100 into a Westernised 200 series, with crew to a duo, while the fuselage but it has transferred all
and has formed the basis of all Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127Cs was stretched to accommodate 60 but one of its examples
future Y-7 variants, including an and Hamilton Standard four-bladed passengers. Despite numerous efforts to the Lao People's Army
Air Force; the other
An-26-inspired freighter – called the composite propellers replacing to increase the type’s appeal, just now flies for Lao Skyway
Y-7H – which is understood to still the Dongan powerplants. Western 103 were built. The overwhelming GERRY MANNING

www.key.aero 61
majority served with Chinese carriers out the turboprop from their fleets. A Fiji Airways ATR 72 replaced the Turboprops from Lao Airlines
and branches of the country’s The worst incident involved a Chinese-built turboprop on Real and Lao Skyway share
the Luang Prabang apron
military. However some examples Merpati Nusantara example which Tonga’s domestic routes.
found work in Laos, Cambodia, crashed into the Banda Sea on
Equatorial Guinea and Mauritania. approach to Utarom Airport in West Back on board
Papua, Indonesia, in May 2011 and From a cruising altitude of 14,000ft
Modern Ark resulted in the loss of all 25 on board. passengers cannot see much of the
Still determined to improve This incident subsequently ground below, the high temperatures
international sales, Xi'an launched prompted the New Zealand and humidity levels making visibility
the Modern Ark 60 (MA60) in the late government to warn tourists of rather poor. This quickly changes on
1990s. Based on the stretched the MA60’s safety record and halt the short descent into Luang Prabang.
Y-7-200 model, it featured an even tourism aid to Tonga after the Pacific The city is also located alongside the
greater emphasis on Western nation had accepted an MA60 and a Mekong, which has carved a small
technology than its predecessor to Harbin Y-12 as gifts from the Chinese valley between a range of hills and
attract foreign airlines. The MA60 Government in 2013. The aircraft, mountains. Such a location makes
featured an engine and APU upgrade placed with state-owned airline the area picturesque and ideal for
as well as Rockwell Collins avionics. Real Tonga, has subsequently been tourism, with waterfalls, caves and Flaps are set to 30° on final
Externally, those HAECO-introduced grounded, releasing NZ$10m in aid. temples. However, the landscape is approach for Luang Prabang
stubby little winglets disappeared.
The MA60 had mustered 26 orders
from six domestic carriers following
its maiden flight on February 25, 2000
but it would take a further five years
for international interest to result
in a commitment – Air Zimbabwe
agreeing to purchase two in 2005.
In the decade and a half since,
airlines and governments from
20 other countries have accepted
MA60s and its operations have
spanned South America, Africa, the
Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.
Despite this, the manufacturer has
pursued neither US Federal Aviation
Administration nor European Union
Aviation Safety Agency certification.
While the Modern Ark’s export
sales have certainly eclipsed its
predecessors, the type’s operational
record has been plagued by 14
incidents – the majority of which
have occurred on landing and
prompted questions regarding the
MA60’s nosewheel steering and
hydraulic and braking systems. As a
result, several operators have phased

62 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

less well suited to aviation. Most of the
peaks are not cause for concern, but
on descent it is easy to spot the tops
of a few steep, towering mountains
emerging from the mist below.
Our aircraft overflies the airport,
before making a series of turns,
avoiding some peaks while using
another as a visual reference point to
turn and lining us up with the valley
and the runway straight ahead. As
the landing gear extends, the flaps
move to their landing configuration
and passengers are afforded a clear
view of the city, farmland and a very
muddy-coloured Mekong River. With
few cars or people around, Luang
Prabang doesn’t appear to be as busy
as its status as the nation’s fourth

The next generation

biggest city suggests. Its airport has a
single 8,200ft long runway, sufficient
for international services operated
by Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s and
more than enough for a turboprop to
land. With a smooth touchdown and
the lightest of braking, the aircraft
comfortably vacates the runway at the
midpoint taxiway.
On stand and with the powerplants
shut down, the doors are quickly
opened and the precarious steps
deployed for us to disembark. As in
Vientiane, the aircraft is parked some
distance away from the terminal
and there is no bus available. The
long stroll in the hot, sunny weather
provides an opportunity to capture
pictures of other aircraft on the ramp.
My MA60 adventure was over after a
very short 44 minutes in the air, but it
was a special experience to fly in an
aircraft which, if not a commercial
success, still offers good comfort, low
noise and modern facilities in a
fuselage that traces its lineage back to
a 1950s Soviet design.
The Lao People's Army Air
Force is unique outside
China as it has operated the
Xian Y-7, MA60 and MA600
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/TEK
Lao Skyway's fleet has been supplemented been upgraded to Rockwell Collins' Pro Line
by the arrival of an MA600, RDPL-34252 (c/n 21 system.
0907). Transferred from the Lao People’s Army Despite hopes that the MA600 would prove
Air Force, this example is an improved variant popular with existing MA60 operators around
of the MA60 built in 2011 which spent six years the world, it is thought that only five examples
as a VIP transport with its one previous owner. have been produced to date. The governments
The MA600 is best described as a of Benin and Laos are understood to be
Chinese-built, fourth-generation An-24. It uses the only export customers. It is likely that
the same airframe as its predecessor, with the Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation’s focus
only physical differences being the relocation has shifted from the MA600 to the MA700
of the passenger door to the fore starboard – a cleansheet design currently under
fuselage and the inclusion of integral stairs, development. The first prototype, understood
while the freight door is now at the rear. to be used in static tests, was rolled out in
There have been modest improvements in March 2020 and a maiden flying example is
both thrust and range, while the avionics have expected to take to the air in 2022.
Xian Aircraft Industrial
Corporation has continued
to develop the MA60.
An updated version, the
MA600 made its first flight
in October 2008, but it
is understood that less
than ten examples of the
improved variant have been
built despite reports of
orders for more than 300
GERRY MANNING

www.key.aero 63
Scotland
the
brave
Since Flybe’s collapse, Loganair is now
officially the UK’s largest regional
carrier. Thomas Haynes spoke to
Jonathan Hinkles, the airline’s
chief executive, to find out how
the firm hopes to buck the
trends created by those
that have come before

64 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

I
f you were monitoring flight
tracking websites during the
UK’s first wave of COVID-19 in
March last year, you may have
noticed there was one airline in
particular flying significantly more
than others.
While carriers such as easyJet
grounded entire sections of their
fleet and others including Ryanair
and British Airways significantly
scaled back operations, Loganair
approached the situation differently.
“We’ve had to continue flying right
the way through... if you look at
what we do, we’ve got a lot of things
that simply can’t stop. We fly five
aircraft for Royal Mail and that’s been
incredibly busy [in fact we’ve] added
extra flights because people have
been doing a lot of mail ordering,”
explained Hinkles, from his home in
Surrey. “We also have the lifeline air
services out to the Scottish islands
and to and from the Isle of Man where
there is a lot of travel.”
The company has also been
maintaining its public service
obligation (PSO) route commitments
and has continued to fulfil contract
work for customers.
Summarising his feeling towards
this level of activity, the Loganair
chief executive joked: “This time last
After previously being
the airline's commercial
director and chief operating
officer, Jonathan Hinkles
was appointed as chief
executive in June 2016
ALL IMAGES LOGANAIR
UNLESS STATED
year, if you’d said to me that we’d
be flying daily services to Heathrow
and operating Embraers to Riga and
Gdańsk I’d have looked at you and
said ‘what?’.”
The flying in Eastern Europe reflects
a lack of scheduled services in the
region which essential workers in the
marine industry need to get to work.
This is just one example where the
Scottish carrier has managed to pick
up additional revenue, even during
the pandemic.
Hinkles said Loganair would
typically be operating between
200 and 250 sectors per day before
COVID-19 and has regularly been
www.key.aero 65
The operator took delivery completing more than 100 each day
of its first 48-seat ATR since the beginning of the pandemic.
42 in January last year
Such activity levels have put Loganair
at the top of the busiest airlines list at
times, according to data collected by
the Civil Aviation Authority.
Flybe fallout
On March 5, 2020, Exeter-based
regional carrier Flybe collapsed
into administration and ceased all
operations. The firm – which had
been publicly struggling for months
– blamed its difficulties on the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Within a matter of hours, Loganair
announced it would take on up to
16 routes formerly operated by the
defunct carrier in a bid to maintain
The carrier holds a fleet essential air connectivity. The
of 17 Embraer E145 Scottish operator was widely praised
jets including three of
the short E135 variant for the speed at which it stepped in,
MARTIN NEEDHAM but how did it act so quickly?
66 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
“We had a plan sitting in the
background which we had done a
year earlier to assess what would be
of interest to Loganair,” he revealed.
“We set a fairly clear test for ourselves
which said that anything that we did
would have to involve no new aircraft
types and no new bases which would
keep our operations simple by using
the infrastructure we already had to
deliver more services.”
The airline chief disclosed that
the strategy was the culmination
of about six weeks of planning and
analysis which involved putting Flybe
routes into three categories. The first
involved connections that the former
carrier flew which were of interest to
Loganair, the second included routes
that the Scottish operator thought
were good but would be more suitable
for other airlines. The third included
routes, “which Flybe frankly shouldn’t
have been flying in the first place.”
Since March last year, the number
of former route relaunches has
fluctuated because of the ongoing
pandemic but Hinkles estimated that
they are now at a higher level than
the initial 16 announced following the
carrier’s collapse.
“We’ve also picked up routes like
Manchester to Newquay which
we start at the end of March and
looking at it, this summer we’ll have
routes from [the Cornish town] to
Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Newcastle and onward to Aberdeen.
We’ll actually be the biggest single
operator at Newquay this summer
which again is a little bit of a
surprise,” Hinkles commented.
“It’s a meaningful level of coverage
across the UK but we are cautious,
and we see people going off and
doing things like flights from
Southampton to France – good luck
to them, that isn’t our business, and
we don’t see it becoming our business
and if people can make those
opportunities work for them then all
the very best.”
Fleet focus
Loganair’s 43-strong roster
comprises seven different aircraft
types, which for an airline of this
size is unusual. The most popular is
the Embraer ERJ145, of which the
operator holds 17 examples including
four of the smaller ERJ135 variant.
Turboprops also comprise a large
part of the carrier’s fleet as it operates
four ATR 42s, three ATR 72s and 12
Saab 340s. Its special mission aircraft
– which include two Britten-Norman
BN-2 Islanders and sole examples
of the de Havilland Canada DHC-6
Twin Otter and Viking Air DHC-6
Series 400 – are used on connections
between the Orkney Isles and from
Glasgow to Barra and Campbeltown,
respectively. In April of last year, one
Twin Otter was converted to accept
Epishuttle isolation pods enabling it
to be used as an air ambulance during
the pandemic.
“[Our fleet] evolved over time
and we’ve been doing quite a bit of
work to try and simplify it,” Hinkles
explained. “The biggest single plank
of that was the introduction of the
ATRs at the beginning of last year.
That really allowed us the replace
the Saab 2000s… and then start the
replacement plan for our Saab 340s
as well.”
The Dornier 328s, which the carrier
acquired following the purchase of
Suckling Airways in 2012, have now
all been retired. Loganair still owns
two examples which are available for
sale and are presently under a care
and maintenance programme.
Within two to three years,
Hinkles said Loganair’s fleet will
comprise ATR 42/72s, both variants of
the ERJ145 and the special
mission aircraft.
The firm's Dornier 328s
– which were a legacy
of Loganair's acquisition
of Suckling Airways in
2012 – have all now
been retired from service
The company has begun
the retirement process
for its 12-strong fleet of
Saab 340s which are
all around 30 years old
“We don’t see a position where
Loganair will ever be able to reduce
below four aircraft types in our fleet
because the missions we have with
the Twin Otters and Islanders mean
that they’ll hopefully always be there,
albeit perhaps with different types of
propulsion over time,” he explained.
“There’s a lot still to take a view on
between now and two- or
three-years’ time to be able to
definitively say that’s where we’ll be,
but that’s the direction in which we
are heading.”
The firm has already returned two
of its Saab 340s and a third will follow
shortly. Hinkles said the 34-seat
Swedish turboprop has “served us
incredibly well, particularly through
the Highlands and Islands with its
‘Landrover-esque’ qualities.
“We’ve seen now that we’re getting
The carrier's two into that place where the heavy
Britten-Norman BN-2 maintenance costs on those aircraft
Islanders are used for its
services in the Highlands have escalated pretty significantly
and Islands of Scotland to a level where, albeit operationally,
organisationally and from a technical
standpoint those aircraft can keep
flying for a long time yet, it’s the
economics of using them that starts
becoming the limiting factor.”
Taking on the title
Following Flybe’s collapse last
March, Loganair became the latest
in a long list of carriers to assume
the position of being the UK’s largest
regional airline. But this position does
not alter Hinkles’ plans.
“It doesn’t change the way that we
run our business; it doesn’t change
the focus that we need to have
and even though you may be the
largest UK regional airline, it’s still
no promise of infallibility as Flybe
found,” he commented. “I
don’t think it should in any way
detract from the way in which we
operate and take decisions.”
Looking to the future, the airline
chief said the carriers destined to
survive the COVID-19 crisis will
www.key.aero 67

have experienced 12 months or more
in “financial bootcamp” to ensure
their operations can endure the
conditions created by the pandemic.
“It’s something that we have very
strong support for from both our
shareholders and our bank which
we are eternally grateful for,” noted
Hinkles. “But I think there will be a
much more focused level of business
coming out of this and I think the
questions we still have are to what
level the market will recover.”
The Scottish carrier is primarily
concerned about when and to what
extent the business travel segment
will bounce back. Some of its
domestic and a large proportion of
its European routes are dependent
on this type of passenger. Hinkles
believes there are some businesses
that have fundamentally changed
how they operate: “They’ve managed
68 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
Following Flybe's collapse
on March 12, 2020,
Loganair became the
largest UK regional airline
a year without travelling so what Loganair converted
makes you think they’re going to two of its aircraft for
suddenly change back and start flying use as air ambulances
again in the way that they were? in support of the
Scottish Ambulance Service
“We think we know how we’ve got
to deal with that; we’ve almost got
to look at who are customers are on
each route… we can see that a portion
of the business travel demand is not
going to return to pre-COVID levels.”
The other trend Loganair has
identified is the increase in customer
tolerance of journey times for air
transport alternatives such as driving
or going by rail. Pre-coronavirus, if a
trip took less than four hours Hinkles
said passengers were more likely to
just go in the car, whereas now this
has risen to around six hours.
“The interesting question will be
whether those people will come back
again or those customers who have
got used to sitting in their own bubble
Loganair's two Twin
Otters operate the world-
famous links to the beach
airport of Barra in the
Outer Hebrides, Scotland
in a car will continue to do that for
that length of journey,” noted Hinkles.
“That’s the big unknown to us right
now, and that impacts routes like
Glasgow and Edinburgh to both East
Midlands and Birmingham. It means
we have to be cautious with the level
of capacity we put into the market.”
Looking ahead
In the last few years Loganair
has been granted at least 12 public
service obligation (PSO) routes, which
Hinkles said accounts for under 10%
of its overall business. The publicly
funded system is designed to ensure
connectivity when the market fails to
provide a level of air service.
“The vast majority of Loganair’s
route network is flown at our own
commercial risk. They are important
and relevant to us in terms of making
some things possible that otherwise
would not happen,” he explained.
When asked whether the scheme
should be expanded, Hinkles
explained: “It’s very hard to see where
there is a need for them… there is
no corner of the UK which is left
fundamentally unconnected as a
result of Flybe having failed.”
Instead, he put forward a different
type of PSO which the he believes
would work better. Looking at
Italy, Greece and Spain there are a
significant number of ‘open PSOs’
which involve airlines committing to
provide a service on a particular route,
but without a bid process because
they don’t receive any public money,
instead the carriers would obtain
in the UK’s case, air passenger duty
(APD) relief on that specific route.
Hinkles revealed he has put this
Last July, Loganair
announced a partnership
with Blue Islands,
which aims to increase
connectivity to the Channel
Islands. Hinkles said
deals with a further two
airlines are expected
to be unveiled this year
BOTTOM • While it
operates around 12
public service obligation
routes, Hinkles said these
represent under 10% of
Loganair's overall business
BELOW • After a two and a
half year absence, Loganair
announced a return to
Teesside International in
November, much to the
approval of Ben Houchen
(pictured), Tees Valley mayor
idea forward to government for
consideration. Meanwhile, the subject
of APD continues to be controversial
within the UK domestic market.
While Hinkles believes completely
scrapping the tax is unlikely, he
would like to see reforms including
removing double duty on domestic
return fares: “I think that’s the
biggest single change that the
government can make and while
international travel and tourism may
remain difficult for some time, if
the government are serious about
wanting people to stay at home and
have a great British summer, its tax
policy in terms of aviation needs a
bit of a rethink. It needs to end this
double APD on domestics which has
been really damaging to UK domestic
connectivity.”
While Loganair may have been
more active than most during the
pandemic, it has not been immune to
the difficulties created by the crisis.
Hinkles said his priority
has been making sure he can
support his employees: “It’s been no
easy task but the support from our
people throughout has been
absolutely fantastic so I very much
hope we can repay that with future
success as things start to recover
from here.”
www.key.aero 69
On the radar
70
Once a niche tool used by aviation enthusiasts, Flightradar24 has brought
planespotting to the masses. Tom Batchelor details how the world
now looks down at its mobile phone to look up at the skies
AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
W
hen Arsenal FC
midfielder Mesut Özil
departed London/
Luton for Istanbul
on January 17 to
complete his transfer to Turkish side
Fenerbahçe, more than a million
committed football fans used
Flightradar24 to watch him fly across
Europe. And when Russian opposition
leader Alexei Navalny flew from Berlin
to Moscow on the same day, almost
500,000 people logged on to track his
progress. Such is the fascination with
the thousands of aircraft movements
– most of them unremarkable with
only a select few being the focus of
global news events – that Flightradar24
has become a hugely popular resource
among not just planespotters but vast
numbers of people worldwide who
turn to the app for real-time aviation
information. At the last count, it had
more than 40 million downloads.
Before the pandemic, Flightradar24’s
network of Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B)
and Mode S receivers, helped by
government air traffic control and
other data sources, tracked an average
of around 180,000 flights daily, rising
to more than 200,000 per day during
Launched in 2006, the peak summer flying months of
Flightradar24 is now July and August. With COVID-19
used by up to two
million people each day having grounded many planes, the
FLIGHTRADAR24 app now averages 135,000 to 140,000
flights in a 24-hour period. On a
day when nothing extraordinary is
happening, the busiest time for the
online service is 11am GMT, when
around 120,000 users are logged onto
the app and site. In total, an average
of more than two million people use
Flightradar24 daily.
Half a million people following
the jet of a Russian politician might
sound extreme, but that figure
appears relatively modest compared
www.key.aero 71
with the 4.5 million who watched a
Boeing 787-8 drawing a self-portrait
over the US in 2017 – including two
million tracking the flight live and
many more via the app’s playback
feature. The brand-new jet, which was
undertaking an 18-hour endurance
flight, crossed 22 states with the nose
of the Dreamliner drawn over Boeing’s
Washington State home and its tail
abeam another of the manufacturer’s
sites in Huntsville, Alabama.
The Boeing 787 remains the most
viewed of all time. Second to that
event was a Turkish Airlines sortie
in April 2020, when one of the flag
carrier’s 777s took off from Esenboğa
Airport in Ankara and drew a star and
crescent, the emblems of the country’s
flag, in the skies to the south and east
of the capital. The jet operated as flight
TK1920 to celebrate 100 years since
the opening of the Turkish parliament,
with more than four million people
monitoring the flight, including 2.8
million in real time.
Other sorties that have attracted
72 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
ABOVE • Flightradar24 first
rose to prominence as air
travel was disrupted by
the eruption of Icelandic
volcano, Eyjafjallajökull
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/
BOAWORM
ABOVE RIGHT • Canada's
vast size and harsh
terrains means that
there isn't complete
coverage across the country
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
VINCENZO PACE
The company explored
using a Liquid Robotics
Wave Glider unmanned
surface vehicle to improve
coverage in the Norwegian
sea between Iceland and
Norway. The device was
christened Floatradar24
and launched in 2016
FLIGHTRADAR24
particular attention include Pope
Francis’ trip from Rome to Colombia
in 2017 (with 1.5 million watching),
the first of three Qantas Project Sunrise
test flights in 2019 from New York to
Sydney, which 800,000 people viewed
and, more recently, Joe Biden’s
journey from Delaware to Washington
DC the day before his inauguration as
US president in January 2020, which
saw more than 100,000 people
track his progress.
In 2019, Flightradar24 displayed
data from a total of 68,948,849
rotations – a new record – averaging
188,901 each day, a 10% increase on
2018. The busiest single day was July
25 when 230,409 flights were tracked.
In comparison, the fewest – 120,212
– were tracked on December 25.
Before the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic, Fridays were the most
active day of the week and August
the busiest month of the year. As
with 2019, each year’s low generally
occurred on December 25 with most
Christmas journeys having been
completed and many airlines largely
ceasing operations for the day.
How it works
Most of the aircraft on Flightradar24
are tracked by ADS-B. Data sent by an
aircraft is received by the site’s network
of more than 25,000 receivers and
displayed in real time. Additionally,
the site has also expanded into
space-based ADS-B, enabling
increased coverage in areas where a
terrestrial receiver isn’t feasible, such
as over the oceans. When an aircraft
suddenly goes missing, people often
turn to Flightradar24 for answers. In
most cases when a plane disappears
from the app, it is a result of the
network no longer receiving a signal,
something that is more common
when an aircraft is flying over a large
body of water or a desert. It can also
be a technical problem somewhere
and coverage in the same area can
differ depending on data source and
transponder type.
Ian Petchenik, Flightradar24’s
director of communications, told
Airliner World: “When tracking a
flight equipped only with a Mode S
transponder, [it] may exit our MLAT
[Multilateration, the process
of using the time difference of arrival
of radio signals from an aircraft to
ascertain the aircraft's position and
heading] coverage area for a period of
time. ADS-B flights may also exit
and re-enter coverage, but this is
less frequent.”
Blind spots
At cruising altitude, above 30,000ft,
the tracking service covers 100% of
Europe and the USA, and there is
good ADS-B coverage across much of
Latin America, the Middle East, Asia
and Australasia. In other parts of the
world, notably Africa, Russia, northern
Canada, and central Australia, it is
patchier. The company has previously
trialled an innovative sea-borne
receiver, but that is no longer active.
Some of its receivers are located in
the most remote areas of the world;
there is a handful in Antarctica
tracking research and resupply flights,
some are on the remote island of St
Helena in the middle of the South
Atlantic Ocean, and another is hosted
by a group working on environmental
issues close to the site of the Chernobyl
nuclear accident in Ukraine.
Flightradar24’s network relies to
a large extent on the 25,000-plus
receiver hosts around the world. These
are largely operated by volunteers, who
in exchange for hosting the equipment
receive a free business subscription
to the app worth US$500. Each week
the firm sends out dozens of complete
sets, including receiver, antenna, and
cables free to suitable hosts worldwide.
No external computer is needed but
recipients must ensure the antenna is
placed outside on a roof or mast with
an unobstructed view of the sky.
Hiding in plain sight
Despite efforts to expand coverage to
the most remote corners of the world,
some aircraft are deliberately hidden.
Flightradar24 rose to
prominence in 2014
following the disappearance
of Malaysia Airlines flight
MH370 on March 8 and
the shooting down of
MH17 four months later
MARTIN NEEDHAM
More than a million people
watched former Arsenal
FC midfielder Mesut Özil
fly on this Setair Dassault
Falcon 8X, TC-RMK (c/n
402) to join Turkish side
Fenerbahçe during January
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
MATTHIEU DOUHAIRE
July 25, 2019 in the
peak of the European
summer season, was
Flightradar24's busiest day
with 230,409 flights tracked
during the 24 hour period
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
MARKUS MAINKA
Operators of private or sensitive
examples may request their tracking
details be restricted or not displayed
– most often military aircraft, though
some including those being used
as transporters are visible. “We track
aircraft over international standard
frequencies and do not know the
identities of anyone on board the
aircraft, unless that information is also
publicly available,” Petchenik said.
Flights may appear but they don’t
look quite right – for example, a plane
that appears to be heading away from
its listed destination. “Sometimes
the computer matches the flight
incorrectly and sometimes it isn’t
matched at all,” the Flightradar24 team
explained. “A route can be matched
incorrectly for a few reasons, but
generally it is because the flight is
using the same call sign for a flight that
previously flew the listed route and we
have not received a schedule update for
the current flight.”
Recently, one of Emirates’ newly
delivered Airbus A380s, A6-EVM
(c/n 264), has been operating with a
miscoded Mode-S transponder. This
has led to the online service reporting
that one of Emirates Flight Training
Academy’s four-seat Cirrus SR22s has
been connecting Dubai/International
with destinations including
Manchester, London/Heathrow,
Paris/Charles de Gaulle, Guangzhou
and Moscow/Domodedovo.
Crash reporting
When a missing plane is believed
to have crashed, Flightradar24 can
also provide vital early clues about its
final moments. In 2015, the company
analysed satellite tracking data to
determine that the autopilot on the
Airbus A320 operating Germanwings
flight 4U9525 that crashed into the
French Alps had been switched to
descend to 100ft, its lowest possible
setting and well below the crash site
at about 6,000ft. French investigators
were quick to ask the tracking service
to share their data.
Flightradar24 has also provided
early data for several more air crash
investigations. When a Sriwijaya Air
www.key.aero 73
Boeing 737-500 crashed in Indonesia
in January 2021, Flightradar24 data
offered an initial indication that the
26-year-old jet had plunged 10,000ft
in less than 60 seconds. Similarly,
the circumstances surrounding
the crash near Tehran of Ukraine
International Airlines flight PS752 on
January 8, 2020 were pieced together
with help from information released
by Flightradar24. Flight path data
showing the horizontal and vertical
position of PS752 compared with 45
other departures from November
2019 to January 2020 provided a clear
depiction of the routine climb out of
the jet as the world raced to establish
what led to the Boeing 737-800
crashing shortly after take-off. Days
later, Iran’s military announced it had
unintentionally shot down the airliner.
“We assist accident investigators
wherever we can, especially where
ADS-B data is available, but the aircraft
is not equipped with a flight data
recorder,” Petchenik said. “ADS-B
data is often used as a starting point
and can provide useful data at the
beginning of an investigation, such as
the final position of the aircraft, before
the flight recorders are recovered.”
Sometimes data received is incorrect.
An aircraft’s ADS-B transponder
transmits the position from the
onboard computer, which in most
modern aircraft comes from GPS data
and is very accurate, the company
said. But on some older aircraft, the
location is calibrated before take-off
and position fixes generated after that
are based on the acceleration and
velocity of the aircraft. The accuracy
deteriorates, particularly when flying
in wind or in circles, which can lead to
incorrect positioning of up to 5nm.
ABOVE • The vast majority
of military aircraft do not
show up on Flightradar24
as their operators request
their fleets do not appear on
the site. The RAF's transport
fleet is an exception to
this, as users can track
Brize Norton-based brutes
such as the Lockheed
C-130J Hercules C4 and C5
MARTIN NEEDHAM
ABOVE RIGHT • Flightradar24
has become the first port
of call for journalists and
enthusiasts alike following
incidents such as the
erroneous shooting down of
Ukraine International Airlines
Boeing 737-800, UR-PSR
(c/n 38124), shortly after
take-off from Tehran/Imam
Khomeini on January 8, 2020
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
JAN SEVERIJNS
BELOW • Flight data is
accumulated by more than
25,000 receivers located
around the world. Among
those, there is a handful of
stations in Antarctica while
another is installed on the
roof of a building within the
Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
FLIGHTRADAR24
The company is also useful for
monitoring arrivals and departures
to and from specific airports, but for
smaller or more remote sites, that
information can be missing. The
tracking service uses data from several
sources including schedule and flight
status databases from airlines and
airports globally, comprising the most
regular and scheduled flights. Minor
commercial or charter airline data can
be unavailable; Flightradar24 said it
was continuously working to acquire
as much route data as possible.
The site has enhanced surface
movement data at major US airports
in recent years by tapping into
Airport Surface Detection System
– Model X (ASDE-X), which itself
relies on surface surveillance radar,
multilateration sensors, airport
surveillance radars, ADS-B sensors
and terminal automation systems to
supply information on where vehicles
are positioned around an airfield. The
addition of ASDE-X helps the site to
track flights at the start and end of their
journey where coverage has previously
been lacking. To gain insight into
global weather patterns, Flightradar24’s
weather layers can help forecast icing,
in-cloud turbulence and clear air
turbulence. Users can also track the
course of hurricanes and storms.
That Flightradar24 began 15 years
ago as a project between two Swedish
aviation enthusiasts to draw traffic to
their travel price comparison website, it
seems remarkable that the website has
since turned into the foremost primary
source of information in the hours
following a significant event involving
an aircraft. The website was pushed to
international prominence as European
and transatlantic air travel ground
to a halt following the Eyjafjallajökull
volcanic eruptions in 2010 and has
since become a staple for journalists
and the public in the aftermath of
incidents such as the disappearance
of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in
March 2014 and the downing of MH17
over Ukraine four months later.
The Stockholm-based company now
boasts more than 50 staff in Europe,
Australia and the US. New receivers
hosted by volunteers are regularly
added to its network. “Those dedicated
individuals make Flightradar24
possible,” said Petchenik. “We
encourage anyone who is interested in
hosting a receiver to apply.”

Not just enthusiasts

Flightradar24 offers a variety of data
products to commercial customers,
and airlines can include the firm's
tracking in their app or on their
website to show customers where their
aircraft is prior to their flight. Live and
historical data is also sold to some
of the largest aerospace companies
in the world – including aircraft
manufacturers, airlines, airports and
engine manufacturers – as well as
a variety of non-aviation specific
customers. Low-cost firm easyJet is
among the carriers said to have a deal
with Flightradar24 to provide tracking
information services for their flights.

74 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

 AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT IS COMPLIMENTARY* TO ALL QUALIFIED PERSONNEL
Management
DRONE THREATS
ADDRESSING DRONE THREATS
COLLABORATIVELY
U in the
nmanned aircraft are
increasingly populating
airspaces around the
globe, whether they
are being used for
recreational purposes,
operational applications or, in the future,
for home delivery. When they operate
in the vicinity of airports, they can pose
a threat to safety and security, often
forcing ATC and airport authorities to
suspend activities and divert flights
until the situation is resolved. Damage
caused by unmanned systems colliding
with airframes or being sucked into
engine intakes may result in sudden loss
of control or thrust. During take-off or
landing, when airplanes have limited
maneuverability due to their lower
airspeeds, a drone collision can have
tragic consequences.
Drone sightings around of airports
can be the result of unintentional
incursions, often caused by recreational
users lacking proper training or
misunderstanding airspace restrictions.
Such events can also be caused by
technical failures of the drone-pilot
datalinks. Certain UAS guidance systems
include automated failsafe return-
to-base protocols and geofencing,
preventing unintended incursions.
However, there is one scenario that
remains at the forefront of concerns:
rogue drones or non-co-operative
40 ISSUE 4 2020
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unmanned systems flying unregistered
and undeclared into regulated airspaces
around airports or close to sensitive
infrastructures. By default, such drones
would definitely seek to stay out of any
UTM system, with the intent to cause
disruptions and harm flight operations.  management initiative funded by the
Terrorist attacks or the Gatwick drone
incident have shown us that outdated
information, perceived as new, can lead
to errors in judgement that complicate
and prolong the joint response. There are
drone detection solutions available that
prevent mistakes caused by retention
of outdated information and help
organisations to reduce the time between
detection and resolution to a minimum.
The key is accurate information sharing
to support adequate decision-making.
Outdated information,
perceived as new,
can lead to errors
in judgement that
complicate matters
Thomas Terschlusen, 42 Solutions
and trusted magazine in either printed or digital format.
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Non-qualifying readers visit airinternational.com/atm or call to subscribe +44(0) 1780 480 404.
42 Solutions’ Sparrow system provides
threat mitigation to airfields increasingly
exposed to non-co-operative unmanned
aircraft activities. It was designed
using findings established during the
GAMMA project, a global ATM security
European Union. GAMMA stems from
the recognition that while the SESAR
initiative is effectively addressing some
security issues in new global ATM
scenarios, there is a need to extend
its scope to ensure a comprehensive
assessment of security threats and
vulnerabilities affecting the ATM
ecosystem. GAMMA adopts a holistic
approach to assess ATM security, using
a ‘system of systems’, inclusive of all
ATM assets and all forms of threats.
Solely addressing drone threats without
considering the ATM ecosystem as a
whole will be of limited efficacy.
Global incident management based
on agile collaboration between all
involved stakeholders is the key to
ensuring efficient threat mitigation.
To fulfill this need, Sparrow combines
all critical functions to present the
user with comprehensive situational
awareness aimed at facilitating
information-sharing, decision-making
and threat management. The system can
be connected to a variety of sensors of
different technologies (ie, electro-optical,
radar, RF). The system fuses sensor
airinternational.com/atm
ISSUE 4 2020
reports with other data such as UTM
and ATM information, with integrability, sensors. Sparrow collected, assessed
interoperability and scalability as key
drivers, so that it can also work within
existing ATM and UTM environments.  the sensors behaved. All sensors were
he NATO Communications and
The
Information Agency (NCIA) hosted a live
trial at the Joint Nucleus Counter-UAS w w Usingw . aani rintegrated
Test Center of the Ground Based Air
Defence Command in the Netherlands
-October 2, 2020.
from September 28-October
42 Solutions deployed its UAV threat
multiple sensor platforms. The system
mitigation solution and interfaced it with disseminated critical information to a
was configured with electro-optical and
RF sensors as well as doppler radars to
ensure maximised ed detection quality.
Sensor providers Rinicom, Robin Radar
and Rhode & Schwarz were associated
with the trials. The anti-UAS squad
from the Nordrhein Westfalen Police
in Germany also participated, bringing
valuable user experience.
he main goal of the trials was to
The
assess the detection capabilities of all
connected components, in particular
the ARTEMIS RF detector developed
by NCIA. Too compare the different
THE WAR IN THE SKIES OVER EUROPE
detection profiles and performances,
up was proposed
a technical trial set-up
by 42 Solutions, aimed at facilitating
a cloud-like network, in which all
sensors would share their data. The
interfaces of systems connected to
Sparrow were developed by 42 Solutions, multiple interoperable sub-systems,
who also integrated their record and
replay solution, Transcriber, allowing a
synchronised ed replay of all sensors either awareness that can be understood
simultaneously or individually.  and used by all parties. Standards and
he Joint Nucleus Counter-UAS Test
The
Center and NCIA staff developed several
AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
NEWK
LOO
Management
European
scenarios to test the capabilities of the
and classified the data, sharing it with
observers and allowing them to see how
visualised on one screen, the Sparrow C2
(Command & Control) position.
t r a f f ipan-tilt-zoom
cmanagement.net
camera control unit, the operator could
get visual confirmation of the detection/
Munich Airport CEO
classification from the sensor and
act accordingly. Next, the C2 system
Jost Lammers
mobile app used by the security forces
on recovery and
and to an ATM air situation display
display, 42
Solutions’ Merlin, providing everyone
growth
with up-to-date information.
During the trial, all sensor outputs were
recorded and the results made available
for further analysis (see visual below):
The war I
• The yellow dots represent the drone’s
flight log
• The red background shows that a
drone has been detected and has been
either classified by a sensor or the C2
threat assessment module
• The cone-shaped triangles show the
corresponding detection envelope
from the relevant RF sensor
• The labels show the information as
skies over
received from the sensors
One of the key aspects that came out
of all debriefings was the necessity to
have integrated solutions that combine
Europe
working in a collaborative way to
produce a comprehensive situational
interface definitions are crucial so that
the industry and the user community can plan to address these contingencies.
The EU and
NCIA trial visualisation of drone detections
ANSPs go
head to
head over
Sesar2+
Can ATM afford the post-COVID-19 recovery costs?
ISSUE 4 / 2020
SESAR 2+
Reforming the Single
DRONE THREATS
Covering the world’s most global industry since 1993
About...
THOMAS TERSCHLUSEN
Thomas is an independent business
development specialist and aerospace
enthusiast who supports 42 Solutions
with sales and business development
activities. As a private pilot, former air
traffic controller and air force officer,
Thomas served for numerous years
in the French Air Force and then held
ANSPs share their reactions to the European Commission’s proposals
various executive positions in business
development, key account and sales
management for companies ANSthat Czech Republic
fully understand why the Commission
provide both airborne and ground-based
CNS/ATM solutions. issued the new regulation package now,
at the dawn of a new period of ANSP
regulation. Even without having the
feedback
move in the same direction and design from the previous period
systems that ffit into a broader – the Commission never bothered to take
picture.  period: two years. Two years is the average
the outcome of the previous regulatory
Whether intentional or unintentional,
drone incursions will continue stepstointo account, even in the case of
cause
unanticipated disruptions if target-setting
they are – we all see that change is
not properly identified andnecessary.
dealt with.I fully agree with the implicit
Airports, ANSPs, security forces intention
and of the Commission not to
law enforcement agencies all pretend any
need to bemore that this is regulation
able to speak the same language of ANSPswhenonly. It is primarily about their with apparently no effect at all. Separate
it comes to detecting and resolving
capacity anand price-setting.
incident. With increasing demand What Ifor
really do not understand is
unmanned flights, the global ATM,
how the UTM
regulation is constructed and
and UAS community needsthat to work on Iacannot support. I probably
is what
contingencies
will not beatmthe first to state that the text For example, the decision to delegate
28 41
ISSUE 4 2020
ISSUE 4 2020
is complicated, full of ambiguities and service provision to subjects other than
uncertainties in its interpretation. Despite current ANSPs should always be in the
this, I would like to stress just a few points hands of the owner of the asset (airspace),
which are difficult to understand and have which is the State – with full respect to the
no visible positive impact. view of the Commission, of course.
The first is the length of the reference The third point is price-setting,
especially the separate unit rate for
lead time to set the targets, prepare the the upper airspace and modulation of
plans and approve them. The proposal charges. We all feel that the current
thus condemns ANSPs to instant and route-charging system is obsolete and
continuous performance planning and that it needs to be adapted to the needs
the regulators to instant and continuous of regulated monopoly services provided
evaluation. Nice job for many officials, but by commercial subjects. We have many
examples in current regulated monopoly
economic certification, which is also part of industries of how to set prices for the
this proposal, falls into a similar category. network and for service provision, all of
The delegated acts and implementation which work. I suggest we take inspiration
acts are also more frequent than necessary. from these industries and not replicate
the weaknesses of the current system.
There are certainly some aspects I can
support. Refraining from obligatory
grouping of ANSPs and States into
FABs is welcome. FABs have had many
positive and negative effects. If we
need to concentrate on the positive
The current SES2+ ones, we must have freedom of
choice and this part of SES2+ is
regulatory scheme
a step towards it. The focus of
regulation on capacity in the
is too prescriptive European context is something
I also appreciate.
In summary, the current
Jan Klas, CEO,
SES2 + regulatory scheme is too
ANS Czech Republic prescriptive; it deals to a great
extent with micromanagement
of ANSPs. And this is not the role of
the regulator of any industry. The new
regulatory scheme should focus on
ATM
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SESAR 2+
minimum levels of service provision and
on creating economic stimuli for ANSPs
to provide capacity at a reasonable price.
In other words, the regulator should
create the parameters of demand
for the services – safety, capacity The proposals are mainly
– and ANSPs should be paid for concerned with structural
delivering it to the maximum
changes and disconnect
desirable extent. Or to leave
the market to others. liability/responsibility from
decision-making power
BULATSA
B
Professor Klaus-Dieter Scheurle,
ULATSA welcomes the Single
CEO, DFS
European Sky initiative and the
goal to simplify the regulatory
framework. It supports the SES vision
and undertakes all necessary efforts
to contribute to its high-level goals, as
evidenced by the safe, quality and cost-
efficient services with a zero-delay policy benefits we should focus on sustainable DFS
A
provided after the Ukrainian crisis in 2014- fuels and technologies. ny change of the SES framework
2019, despite the significant traffic increase The new SES2+ developments should must have the aim of creating the
– a 60% increase in 2019 compared to 2013. not lead to extra financial burdens on prerequisites for achieving an
Bulgaria was the first territory to have ANSPs and airspace users. However, improved, interoperable European ATM
its revised performance plan approved the mandatory terminal services system for all airspace users in all phases
with the measures taken to provide the market opening, the new PRB funding of flight that meets an agreed safety level,
necessary capacity. through ANS charges and the additional is ecologically sustainable and which
In the current situation of the COVID-19 economic certification of ANSPs would enables an optimal economic operation,
pandemic, the company has continued to do this. A future single, EU-wide en route conforming to the requirements of
demonstrate its reliability, capacity and charge could devalue competitive and Europe’s business locations. Changes need
resilience to crises by providing safe and cost-efficient services. The new ATM to actually improve the status quo.
continuous service. Data Service provision may lead to the A functioning SES requires a framework
The revised SES2+ represents creation of monopolies and for the performance regulation
a dramatic shift from the distribution of businesses that recognises the different local
2013 vision. The lack among several requirements and creates incentives
of assessment of the leading providers, for the respective ANSPs to achieve
impact, risks, costs Lack of assessment of in contradiction their objectives. This certainly requires
and benefits makes the impact, risks, costs to the principles competent supervisory authorities.
it difficult to reach
and benefits make it hard of fair and loyal Nonetheless, the responsibility for
conclusions on the competition. performing the tasks assigned to them,
pros and cons. Some to reach conclusions on Data is a crucial and for achieving the objectives set by
of the assumptions the pros and cons part of ANS the competent supervisory authorities,
behind the new texts BULATSA provision and has still lies with the increasingly
belong to the pre-COVID implications relating entrepreneurial ANSPs.
times and are addressing to safety, security and At the same time, a Single European
pre-COVID problems and cybersecurity. In any case, Sky requires competent and co-operative
solutions. At the same time the market conditions in ANS should management of the European network
COVID-19 lessons learnt are missing. be introduced with great caution. in which the system partners in air
The expected environmental benefits
are also too optimistic. As an example,
Some of the new proposals, such as the
approval of strategic investment plans
transport (in particular, civil and
military airspace users, airports and
according to the NM, the route network by airspace users and elements of the ANSPs) work together to find the best
efficiency in 2019 has been 97.18%, while network functions, stray too much into operational solutions for optimising
in 2020, despite the dramatic traffic
downturn, it is so far 97.43%. ATM’s
the micromanagement of air navigation
services with questionable benefits,
the European airspace. In this context,
centralised and decentralised functions
contribution to emissions reduction while the responsibility remains with the must be combined in accordance with the
is very limited and many factors out States and the ANSPs. competence, responsibility and liability
of the ANSPs’ control need to be taken We believe that only a total system of the parties involved (ie, collaborative
into consideration, such as weather, approach, collaborative work and decision-making).
avoidance of conflict areas, operational decision-making – including input from Another important element for
constraints, airlines’ preferences, etc. all relevant stakeholders – is the way to improving the European network is
Therefore, for real environmental achieve the SES vision. to promote the co-operation of ANSPs
ISSUE 4 2020 29
055/21
09/02/2021 14:42:09
Splitting airs Keith Nuthall wades through the 1,200-page Brexit deal to help establish
what the divorce papers mean for the aviation industry

W
hile the UK’s exit note, barring COVID-19 restrictions than just a holiday, previous rights to
from the European unrelated to the UK’s departure from remain in EU countries indefinitely
Union (EU) the bloc. Such health-related flight are gone. Travel visas will be required
continues to bring restrictions are mandated by the deal by British travellers remaining in
change to civil and have already been invoked. the zone for more than 90 days
aviation across Europe, extensive Of critical importance to passengers in any 180-day period, with more
air industry provisions mean that is the fact that UK passport holders complex rules – as well as certain
significant disruption has so far been may need to queue in the non- exemptions – for business travellers.
avoided. Within the 1,256-page EU/ EU passport lanes at EU airports While there are few loopholes, long-
UK trade and co-operation agreement in future. For those planning more term Northern Ireland residents, who
settled on Christmas Eve 2020,
aviation has its own special 26-page European hubs such as
section within the deal (from page Amsterdam/Schiphol are
popular transit stops for
237) and there is also a 15-page
Brits flying further afield
annex that specifically covers SCHIPHOL AIRPORT
airworthiness certification.
This work has been recognised
by the International Air Transport
Association (IATA), which said the
agreement addressed the “significant
implications for aviation” associated
with Brexit and “settled most of
these issues.”
“Passengers should not notice
significant impediment to their
travel between the UK and EU after
December 31, 2020,” said an IATA

76 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021


can use a generally straightforward
pathway to obtain Irish passports
under joint-citizenship rules, should
be able to move swiftly through the
EU arrival lanes.
Following the deal, UK passengers
will also not be able to use their
European Health Insurance Card
(EHIC) once it expires, which in
the past enabled them to tap into
certain healthcare provisions when
visiting or living in an EU country.
A British alternative – known as a
UK Global Health Insurance Card
(GHIC) – is currently being rolled
out, but these do not offer the same
rights for Britons in non-EU Norway,
Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.
Moreover, denied boarding rights
enjoyed by Britons when they were
EU citizens have also disappeared,
as have the same rights of EU
passengers when in Britain. Instead,
the agreement simply says that the
EU and UK will ensure “if applicable,
compensation in case of denied
boarding, cancellation or delays,
and efficient complaint handling
procedures.” Consumer groups have
expressed concern about the relative
ambiguity of the statement compared
with the more rigid rules that were
previously in place.
Carrier conundrums
For airlines, the key benefit is that the
EU and UK have granted each other
the third and fourth ‘freedoms of the
air’ within the deal, which gives their
carriers rights to make preliminary
stops within each other’s territory
before arrival at a final destination.
However, airlines cannot take on
additional passengers and cargo
when making these intermediate
stops. Also, the agreement prevents
EU and UK airlines from making
scheduled passenger landings on
flights that ultimately terminate
outside the UK and the EU.
The agreement does, however, allow
member states to strike bilateral deals
with the UK in the future, permitting
such rights for cargo flights, but there
A UK border sign is no guarantee that this will ever
welcomes passengers
on arrival at Heathrow actually happen.
on December 31, 2020 Code-sharing and wet-leasing
BEN FATHERS/AFP VIA GETTY will also largely be able to continue,
IMAGES with UK and EU airlines able to
act as marketing carriers and be
leased to undertake flights that are
legally permitted within each other’s
territories. EU airlines wanting to
UK nationals wishing to wet-lease UK carriers and crew,
visit the EU for more than however, will have to demonstrate
90 days within an 180- the leasing is justified by “exceptional
day period now require
additional paperwork needs, seasonal capacity needs or
GATWICK AIRPORT operational difficulties of the
www.key.aero 77
lessee”. UK and EU airlines will also be
able to operate offices in airports on
each other’s territories and they can
conduct self-handling when in the EU
and UK.
Should airlines want to contract
external ground handlers, EU or UK
authorities cannot force firms to
choose a particular service or impose
terms on such contracts that are less
favourable than those offered to other
carriers serving their airports. Finally,
landing and take-off slots must
be allocated to UK and EU carriers
in a “transparent, effective, non-
discriminatory and timely manner”,
although there are no other detailed
rules within the agreement, as per the
EU slots regulation.
A fairly generous approach is
written into the agreement regarding
cargo services, with airlines from the
EU and UK able to operate in each
other’s territory to land air transport
services to and from all airports with The deal has resulted in clause within the agreement that investors would control a maximum
customs facilities. changes to how easily foresees these ownership rules being 49.5% of its shares for the time being,
some goods can be
One particular bone of contention moved across the region liberalised in future, noting that talks with some existing shareholders’
that is of real concern to carriers, COPENHAGEN AIRPORT can be held from January 2022 on voting rights being suspended.
notably Ryanair and easyJet, has been the topic. Both sides note within Ryanair has taken similar action,
the ownership rules written into the the deal that they “recognise the noting that shares owned by non-
agreement. Under the deal, UK and potential benefits of the continued EU nationals will become non-voting
EU airlines covered by its terms must liberalisation of ownership and shares until there “is no longer... any
be majority-owned and -controlled control of their respective air carriers”, risk to the airline licences held by the
by their own nationals and based in so further flexibility may yet emerge. company’s subsidiaries”.
their territory, although UK carriers Restrictions on where That is likely to find favour with many One benefit of the agreement that
may also be owned by citizens of the cargo flights can operate airlines. For example, easyJet has held will doubtless be enjoyed by many
are less rigid than
EU, Switzerland and the European an Austrian operating licence since British air travellers, including
those for scheduled
Economic Area (Iceland, Norway passenger services 2017 as it is keen to maintain partial the 48% of UK voters who wanted
and Liechtenstein). There is also a BUDAPEST AIRPORT EU ownership, saying that non-EU continued EU membership, is that

78 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

 Hungarian low-cost carrier
Wizz Air has launched a UK
subsidiary to help the firm
navigate the new rules
BUDAPEST AIRPORT
systems. This includes exchanging
flight data and co-ordinating traffic
flows. One constant will be the ATC
organisation EUROCONTROL, which
is not an EU agency and not only
provides technical advice to the EU
and its member states on common
ATM standards, but also to non-EU
European countries (now the UK).

duty-free sales will be restored for
flights between the EU and Great
Britain. These have not been available
since 1999 due to the establishment of
the EU single market.
As the UK is now outside the EU,
the government has authorised
large personal allowances of up to 42
litres of beer per person and up to 18
litres of wine, as well as four litres of
spirits or up to 4.5 litres of fortified
wine (such as port and sherry). All
of these can be brought into Britain
from the EU duty-free for personal
consumption (or gifts) only. The
allowance for spirits and fortified
wine can be split (say 50% of both
allowances being imported at the
Security sensitivities
Clauses on aviation security are,
perhaps unsurprisingly, more robust,
The Brexit deal also has with the UK and EU promising to
implications for the air
traffic control sector provide help, upon request, to combat
GATWICK AIRPORT threats, including hijacking and other
unlawful acts risking the well-being
(ATC). While some initiatives, such of passengers, crew, airports and air
as the functional air space blocks, navigation facilities.
have been slow to bear fruit, ATC As with so many elements of this
is addressed by the co-operation agreement, the UK will no longer be
and trade agreement. These clauses bound by EU legislation – in this case,
replace detailed legislation aimed at the EU aviation security regulations –
harmonising EU ATC practices as but there is more detail in this section.
regards EU/UK ATC relations, such Both sides have agreed to abide
as the four EU Single European Sky by International Civil Aviation
regulations. While this agreement Organization (ICAO) aviation
does not deliver anything like their security standards and conduct
comprehensive commitments, it quality passenger, crew and baggage
does commit EU and UK regulators screening, along with security
controls on cargo, mail, in-flight and
airport supplies, while effectively
The EU and UK have promised controlling access to airside and
to exchange information relating security-restricted areas within
to security threats, vulnerabilities the airport.

same time).
Sadly, for air passengers flying into
Northern Ireland from the EU, these
duty-free rights do not apply due to
the special Brexit protocol negotiated
between the UK and EU for the
province. It was designed to avoid
imposing a hard land border between
Northern Ireland and the Republic
of Ireland and means the province
will continue to follow EU single
market rules, which includes excise
duty controls.
Another important strand of EU
policy-making has been attempts
to unify European air traffic control
and risk
The EU and UK have promised to
exchange information relating to
security threats, vulnerabilities and
and air navigation service providers risk. Future discussions will agree
to co-operate in seeking safe and systems for transferring, using,
efficient ATC. There is also a pledge storing and disposing of classified
to “seek interoperability between information, while discussing and
each other’s service providers”, sharing best practices regarding the
although there are no enforceable performance and detection standards
detailed technical rules, given the of security equipment. The EU and
UK withdrawal from EU legislation. UK have also agreed to work together
Instead, there are pledges to optimise to stage security inspections of each
overall flight efficiency, reduce costs other’s aviation facilities.
and minimise the environmental Britain, the EU and member states
impacts of aviation, while boosting may block airliners from accessing
the safety and capacity of ATM each other’s territory if it thinks

www.key.aero 79
British nationals arriving these security promises have been
in the EU may have to breached. Under the agreement,
undergo more rigorous these decisions can be challenged
documentation and luggage
checks SCHIPHOL AIRPORT at an arbitration hearing. These
are staged according to complex
disputes resolution rules within title
six of the agreement, with special
urgent procedures able to be used for
aviation security issues. Ultimately,
if the UK or EU fail to comply with a
ruling, they can lose benefits arising
from the agreement, so there is an
incentive for compliance.

Luton-based easyJet Safety changes

has a significant As for aviation safety, the UK is no
presence within the EU
GÜNTER WICKER/FLUGHAFEN longer bound by EU laws on this issue
BERLIN BRANDENBURG and is no longer a participant within
the European Union Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA).
That said, as the UK Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA) has noted: “All
current substantive EU requirements
will be retained in UK domestic
regulation.” All EASA certificates,
approvals and licences in effect on
December 31, 2020, for use in the UK regulators think these standards have assessing planes and equipment for
aviation system and on UK-registered been breached, including following safety and environmental impact.
aircraft, will be recognised by the ramp inspections. The agreement says EASA and
CAA for up to two years. Looking ahead, the CAA will the CAA will work together,
The agreement itself says that undertake EASA duties for supplying information to
airworthiness and competency the UK, with this role written ease each other’s duties,
certificates and licences issued into a special title within barring commercially
by both parties will be mutually the agreement on aviation confidential data, with such
recognised when they follow ICAO’s safety that is separate work overseen by an EU/
Chicago Convention. Recognition from the main aviation UK Specialised Committee on
can be withdrawn if the UK or EU section. This includes Aviation Safety. An additional

easyJet has held an Austrian operating licence

since 2017 as it is keen to maintain partial EU
ownership...

80 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021


The deal reaffirms a
commitment to maintain
safe and secure air
connectivity between the EU
and the United Kingdom
NICOLAS ECONOMOU/NURPHOTO
VIA GETTY IMAGES
annex appended to the deal from page
811 gives details on how EASA and the
CAA will issue mutually acceptable
airworthiness, design, repair and
environmental certification, with
these assessments regulated by a joint
Certification Oversight Board with
EU/UK co-chairs. The two agencies
will also consult to resolve any
difficulties arising from their aviation
certificates, with the aim of helping
Britain and Europe’s integrated
aerospace industries to continue
working as seamlessly as possible.
In the years to come, additional
liberalisation on all aspects of
aviation between the UK and the
EU may follow. Another EU/UK
body, a Specialised Committee on
Air Transport, is to be established
by the agreement that will stage
technical discussions and frame
future amendments to the deal.
The groundwork to such a task has
been laid by provisions that see
both sides stating that “obstacles to
doing business encountered by air
carriers would hamper the benefits”
brought by the Brexit agreement. As
a result, the UK and EU have agreed
to co-operate in removing such trade
and operating restrictions, where
they might damage “commercial
operations, create distortions
to competition or affect equal
opportunities to compete.” The
committee will also consider whether
the agreement needs to be amended
as global rules change, such as those
set by ICAO.
Ultimately, the EU/UK trade and
co-operation deal goes a long way to
avoiding major disruption in Europe’s
civil aviation sector. But the CAA
notes with caution that “while the
agreements involve some elements of
continuity, they do not constitute a
replication of the UK’s regulatory
arrangements as part of the EASA/EU
framework” and warns that “many
sections of the aviation and aerospace
industries face changes.” Whether
these harm or benefit civil aviation
will largely depend on how the EU
and UK legislators co-operate. The
deal’s new committees will also need
to collaborate effectively for the
agreement to realise the ambitions of
its authors.
www.key.aero 81
 The latest
commercial
aircraft
deliveries from
manufacturers
and lessors

Conair has acquired 11

former Flybe De Havilland
Canada Dash 8-400s,
including G-ECOJ (c/n
4229), for conversion to Air Eagle [-/-] ex M-EKSL, dd 10.01.21, lsd fr/op
B-LDT A330-300(F) 1124
AP-EGA Harbin Y-12 15 ex DQ-AFS for DHL
aerial firefighting aircraft
Emirates [EK/UAE ‘EMIRATES’] Air Macau [NX/AMU ‘AIR MACAU’]
MARTIN NEEDHAM
A6-EVL A380-800 261 ex F-WWSO, dd 04.12.20 ex D-AVYF, dd 31.12.20, lsd fr Air
B-MBR A321neo 9499
A6-EVM A380-800 264 ex F-WWSZ, dd 11.12.20 Lease Corp
A6-EVN A380-800 267 ex F-WWAU, dd 22.12.20 Cathay Pacific Airways [CX/CPA ‘CATHAY’]
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi [5W/WAZ ‘WIZZ SKY’] B-HPD A321neo 10091 ex D-AVZF, dd 08.12.20
ex D-AVYV, dd 31.12.20, lsd fr BOC China Airlines [CI/CAL ‘DYNASTY’]
A6-WZC A321neo 10371
Aviation B-18772 777F 66891 ex N55061, dd 23.12.20
ex D-AVXH, dd 23.12.20, lsd fr AVIC STARLUX Airlines [JX/SJX ‘STARWALKER’]
A6-WZD A321neo 10391
Leasing B-58205 A321neo 10270 ex D-AYAW, dd 23.12.20, lsd fr GECAS
Qatar Airways [QR/QTR ‘QATARI’] Conair [-/FGD ‘FIREGUARD’]
A7-ANS A350-1000 420 ex F-WZNF, dd 31.08.20 ex G-JECZ, for aerial firefighting
A7-BFV 777F 66340 ex N5017Q, dd 31.12.20 C- DHC 8-400 4179
conversion
A7-BFW 777F 66341 ex N5017V, dd 31.12.20 ex G-ECOC, for aerial firefighting
A7-BFX 777F 66870 ex N5022E, dd 31.12.20 C- DHC 8-400 4197
conversion
Air China [CA/CCA ‘AIR CHINA’] ex G-KKEV, for aerial firefighting
C- DHC 8-400 4201
B-30D9 A321neo 9345 ex D-AVXE, dd 10.12.20 conversion
B-321M A350-900 455 ex F-WZHK, dd 16.12.20 ex G-ECOD, for aerial firefighting
B-321N A350-900 458 ex F-WZHH, dd 16.12.20 C- DHC 8-400 4206
conversion
Air Travel [A6/OTC ‘AIR TRAVEL’] ex G-ECOG, for aerial firefighting
C- DHC 8-400 4220
ex F-WWDR, dd 29.12.20, lsd fr China conversion
B-321U A320neo 10379
Aircraft Leasing Group ex G-ECOJ, for aerial firefighting
C- DHC 8-400 4229
Capital Airlines (Beijing Capital Airlines) [JD/CBJ ‘CAPITAL JET’] conversion
B- A321neo 10161 ex D-AVYQ, dd 29.12.20, lsd fr Avolon ex G-ECOM, for aerial firefighting
C- DHC 8-400 4233
China Central Longhao Airlines [GI/LHA ‘AIR CANTON’] conversion
ex N559CC, dd 31.12.20 PVG-CGO, ex G-ECOT, for aerial firefighting
B-220M 737-800(BCF) 33818 C- DHC 8-400 4251
lsd fr GECAS conversion
China Eastern Airlines [MU/CES ‘CHINA EASTERN’] ex G-FLBC, for aerial firefighting
C- DHC 8-400 4257
B-30DR A320neo 9371 ex B-007E, dd 15.12.20 conversion
B-30DS A320neo 9403 ex B-000E, dd 16.12.20 ex G-FLBD, for aerial firefighting
C- DHC 8-400 4259
B-30FM A350-900 408 ex F-WZNU, dd 18.12.20 conversion
B-30FN A320neo 9545 ex B-000G, dd 03.12.20 ex G-FLBE, for aerial firefighting
C- DHC 8-400 4261
B-322J A320neo 10058 ex B-007T, dd 29.12.20 conversion
China Southern Airlines [CZ/CSN ‘CHINA SOUTHERN’] Sudbury Aviation [-/-]
ex D-AVYC, dd 21.03.20, lsd fr ICBC C-FDDX DHC-3T 165 ex 55-3306, reg’d 21.01.21
B-30ED A321neo 9267 Summit Air [-/-]
Leasing
B-30EV A321neo 9266 ex D-AVYA, dd 03.12.20 ex VH-JTE, reg’d 08.01.21, ferried
C-FRJY Avro RJ100 E3274
ex D-AVXU, dd 07.12.20, lsd fr ICBC BWU-YEG
B-30EW A321neo 9441 Transwest Air [4T/-]
Leasing
ex D-AVYG, dd 24.12.20, lsd fr ICBC C-GLDE ATR 42-300 374 ex N374AF, reg’d 22.01.21
Key to Abbreviations B-30EX A321neo 9472
Leasing HlFly Transportes Aéreos [5K/HFY]
a/c aircraft B-30EY A321neo 9386 ex D-AVXD, dd 16.12.20 CS-TRJ A321ceo 1004 ret fr Belgian Air Force lease
als airlines ex D-AZAA, dd 06.10.20, lsd fr ICBC Nauru Airline [ON/RON]
awys airways B-30E6 A321neo 9240
bf bought from Leasing VH-ONU 737-300(F) 28732 ex N732NA, reg’d 15.01.21
b/u broken up/scrapped B-30E7 A321neo 9325 ex D-AVXS, dd 15.12.20 ferried BNE-MIA 23.01.21 for cargo
canx cancelled ex D-AVXC, dd 07.12.20, lsd fr ICBC VH-YNU 737-300 25607
B-320Y A321neo 10213 conversion
cls colours Leasing
cn manufacturer’s Lufthansa [LH/DLH ‘LUFTHANSA’]
construction/serial China West Air [PN/CHB ‘WEST CHINA’] D-AIEF A321neo 10010 ex D-AVXZ, dd 18.12.20; Forchheim
number ex D-AAES, dd 14.01.21, lsd fr BOC D-AIJD A320neo 10281 ex F-WWBZ, dd 31.12.20; Gera
cnvrtd converted B-321S A321ceo 7348
Aviation Alba Star [-/-]
dbf destroyed by fire Chongqing Airlines [OQ/CQN ‘CHONG QING’]
dbr damaged beyond EC-NLK 737-800 33104 reg’d 14.12.20
repair ex D-AVYD, dd 10.12.20, lsd fr ICBC Binter Canarias [NT/IBB ‘BINTER’]
B-30EL A321neo 9365
dd delivery date Leasing EC-NDD ATR 72-600 1572 reg’d 09.12.20
ex previous reg'n Colorful Guizhou Airlines [GY/CGZ ‘COLORFUL’] EC-NGF ATR 72-600 1586 reg’d 17.12.20
ff first flight
frtr freighter B-321V A320neo 10337 ex B-000C, dd 29.12.20, lsd fr GECAS EC-NGG ATR 72-600 1587 reg’d 09.12.20
lrf last revenue flight Juneyao Airlines [HO/DKH ‘AIR JUNEYAO’] Evelop [E9/EVE 'EVELOP']
lsd fr leased from B-321C A320neo 10247 ex B-007L, dd 17.12.20 EC-NGY A350-900 400 reg’d 02.12.20
lsd to leased to
msn see cn Loong Air (Zhejiang Loong Air) [GJ/CDC ‘LOONG AIR’] Iberia [IB/IBE ‘IBERIA’]
ntu not taken up B-320K A320neo 10045 ex B-005R, dd 24.12.20 EC-NIS A350-900 406 reg’d 04.12.20
oo on order B-321W A320neo 10324 ex B-007M, dd 21.12.20, lsd fr AerCap EC-NJY A320neo 10135 reg’d 15.12.20
op operated ex B-005S, dd 30.12.20, lsd fr AVIC Iberia Express [I2/IBS ‘IBEREXPRESS’]
pax passenger B-321X A320neo 10397
pwfu permanently
Leasing EC-NIF A321neo 10025 reg’d 02.12.20
withdrawn from use North-Western Cargo Airlines [-/CNW ‘TANG’] ASL Airlines Ireland [-/ABR ‘CONTRACT’]
reg’d registered ferried FOC-XMN 06.01.21 for cargo EI-DPB 737-800 33603 reg’d 02.12.20
reg’n registration B-2862 757-200 34008
conversion ex N1786B, dd 01.21, ferried PIK-TNA
ret fr returned from EI-DPC 737-800 33604
ret to returned to dd 30.01.21 FOC-CTU for cargo for cargo conversion
B-2868 757-200 32941
rr re-registered conversion OE-IWA 737-800 33623 ex EI-DPD, reg’d 28.01.21
rts return to service OTT Airlines [MU/OTT] EI-GUL ATR 72-600(F) 1653 reg’d 16.12.20
sb sold by B-620F ARJ21-700 146 ex B-001R, dd 15.01.21
scr scrapped/broken up Aer Lingus [EI/EIN ‘SHAMROCK’]
st sold to SF Airlines [O3/CSS ‘SHUN FENG’] ex D-AZAE, dd 21.12.20, lsd fr Air
EI-LRE A321LR 10245
std stored ex N236SA, ferried CTU-SZX 02.01.21 Lease Corp; St. Lassara/Lasair
tba to be advised B-220C 757-200(F) 33100
after cargo conversion Karun Airlines [KRU ‘KARUN’]
unk unknown
wfu withdrawn from use B-220H 767-300ER(BCF) 30847 ex N233SA & ferried CAN-SZX 16.01.21 EP-NFA Fokker 100 11407 ex 9A-BTD, entered service 07.01.21
w/o written off/destroyed Tianjin Airlines [GS/GCR ‘CHINA DRAGON’] ATA Airlines [I3/TBZ ‘ATALAR AIR’]
B-320W A320neo 10212 ex F-WWBN, dd 18.12.20, lsd fr AerCap ex OY-CGN, dd 01.21, seen THR
B-320X A320neo 10219 ex F-WWDN, dd 18.12.20, lsd fr AerCap EP-TAT MD-82 49901
Thanks to Dave 15.01.21
Tibet Airways [TV/TBA ‘TIBET'] Xfly (Regional Jet Ou) [EE/EST ‘REVEL’]
Richardson and B-320F A319ceo 10094 ex D-AVWF, dd 03.12.20 ES-ATA ATR 72-600 1038 ferried LJU-LFBF 30.01.21 for painting
LAASI Aviation for B-320G A319ceo 10110 ex D-AVWE, dd 03.11.20 ferried LJU-OSR 18.01.21 for paint, ret
AHK – Air Hong Kong [LD/AHK ‘AIR HONG KONG’] ES-ATB ATR 72-600 1028
the above to LJU 28.01.21
B-LDS A330-300(F) 1032 ex EI-HEE, dd 01.21, lsd fr/op for DHL
82 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
Transavia France [TO/TVF ‘FRENCH SOLEIL’] ex N395AN, dd 22.01.21, lsd fr Cargo
N499AZ B767-300ER 29432
ex VP-CMU, dd 22.01.21, lsd fr AMCK Aircraft Management
F-HTVR 737-800 37761
Aviation Alaska Central Express [KO/AER ‘ACE AIR’]
ex SE-RRX, dd 28.01.21 DUB-LFBF, lsd N404GV Beech 1900C UC-154 N248AX reserved 05.01.21
F-HTVV 737-800 39019
fr Jackson Square Aviation N575A Beech 1900C UC-83 N245AX reserved 05.01.21
Aircalin – Air Caledonie International [SB/ACI ‘AIR CALIN’] N575Q Beech 1900C UC-160 N249AX reserved 05.01.21
F-OTIB A320neo 10049 ex F-WWIR, dd 21.12.20; Tibarama N575Z Beech 1900C UC-136 N247AX reserved 05.01.21 We welcome
BA CityFlyer [CJ/CFE ‘FLYER’] N815GV Beech 1900C UC-78 N244AX reserved 05.01.21 any feedback
G-LCAF E190 19000548 ex EI-GTG N974EA Beech 1900C UC-114 N246AX reserved 05.01.21
British Airways [BA/BAW ‘SPEEDBIRD’] N1553C Beech 1900C UC-24 N241AX reserved 05.01.21 on this listing.
G-TTNM A320neo 10144 ex F-WWIN, dd 11.12.20 N15503 Beech 1900C UC-72 N242AX reserved 05.01.21
G-XWBH A350-1000 446 ex F-WZHD, dd 14.12.20 Allegiant Air [G4/AAY ‘ALLEGIANT’] (The listing is alphabetical
N290NV A320ceo 2191 ex EI-DEA, reg’d 08.01.21 with reference to the
NHV Helicopters [NHZ ‘GOLD’]
American Airlines [AA/AAL ‘AMERICAN’] registration of the country
G-NHVG H175 5008 ex OY-HLV, reg’d 23.12.20
N421UW A321neo 10095 ex D-AVXQ, dd 15.12.20, fleet #421 of origin. Columns indicate
G-NHVJ H175 5026 ex OY-JPV, reg’d 23.12.20
N426AN A321neo 10195 ex F-WZMD, dd 18.12.20, fleet #426 the registration, type,
RVL Aviation [-/REV ‘ENDURANCE’]
N428AA A321neo 10299 ex F-WZMZ, dd 11.12.20, fleet #428 construction number and
G-RVGB Saab 340B 340B-192 ex G-LGNF, reg’d 19.01.21
N315SD 737 MAX 8 44470 ex N1786B, dd 16.12.20, fleet #3SD notes.)
ex ES-NSG, reg’d 06.01.21, lsd fr
G-RVVE Saab 340B(F) 340B-223 N316SE 737 MAX 8 44472 ex N1786B, dd 15.12.20, fleet #3SE
Jetstream Aviation Capital
N318SF 737 MAX 8 44473 ex N1786B, dd 14.12.20, fleet #3SF
Titan Airways [ZT/AWC ‘ZAP’]
ex N1795B, N1786B, dd 28.12.20,
ex D-AVZL, reg’d 07.01.21, lsd fr N324SH 737 MAX 8 44476
G-DHJH A321P2F 1238 fleet #3SH
Babcock & Brown N323SG 737 MAX 8 44474 ex N1786B, dd 10.12.20, fleet #3SG
TUI Airways [BY/TOM ‘TOMJET'] ex N1787B, N1786B, dd 30.12.20,
ex D-ATYH, reg’d 06.01.21, lsd fr Air N326SJ 737 MAX 8 44475
G-TUKM 737-800 38097 fleet #3SJ
Lease Corp ex N1796B, N1786B, dd 30.12.20,
Wizz Air [W6/WZZ ‘WIZZ AIR'] N327SK 737 MAX 8 44477
fleet #3SK
HA-LVJ A321neo 10257 ex D-AVZJ, dd 15.12.20 N329SL 737 MAX 8 44479 ex N1786B, dd 31.12.20, fleet #3SL
Helvetic [2L/OAW ‘HELVETIC’] N339SU 737 MAX 8 44485 dd 23.12.20, fleet #3SU
HB-AZG E190-E2 19020036 ex PR-ECV, dd 29.01.21 N378SC 737 MAX 8 44471 ex N1786B, dd 23.12.20, fleet #3SC
Swiss International Air Lines [LX/SWR ‘SWISS'] Atlas Air [5Y/GTI ‘GIANT’]
HB-JDC A320neo 10242 ex F-WWIS, dd 30.12.20; Pontresina N482MC 747-400 32340 ex G-VROY, reg’d 22.01.21
GCA Airlines [9A/- ‘GRAN COLOMBIA’] Breeze Airways [-/MXY ‘MOXY’]
HK-5304 737-400 27005 ex N629AC, dd 22.01.21, purch fr AELF ferried MCN-ISP 07.01.21 prior to entry
N190BZ E195 19000660
Viva Air Colombia (Fast Colombia) [VH/VVC ‘VIVA COLOMBIA’] into service
ex F-WWDH, dd 07.12.20, lsd fr Cape Air (Hyannis Air Service) [9K/KAP ‘CAIR’]
HK-5360 A320neo 10342 Aviation Capital Group; Hasta la N995CA P2012 026/US reg’d 19.01.21
Viva, baby Commutair (United Express) [C5/UCA ‘COMMUTAIR’]
ex F-WWBH, dd 11.12.20, lsd fr Aviation ferried MCN-IAH 06.01.21 for entry
HK-5361 A320neo 10313 N11107 ERJ145 145654
Capital Group; Raya McViva into service
Asiana Airlines [OZ/AAR ‘ASIANA’] ferried YQB-ALB 08.01.21 for entry
N12142 ERJ145 145735
HL8383 A350-900 425 ex F-WZFQ, dd 29.12.20 into service
Copa Airlines [CM/CMP ‘COPA’] ferried MCN-ALB 27.01.21 for entry
N13913 ERJ145 145438
HP-1556CMP E190 19000016 N916QQ assigned 14.01.21 into service
HP-1561CMP E190 19000089 N932QQ assigned 14.01.21 ferried YQB-ALB 27.01.21 for entry
N17159 ERJ145 145792
HP-9908CMP 737 MAX 9 44167 into service
HP-9913CMP 737 MAX 9 44214 ferried YQB-City – ALB 20.01.21 for
N31131 ERJ145 145705
Thai Summer Airways [-/AST] entry into service
ex HS-DBA, dd 03.20, lsd fr Tokyo Contour Airlines [LF/VTE ‘VOLUNTEER’]
HS-TSS 737-800 33813
Century Corp ex C-GMZW, dd 12.20, lsd fr Regional
N154EA CRJ200 7629
SaudiGulf Airlines [6S/SGQ ‘SAUDI GOLD’] One
ex F-WWBF, dd 05.10.20, lsd fr China Delta Air Lines [DL/DAL ‘DELTA’]
VP-CGE A320neo 10134
Aircraft Leasing Group; Al-Qassim N140DU A220-100 50059 ex C-FOYB, dd 29.01.21, fleet #8140
Neos [NO/NOS ‘MOONFLOWER’] Elite Airways [7Q/MNU ‘MAINER’]
EI-NYE 787-9 38756 reg’d 07.12.20 N154EA CRJ200 7629 ret to Regional One after lease
Poste Air Cargo [M4/MSA ‘MISTRAL WINGS'] ex 2-SAFC, dd 23.01.21, lsd fr Regional
N900EA CRJ900 15090
EI-GUA 737-400(F) 28888 reg’d 22.12.20 One
ANA – All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA 'ALL NIPPON’] Endeavor Air (Delta Connection) [9E/EDV ‘ENDEAVOR’]
JA143A A321neo 10232 ex D-AZAK, dd 24.12.20 ex C-FFHW, dd 23.01.21 IGM-SLN
N601XJ CRJ200 8044
JA144A A321neo 10363 ex D-AYAT, dd 23.12.20 after storage
Japan Airlines [JL/JAL ‘JAPANAIR’] ex C-FMMY, dd 29.01.21 IGM-SLN
N8942A CRJ200 7942
JA07XJ A350-900 451 reg’d 01.12.20 after storage
JA08XJ A350-900 476 ex F-WZNB, dd 21.12.20 Envoy Air (American Eagle) [MQ/ENY ‘ENVOY’]
Jetstar Japan [GK/JJP ‘ORANGE LINER’] ferried AVQ-BNA 05.01.21 after
N213NN E175 17000505
JA26LR A321neo 10067 ex D-AYAV, dd 14.12.20, lsd fr GECAS storage for work prior to ret to service
Peach [MM/APJ ‘AIR PEACH'] ferried AVQ-BNA 29.01.21 for work
N214NN E175 17000508
ex F-WXAK, dd 28.01.21, lsd fr SMBC prior to entry into service
JA05VA A320ceo 6282 Everts Air (Tatonduk Outfitters) [5V/VTS ‘EVERTS’]
Aviation Capital
ex F-WXAF, dd 28.12.20, lsd fr Air ferried TUS-DHN 07.01.21 for cargo
JA203P A320neo 10356 N963CE MD-83 53450
Lease Corp conversion, still reg’d N974AS
ex F-WXAL, dd 22.12.20, lsd fr Air FedEx Express [FX/FDX ‘FEDEX’]
JA204P A320neo 10392 N840FD 777F 39682 ex A6-DDA, bf Etihad Airways
Lease Corp
CHC Helikopter Service [-/HKS ‘HELIBUS’] N189FE 767-300F 63120 dd 11.12.20; Riko
LN-OQU S-92A 920237 ex G-WNSM, reg’d 23.12.20 N273FE 767-300F 66243 dd 02.12.20; Liam
Avion Express [X9/NVD ‘NORDVIND’] N274FE 767-300F 66244 dd 30.12.20; Nicco
LY-VEH A321ceo 1366 ret fr FitsAir lse 11.01.21 Frontier Airlines [F9/FFT ‘FRONTIER FLIGHT’]
Air Transport International [8C/ATN ‘AIR TRANSPORT’] ex F-WZMF, dd 15.12.20; Piper the
N375FR A320neo 10298
N376AN B767-300ER(F) 25445 N317AZ reserved 22.01.21 White Pelican

Miami start-up GlobalX has

taken this former Frontier
Airlines Airbus A320ceo,
N223FR (c/n 2695), on
lease from DAE Capital
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
STEVEN MARQUEZ

www.key.aero 83
 Aeroflot has transferred
its Sukhoi Superjet fleet
to subsidiary Rossiya as
part of a restructuring.
This example, RA-89043
(c/n 95074), was the
first jet to be repainted
having been moved across
from the parent company
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ARTYOM
ANIKEEV
ex F-WZMA, dd 04.12.20; Cruz the UNK A321neo 9512 ex F-WXAG, dd 29.12.20
N376FR A320neo 10327
Island Fox UNK A321neo 9524 ex F-WXAH, dd 02.12.20
GlobalX (Global Crossing Airlines) [-/GXA ‘GEMINI’] Izhavia [I8/IZA ‘IZHAVIA’]
ex D-AAAN, dd 31.12.20, lsd fr DAE RA-42401 Yak-42 44520421116567 ex CCCP-42401, dd 10.12.20
N223FR A320ceo 2695
Capital ex CCCP-46620, seen IJK 18.12.20
RA-46620 An-24 37308707
GoJet Airlines [G7/GJS ‘LINDBERGH’] in service
N653CA CRJ550 10129 Skywest Leasing, rr N526GJ 08.01.21 KomiAviatrans [KO/KMA ‘KOMI AVIA’]
jetBlue Airways [B6/JBU ‘JETBLUE’] RA-46682 An-24 47309704 ex CCCP-46682
ex D-AVZU, dd 02.12.20; Blue Raise RA-46695 An-24 47309906 ex CCCP-46695
N2044J A321neo 9195 Red Wings Airlines [WZ/EWZ ‘REMONT AIR’]
Me Up
Key Lime Air [KG/LYM ‘KEY LIME’] VP-BMR B777-200ER 29325 ex 2-RLAN, dd 28.01.21, lsd fr Veling
N972DC ERJ145 14500812 ex N257JQ, reg'n reserved 27.01.21 Rossiya Airlines [FV/SDM ‘ROSSIYA’]
Republic Airline [YX/RPA ‘BRCKYARD’] dd 01.01.21, lsd fr Sberbank Leasing;
RA-89043 SSJ100 95074
ferried MCN-IND 04.01.21 for entry Kirov
N222JQ E175 17000201 dd 01.01.21, lsd fr Sberbank Leasing;
into service RA-89044 SSJ100 95076
ferried MCN-IND 15.01.21 for entry Komsomolsk-na-Amure
N223JQ E175 17000207 dd 02.01.21, lsd fr Sberbank Leasing;
into service RA-89045 SSJ100 95079
ferried MCN-IND 24.01.21 for entry Sergiev Posad
N224JQ E175 17000209 dd 04.01.21, lsd fr Sberbank Leasing;
into service RA-89063 SSJ100 95099
Ryan Air [7S/RYA ‘RYAN AIR’] Gelendzhik
N708RA Cessna 208B/EX 208B5606 reg’d 05.01.21 RA-89114 SSJ100 95162 dd 27.01.21, lsd fr VEB Leasing; Uglich
SkyWest Airlines [OO/SKW ‘SKYWEST’] RA-89131 SSJ100 95194 dd 04.01.21; Murom
N218PS CRJ200 7885 reg’d 06.01.21 RA-89134 SSJ100 95198 dd 07.01.21; Zvenigorod
ex C-GKEM, bf GECAS 16.11.21 & reg’d UTAir Aviation [UT/UTA ‘TJUMAVIA’]
N568CC CRJ200 7277 ex CCCP-46493, seen TJM 12.12.20
26.01.21, std AVQ RA-46493 An-24 27308206
ex C-GKEJ, bf GECAS 16.11.21 & reg’d in service
N570CC CRJ200 7269 SEAir [XO/SGD ‘AIR BLUE’]
26.01.21, std AVQ
ex C-GKEK, bf GECAS 16.11.21 & reg’d ex 9Q-CDJ, dd 01.21, ferried LFW-CRK
N576CC CRJ200 7270 RP-C4753 737-200C 21959
26.01.21, std AVQ as 9Q-CDJ 12.20
ex C-GKEP, bf GECAS 16.11.21 & reg’d Aegean Airlines [A3/AEE ‘AEGEAN’]
N577CC CRJ200 7303
26.01.21, std AVQ SX-NAC A321neo 10189 ex D-AYAP, dd 16.12.20
ex C-GKEZ, bf GECAS 16.11.21 & reg’d Air Mediterranean [MV/MAR ‘HELLASMED’]
N581CC CRJ200 7327
26.01.21, std AVQ ex EC-ICN, dd 23.01.21, lsd fr/op by
LY-VEG A321ceo 2115
ex C-GKFR, bf GECAS 16.11.21 & reg’d Avion Express
N583CC CRJ200 7330
26.01.21, std AVQ Sky Express [GQ/SHE ‘AIR CRETE’]
ex C-GKGC, bf GECAS 16.11.21 & reg’d ex F-WWDU, dd 03.12.20, lsd fr
N586CC CRJ200 7334 SX-TEC A320neo 9566
26.01.21, std AVQ SkyServ
N791SK CRJ700 10293 ferried ROW-TUS 21.01.21 after work Pegasus Airlines [PC/PGT ‘SUNTURK’]
Key to Abbreviations ex C-GHZZ, ferried BTR-SBN 12.01.21 TC-RBF A321neo 9495 ex D-AVYU, dd 23.12.20; Nazende
N870DC Challenger 870 10314
a/c aircraft for work TC-RBG A321neo 10007 ex D-AYAB, dd 23.12.20; Milena
als airlines Southwest Airlines [WN/SWA ‘SOUTHWEST’] Turkish Airlines [TK/THY ‘TURKISH’]
awys airways ex N1786B, dd 20.12.20, lsd fr Avolon TC-LTB A321neo 10125 ex D-AYAN, dd 15.12.20
bf bought from N8736J 737 MAX 8 60228
Aerospace Uzbekistan Airways [HY/UZB ‘UZBEK’]
b/u broken up/scrapped
canx cancelled ex N1786B, dd 20.12.20, lsd fr Avolon ex F-WWIO, dd 30.12.20, lsd fr BOC
N8737L 737 MAX 8 60230 UK32023 A320neo 10423
cls colours Aerospace Aviation
cn manufacturer’s N8738K 737 MAX 8 60229 ex N1786B, dd 29.12.20
construction/serial Ukraine International Airlines [PS/AUI ‘UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL’]
Sun Country Airlines [SY/SCX ‘SUN COUNTRY’] UR-PSC 737-800 29662 rr UR-UBA 25.01.21, std RZE
number
cnvrtd converted N201RH 737-800(BCF) 34030 rr N8011A 27.04.20 UR-PSD 737-800 29686 rr UR-UBB 25.01.21, std RZE
dbf destroyed by fire United Airlines [UA/UAL ‘UNITED’] Ukrainian Wings [UWJ ‘UKRAINIAN WINGS’]
dbr damaged beyond N2301U A319ceo 2495 ex G-EZIM, reg’d 28.01.21
repair UR-CSX 767-300ER 25534 lsd to/op for Kam Air
dd delivery date ex N1795B, N1786B, dd 09.12.20,
N27515 737 MAX 9 43452 Alliance Airlines [QQ/UTY ‘ALLI']
ex previous reg'n fleet #7515
VH-UYY E190 19000212 ex N932QQ, reg’d 18.01.21
ff first flight ex N1798B, N1786B, dd 30.12.20,
frtr freighter N37516 737 MAX 9 43454 Blue Sky Airways [-/-]
fleet #7516
lrf last revenue flight ex N1798B, N1786B, dd 30.12.20, VH-AWZ DHC-2 1618 ex VH-BSL, reg’d 21.01.21
lsd fr leased from N47517 737 MAX 9 43456 Network Aviation Australia [NWK ‘NETLINK’]
lsd to leased to fleet #7517
msn see cn N27519 737 MAX 9 43459 ex N1786B, dd 08.12.20, fleet #7519 ex 9V-JSA, ferried SIN-PER 13.01.21 for
VH-UVK A320ceo 2316
ntu not taken up ex N1780B, N4026F, N57001, N1786B, entry into service
oo on order N27520 737 MAX 9 64498 Pionair [PH/SFZ ‘SKYFORCE’]
dd 29.12.20, fleet #7520
op operated VH-SEF E190 19000435 ex HB-JVR, reg’d 06.01.21; Cinderella
pax passenger N37521 737 MAX 9 64497 ex N57001, dd 17.12.20, fleet #7521
pwfu permanently ex N1780B, N1786B, dd 21.12.20, REX – Regional Express [ZL/RXA ‘REX’]
N37523 737 MAX 9 43461
withdrawn from use fleet #7523 VH-VUF 737-800 34168 rr VH-RQG 21.01.21
reg’d registered ex N1787B, N57001, N1786B, dd West Coast Seaplanes [-/-]
reg’n registration N47524 737 MAX 9 64501
ret fr returned from 16.12.20; fleet #7524 VH-NPZ Cessna 208 20800661 ex N208RP, reg’d 22.01.21
ret to returned to UPS – United Parcel Service [5X/UPS ‘UPS’] Bamboo Airways [QH/BAV ‘BAMBOO’]
rr re-registered N374UP 767-300F 65909 dd 23.12.20 ex PR-AUD, dd 07.01.21, lsd fr/op by
rts return to service N625UP 747-8F 65782 dd 14.12.20 SP-LNM E195 19000669
sb sold by LOT Polish Airlines
scr scrapped/broken up MEA – Middle East Airlines [ME/MEA ‘CEDAR JET’] ex M-ABNV, dd 25.01.21, lsd fr CDB
VN-A266 E190 19000570
st sold to T7-ME5 A321neo 10147 ex D-AYVP, dd 22.12.20 Aviation
std stored T7-ME6 A321neo 10174 ex D-AZAH, dd 29.12.20 VN-A A321neo 9539 ex D-AZAB, dd 30.10.20, lsd fr GECAS
tba to be advised
unk unknown Lion Air [JT/LNI ‘LION INTER’] VietJet Air [VJ/VJC ‘VIETJET AIR’]
wfu withdrawn from use ex F-WWKM, dd 30.12.20, lsd fr BOC VN-A523 A321neo 9364 ex D-AVZY, dd 31.12.20
PK-LEQ A330-900 1956
w/o written off/destroyed Aviation VN-A524 A321neo 10084 ex D-AYAD, dd 31.12.20
ex F-WWYG, dd 28.12.20, lsd fr BOC Vietnam Airlines [VN/HVN ‘VIETNAM AIRLINES’]
PK-LER A330-900 1978
Aviation ex XU-237, ret fr Cambodia Angkor Air
Thanks to Dave VN-B220 ATR 72-500 890
Azul Linhas Aéreas [AD/AZU ‘AZUL’] lease 16.01.21
Richardson and
ex F-WWYO, dd 18.12.20, lsd fr Air AirAsia India [I5/IAD ‘RED KNIGHT’]
LAASI Aviation for PR-ANV A330-900 1952
Lease Corp; La Belle Azul VT-ATG A320neo 10156 ex F-WWBQ, dd 09.12.20
the above Aircompany North-West [NWC ‘WEST WAY’]

84 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

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 Estonian total technical care and
asset management organisation,
Magnetic MRO, has signed a
continuing airworthiness management
The latest organisation (CAMO) agreement with
news from Australia-based Regional Express (Rex)
maintenance, Airlines. The deal will come into effect
repair and in the first quarter of 2021.
overhaul Talvar Tari, senior airworthiness
providers engineer at Magnetic MRO (pictured
right), commented: “This is one more
great example of Magnetic MRO
and the aviation industry in general
connecting across different continents.
We are very interwoven with Rex’s
CAMO and operations; however,
we are doing this from across eight
time zones, [more than] 15,000km
[9,320 miles].”
Commenting on the January 2021
CAMO contract, Rex’s continuing
airworthiness engineer Richard Taylor,
added: “Magnetic MRO is one of the
reputable independent Part 42 service
providers for many of the big airlines
in Europe and other parts of the world.
We are looking forward to tapping
their vast experiences to enhance our
in-house capabilities.”
AVIATAR platform implemented
United Airlines has become the
latest customer for Lufthansa
Technik’s AVIATAR digital products
and services platform. Under the
contract, signed in late 2020, United
will use the product to support both
its Airbus A320 Family and Boeing
777 fleets.
Additionally, United plans to work
with Lufthansa Technik to develop
predictive maintenance solutions for
its Boeing 737s. United is one of the
world’s largest 737 operators, with
370 examples in the fleet as of mid-
February, and around 150 more on
order. The US operator has begun
integrating AVIATAR into existing
86 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
CAMO agreement signed
Founded in 2002, Rex is a major
Australian regional, with an extensive
network and 44, 34-seat Saab 340B
turboprops. The firm recently acquired
a high-capacity air operator certificate
to begin fare-paying rotations between
major Australian cities using the
processes and training procedures.
Kurt Carpenter, United’s vice-
president of technical operations,
planning and strategy, said: “By
leveraging AVIATAR’s digital platform,
our tech-ops professionals can access
data, insights and recommendations
that help us optimise our operations
and reduce flight delays or
cancellations caused by maintenance
issues. We are excited to collaborate
with Lufthansa Technik on this
innovative solution, which represents
the future of aircraft maintenance
programme management.”
Johannes Bussmann, CEO of
Lufthansa Technik, added: “Innovative
Boeing 737-800. The first of six former
Virgin Australia examples acquired
from lessors is due start linking
Melbourne and Sydney on March 1.
For more on Rex see pages 22-27.
(Photo Magnetic MRO)
MRO NEWS BY NIGEL PITTAWAY
digital solutions are a cornerstone of
our corporate strategy and joining
forces with United Airlines as a leading
global [carrier] is a strong signal for
the aviation market. Together with
United we will further improve digital
technical operations on a large scale
and look forward to jointly creating
new-use cases.”
In further AVIATAR news, Chengdu-
based Sichuan Airlines also selected
the product to support 168 of its
Airbus-built jets comprising the
A320, A330 and A350 with services
including condition monitoring,
fleet management, event analytics,
predictive maintenance and health
management solutions. In addition, the
carrier signed a five-year agreement
with Lufthansa Technik for engine
maintenance services for its CFM
International CFM56-5B and IAE
V2500 powerplants on the A320.
Commenting on the deal, Sichuan
Airlines’ deputy chief engineer and
general manager of engineering, Shao
Chuan, said: “The new co-operation
with Lufthansa Technik is part of our
commitment to ensure the highest
possible operational reliability and a
further confirmation of the excellent
relationship between us and our long-
standing partner. We look forward to
further intensify our close co-operation
for the benefit of both parties.”
Lufthansa Technik launched AVIATAR
in 2017 and the platform combines
fleet management solutions, data
sciences and engineering expertise.
(Photos United Airlines and
Sichuan Airlines)
 All systems go for Magnetic Engines
Magnetic MRO has celebrated the
start of Magnetic Engines, its new
powerplant facility located in Tallinn,
Estonia. The complex is the result of
the company expanding its engine
MRO capabilities last year and was
announced to partners and clients
during a virtual launch event on
January 27, 2021.
Since the acquisition in 2020,
Magnetic Engines has secured
certification from the European Union
Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the US
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
and the Civil Aviation Authority of
China (CAAC) for maintenance of CFM
International CFM56-3, CFM56-5B and
CFM56-7B powerplants. Capabilities
include fan and low-pressure turbine
modules and core modules including
combustion chamber replacement.
The site boasts an area of 3,229sq ft
for up to ten engines at a time for work
or storage. Before the January launch,
Magnetic MRO’s engine department
had performed more than 70
Authorised service centre appointed
TAG Aviation’s maintenance facility
in Hong Kong has been appointed
as an authorised service centre for
Dassault Falcon 7X and 8X business
jets. The company has been providing
maintenance services in Asia for
almost ten years and although
Dassault acquired TAG Aviation’s
European MRO facilities in 2019, its
operations in Hong Kong and Macau
remain independently owned. TAG
Aviation’s appointment by Dassault is
designed to complement the French
manufacturer’s other service centres
in the region and adds to its OEM
(original equipment manufacturer)
footprint in the Greater Bay Area.
Jean Kayanakis, Dassault Aviation
senior vice-president, worldwide
customer support and maintenance
network, commented: “The new
Hong Kong line service capability
is the latest of a series of measures
intended to reinforce our worldwide
Falcon product support network. It
will provide further service options
for our Falcon 7X and 8X customers
while strengthening our longstanding
repair-related events in the last twelve
months, including top case repairs, fan
and hot section module replacements
and engine preservation activities.
Alexey Ivanov, Magnetic Engines’
executive sales director, said: “We are
able to meet customer’s expectations
by offering more slots, more flexibility
with inductions and a freshly
refurbished storage area for their
valuable assets.”
relationship with TAG Aviation.”
In other developments, Dassault
announced on January 12 that it had
unified sales activities of its EMEA
and APAC (Europe, Middle East and
Africa and Asia Pacific, respectively)
factory-owned MRO operations, which
the company said will offer customers
in these regions a single point of
contact. Kayanakis said the new
organisation brings together the MRO
sales operations of its wholly owned
Dassault Falcon Services (DFS) affiliate
with those of TAG Maintenance
Services and the Falcon segment of
ExecuJet MRO Services.
“We are leveraging the combined
strengths of our various MRO
businesses, creating greater
efficiencies and synergies across the
group. This means customers will no
longer be wedded to any particular
service location but can access any
centre capable of accommodating the
work scope, resource and scheduling
requirements of the job at hand,”
added Kayanakis.
(Photo Flickr Commons/Steve Lynes)
Ivanov added that the unprecedented
global fall in passenger traffic that has
affected all airlines and leasing firms
The latest
news from
will result in a growing demand for
maintenance,
light and hospital engine repairs, as
repair and
businesses attempt to optimise cash
overhaul
flow. Airlines and lessors will wish
providers
to perform lighter repairs or module
replacements, postponing overhauls
for the future, he said.
(Photo Magnetic Engines)
SIAEC
transformation
update
SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC)
has officially begun phase 2 of its
transformation programme. Dubbed
‘Power Up and Break Through’, it
aims to boost competitiveness to
enable a strong performance in the
post-COVID-19 MRO landscape.
The measures include a line
maintenance ‘lean’ pilot project on
Boeing 787 Dreamliner ‘A’ checks
to reduce turnaround time by up to
25% and the development of engine
lifting tooling to automate
the raising and lowering of
powerplants during changes,
expected to reduce manpower and
turnaround times for widebody
examples by 50%. The SMART MX
mobile phone app for engineers to
access data will be introduced as
well as the ongoing re-skilling and
up-skilling of its workforce through
its SIAEC Academy.
The preliminary phase began in
2017 with more than 100 productivity
initiatives being implemented. Phase
2 launched on January 20 this year.
Ng Chin Hwee, SIAEC CEO, said:
“With the launch of transformation
phase 2, we will strive to be
more productive and innovative
and emerge from this crisis with
enhanced competitiveness. We
will support our staff through digital
training and equip ourselves with
digital tools that enable real-time
sharing of information and data-
driven decisions.”
www.key.aero 87
 Preserving
Commercial
Aviation’s
Past
The former El Al Israel
Airlines and Arkia Airlines
707-400 was removed
from public display
in Berlin after being
vandalised in 2000.
It was stored airside
and used by the
airport’s rescue and
firefighting services
Lufthansa Boeing 707-
400, D-ABOD (c/n 17720),
was retired to Hamburg in
1975 and has spent much
of the past 46
years with Lufthansa
Technik as a ground
instructional airframe
This 707-400 never
served with Lufthansa,
instead flying for El Al
Israel Airlines and Arkia
Airlines before being
gifted to the people of
Berlin ahead of the city's
750th anniversary. The
event coincided with the
delivery of Lufthansa's
200th Boeing aircraft,
737-300 D-ABXK
ALL PHOTOS DIRK GROTHE
88 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
Boeings going… gone?
Germany’s last two Boeing 707s – the
only 707-400s still in existance – are
facing an uncertain future as their
resident airports have either closed
or are unwilling to continue funding
maintenance of the jets.
After Berlin/Tegel closed in November,
one of the 707s – a former El Al Israel
Airlines and Arkia Airlines-operated,
Rolls-Royce Conway-powered
airliner – is understood to have been
earmarked for disposal.
While the site is being redeveloped
as the Urban Tech Republic park and
the Schumacher Quarter, Tegel’s
hexagonal terminal will be retained,
prompting questions as to why the 707
couldn’t be displayed at the
former hub.
Instead, the aircraft is to be scrapped
and Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin
has shown interest in saving a 56ft
fuselage section.
The jet was originally delivered to
El Al Israel Airlines on June 7, 1961
and served with the carrier until
1984. During this time, it survived an
attempted hijacking on September
6, 1970, when two members of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine – Leila Khaled and Patrick
Argüello – attempted to seize the
aircraft shortly after departure from
Amsterdam/Schiphol on a
Tel Aviv-Amsterdam-New York
connection. Khaled was overpowered
after the pilot, captain Uri Bar Lev,
placed the aircraft into a steep dive,
while Argüello was shot dead by an El
Al sky marshal.
Had the hijacking been successful,
the El Al airliner would have joined
a Trans World Airlines 707, Swissair
Douglas DC-8 and a British Overseas
Aircraft Corporation Vickers VC10 at
Dawson’s Field, a former RAF station
in Jordan. Having survived what would
have almost certainly led to the aircraft
being written off, the 707 continued to
serve with El Al before being leased to
Arkia from April 1984 until July 1986.
The jet was sold back to Boeing
and, to coincide with the 750th
anniversary of Berlin and the delivery
of Lufthansa’s 200th Boeing-built
airliner, the US manufacturer repainted
it as ‘D-ABOC’ and gifted it to the city
of Berlin. Owned by the Museum fur
Verkehr und Technik, it was displayed
outside Tegel for 10-15 years before
being vandalised. It was moved to a
remote corner of the airport in 2000
to be used by the airport’s rescue and
firefighting services.
Germany’s other Boeing 707 (another
400 series example) is also due to
be scrapped as Hamburg Airport has
confirmed it can no longer finance its
maintenance. The former Lufthansa
jet, D-ABOD (c/n 17720), is the last of
five 707-430s which served with the
airline. Delivered new to the carrier
in April 1960, it spent 15 years flying
from Frankfurt to destinations around
the world before being retired to
the airline’s maintenance, repair and
overhaul arm, Lufthansa Technik, at
Hamburg in 1975. After 24 years as a
ground instructional airframe, it was
sold to the airport for €1 in 1999. It has
since been cared for by a group of
enthusiasts and airport staff assisted
financially by the hub. While preserved
at Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel Airport, the
jet has starred in several films and tv
shows including Bend It Like Beckham,
Rocca Changes the World and In
the Shadow of Power, and had been
scheduled to appear in the aborted
Gregg Allman biopic, Midnight Rider.
A group named Verein zur Rettung
der Boeing 707 D-ABOD (the
Association for the Rescue of Boeing
707 D-ABOD) has been established
with the aim of saving the aircraft.
Airliner World would like to thank Dirk
Grothe for his help compiling this story.
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 Air China to acquire
trio of simulators
The latest
training aids Air China has selected three L3Harris
available for Technologies’ full-flight simulators
the aviation as part of a post-COVID-19 growth
professional strategy. A single Airbus A350 and
a pair of A320 examples, list price
not disclosed, will be installed at the
flag carrier’s Beijing training centre
following the January deal. They
Operations
begin in
Spain
BAA Training Spain officially marked
the beginning of operations with
the introduction of its first full-flight
simulator (FFS). The Barcelona-based
complex was due to welcome its
maiden cohort of students for type
rating courses during March/April.
Egle Vaitkeviciute, CEO at BAA
Training, said: “BAA Training Spain’s
goal is to become the largest and
[most] highly innovative aviation
training centre in Southern Europe,
catering to the demanding airlines’
pilot training needs and the upcoming
recovery of aviation.“
Initially, BAA Training is using a sole
Airbus A320ceo FFS – manufactured
by CAE – which offers the most
advanced realism with its Tropos
6000XR visual system. Students
will also be able to complete upset
prevention recovery training on the
FFS. By the end of this year, BAA
Training plans to have added a further
five simulators: a pair of Boeing
737 FFS’ – one each of the Next
Generation (NG) and MAX example
– and a trio of flight training devices
(FTD) for the A320ceo, NG and MAX.
BAA Training Spain’s new 57,000sq
ft facility is located near Barcelona’s
El Prat gateway and is expected
to deliver approximately 44,000
simulator hours and recurrent training
for 4,300 pilots each year.
90 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021
are expected to come online within
an 18-month period. An A320 flat
panel trainer will also be provided
allowing crew to practise theory,
technical details, human factors and
operational issues. The full-flight
simulators are set to feature the
latest technology including an
electric motion system and
computer architecture.
Alan Crawford, president,
commercial aviation, L3Harris,
commented: “The selection of this
range of L3Harris training devices
will help to significantly enhance Air
China’s training capabilities. [The
airline’s] latest selection demonstrates
the quality of our devices and ongoing
support provided.”
The commitment is the second
agreement between Air China and
L3Harris Technologies – the first A320
full-flight simulators were installed at
the carrier’s training hub in 2017.
(Photo L3Harris Technologies)
New batch of Skyborne cadets
The latest contingent of students on
Skyborne Airline Academy’s IndiGo
pilot cadet programme have been
selected. At the start of the course,
the 14 cadets received a Letter of
Intent (LOI) for employment from the
Indian low-cost carrier confirming a
future job position upon successful
completion of flight training.
The US Federal Aviation
Administration-approved training is
18 months long and is conducted in
three phases. Stage 1 consists of a
13-month course in Phoenix, Arizona,
at the end of which cadets obtain an
FAA Part 141 commercial pilot licence
(CPL) with instrument rating (IR). This
comprises 224 hours in a Cessna
Partnership
for CAE
CAE has entered into an arrangement
with The LOSA Collaborative as the
former aims to “enhance its
evidence-based training offering”.
The LOSA Collaborative is set to
perform line operations and safety
audits on CAE customer-operators.
As a result, the data gathered will
be used by CAE to offer benchmark
and operational performance insights
along with tailored pilot training
programmes to operators.
Nick Leontidis, CAE’s group
president, civil aviation training
solutions, said: “Collecting data and
insights from line operations and
training is key to the development and
assessment of pilot competencies. We
are bringing pilot training full circle by
closing the loop between operations
and training data. This enables us
to further build a robust data-driven
training ecosystem that will support
continuous improvement, provide a
true measure of the effectiveness of
training, and have a positive impact on
aviation safety worldwide.”
172, 15 hours in a Piper Seminole and
40 hours of simulator time.
In stage 2 students will go to India
for two months to undertake a flight
licence conversion from an FAA
CPL IR to its Indian equivalent, a
Directorate General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA) issued CPL IR.
Finally, stage 3 takes place in Abu
Dhabi, UAE where trainees will
complete a three-month combined
multi-crew co-operation course
(MCC) and a DGCA-approved Airbus
A320 type rating.
When they have finished the
training, the cadets will join IndiGo as
first officers on the A320.
(Photo Skyborne Airline Academy)
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091 AOTW Latest FP.indd 52 24/02/2021 11:30:41

Information for
the traveller.
Letters to the editor
Dear editor,
A fantastic history of the Carvair was
highlighted in March's Airliner World.
The whole article took me right back
to my teens in Southend in the 1970s,
where I spent many days in the fish-
tank viewing area marvelling at the
smoky start-ups and impressive take-
offs of the BAF Carvair fleet.
Coupled with the whistling Heralds
that often parked alongside the likes
of 'Big John', it was a magical era.
Dave Quinton, Romford
Dear editor,
You asked whether anyone else could
come up with a song containing lyrics
referencing the Boeing 747, could I
suggest (It Never Rains In) Southern
California by Albert Hammond, from
about 1973. The lyric goes: 'Got
onboard a Westbound Seven Forty
Seven'. I'm sure there must be others.
For another lockdown puzzle, how
about 'How many groups can we
think of that share names with aircraft
types?' I'll start with:
· U2
· The B52s
· (Billy J Kramer and) the Dakotas
· (Alvin and) the Chipmunks
· The Dave Clark Five, who were
often called the ‘DC5’
Andy Butt, Bayston Hill
Dear editor,
I enjoyed the article regarding the
new Berlin Brandenburg Airport in
January’s edition of Airliner World, but
I was disappointed that references
to dimensions were only given in
imperial. As someone who was taught
in the metric system, the inclusion of
a metric equivalent would be most
helpful. Please can you consider this
inclusion for future articles.
Paul Hurdus
Ed: Hi Paul, last year we adopted a
more streamlined approach across
Key Publishing titles, having received
feedback that dual conversions,
particularly in data-heavy articles,
was slowing down the narrative
and copy flow. Rest assured that
we kept measurements in their
‘native’ industry-norm format where
appropriate (eg, aircraft altitude will
always be in feet). We’re conscious
that imperial isn’t for everyone, so
we try to include metric conversions
in data panels where there is more
space for clearer formatting.

Rediscovered
tickets
Dear editor,
I was interested to read the ‘Tickets
Please’ story. I have just moved to a
new house and, in all the sorting,
I found the ticket book that I received
for my first-ever flight in October
1978. It was a return flight from
Birmingham to Belfast with British
Airways and cost £44.
I have enclosed a photo which
includes a postcard that I purchased
of the plane I flew on.
Haydn Greenow, County Durham
HAYDN GREENOW

Trident traced
ANURA SAMARA

Dear editor, spend a long weekend with him. With

The February 2021 issue mentioned
the fate of the Tridents that were in
service with Cyprus Airways when war
broke out on the island.
In 2011, I was living and working in
Geneva and a close friend had been
posted to the Australian Embassy in
Nicosia, so I took the opportunity to
his diplomatic credentials, he managed
to give me a tour of the demilitarised
zone between the Turkish and Greek
Cypriot sides, including the airport
(both outside and inside the building
itself). I have attached a photo I took of
a damaged Trident on the ground.
Anura Samara, Greenway, Australia

92 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

 Post from the past
Dear editor, angle and too high a forward speed report was written in the aftermath, Information for
I enjoyed the replica paper airline resulted in a heavy landing on the which was to have far-reaching the traveller.
tickets included in recent issues – I’ve water. The fuselage buckled and consequences for aviation safety.
been collecting the real things for fractured, with the aircraft very quickly Much of the blame was directed
quite a while now. taking on water. The crew on the at the inexperience of the captain
Air Koryo gave us paper tickets upper deck all managed to escape, in water landings, however several
and I also have some from the three but unfortunately three of the nine recommendations were adopted by
competitors on the Edinburgh to passengers were drowned. the industry and remain with us today.
London route from the early 1990s. The aircraft was beached that These include adequate signage for
I believe one of the largest paper evening in the bay and the mail emergency exits, ensuring these can
tickets ever issued was to the late taken off. It was then sent onward by be quickly opened in an emergency
Alexander Frater for his epic London landplane and, on arrival, probably and that passengers are fully briefed
to Brisbane trip in the footsteps of in Croydon, each of the mail pieces on evacuation procedures in the
Imperial Airways. I have just finished was stamped ‘Damaged by sea water event of an incident.
re-reading his subsequent book in airplane accident’. A thorough Keith Otto
Beyond the Blue Horizon.
Paper tickets are one way of
remembering historic flights and
aircraft. The other, of course, is the
mail, which in the 1930s was far
more important than passengers.
Some of these pieces tell fascinating
stories and play a part in the industry
we know today. Take for example
this piece of ‘crash mail’ from 1937
(pictured) addressed to a boarding
school in Ascot.
The letter was sent from Port Said
on September 29, 1937 and the
envelope carried embossing from
The Orient Line (later P&O) on the
back. The following day, it was taken
to Alexandria, where that evening it
was added to the other mail and put
onboard an Imperial Airways flying
boat in Alexandria harbour, a Shorts
‘Empire’ S23, G-ADVC Courtier.
Take-off was at 4.18am the following
morning for the four-hour flight north
to Athens and Phaleron Bay with mail
and nine passengers on board. The
flight was uneventful until the landing
at Phaleron, when a wrong approach
VIA KEITH OTTO

Gap in the market?

Prompted by Bombardier's recent
announcement that it is to end
Learjet production at the end of
this year, the Airliner World team
has been wondering why there has
never been a museum dedicated to
executive aircraft, given that many
business jets have been preserved.
We’re asking our readers why they
think this is the case and which
types they would have as exhibits?
Share your views with us on
Facebook, Twitter (@_AirlinerWorld),
on the Key.Aero forum or via email:
airlinerworld@keypublishing.com

www.key.aero 93
 Captain ‘ignored
Reports
and details
of recent
landing gear warnings’
incidents A Kalitta Charters II Boeing 727-200(F)
landed at Tuscaloosa National Airport
with its nose gear retracted after its
captain continued with his approach
despite automated alerts, the US
National Transportation Safety Bureau
(NTSB) has found.
The trijet, N720CK (c/n 21298), was
operating a cargo service from Laredo
International Airport, Texas on January
27, 2019 when the incident occurred.
The flight departed Laredo at 6.26pm
on an IFR flight plan and there were
no irregularities nor operational issues
reported during the take-off or en
route phases of the flight.
Shortly before 8pm local time, the
Birmingham Approach air traffic
controller advised the four-man crew
– which included a flight engineer
and a non-revenue mechanic – that
the wind at Tuscaloosa was from 200
degrees at 4kts. The crew confirmed
that they would use Runway 04 and
report when the airport was in sight.
At 8.01pm they confirmed the airfield
was visible to them and the controller
cleared them for a visible approach.
At no point was the controller
informed of an issue with the 727.
The NTSB reported that according
The 727 was concluding a to the flight crew, about 12 miles
flight from Laredo, Texas
from the [destination] airport the
to Tuscaloosa, Alabama
when the incident took captain called for flaps 15 and gear
place. AIRTEAMIMAGES. down. However, after the gear was
COM/SIMON WILLSON lowered, the cockpit voice recorder
(CVR) logged the first officer warning
the captain about the light indicating
that the nose gear was not down or
locked. The crew all acknowledged
seeing the red warning light for the
nose gear position and heard the
gear warning horn – which prompted
the captain to ask, “What horn was
that?”, to which the first officer
responded “…gear warning horn”.
The flight engineer said he
recommended the landing
gear was recycled and the first
officer suggested a go-around to
troubleshoot the problem. The
captain declined both options and
continued with the approach.
The first officer asked the captain
“you gonna go around?” to which he
replied “ah I’m gonna go… I got it,
I got it.” The aircraft touched down
shortly thereafter. Audio taken from
the CVR confirmed that after the
aircraft came to a halt, the captain
said of the nose landing gear: “it
wasn’t down”, to which the first officer
replied: “Should’ve gone around.” The
captain responded: “Yeah, should’ve”.
Having touched down, the aircraft
skidded for 1,382ft and there was
458ft of runway remaining ahead
of the jet.
While providing a statement to
the NTSB, the first officer stated
that after landing the captain shut
down the engines and the crew
evacuated through the forward port
door, stressing there was no call for
a checklist. Additionally, the crew
did not declare an emergency nor
request the attendance of the rescue
and firefighting services.
When interviewed by the NTSB, the
captain stated that he “would not do
anything different” adding that the
aircraft in question had had a previous
nose gear issue which concerned
a microswitch two days prior to the
incident flight, however a review of the
727’s logbook found no such items
relating to the landing gear.
The captain also said during the
interview that he had asked for the
gear to be recycled, and that he had
smelled smoke and did not want to
delay. Neither the FO, FE, nor the
non-revenue mechanic, reported
these items, nor were any of these
items audible on the CVR.
Skin and stringers on the underside
of the aircraft’s fuselage were
substantially damaged in the incident,
while the nose gear assembly
required replacement. Additionally,
an area of the forward pressure
bulkhead was damaged close to the
forward accessory compartment.
The NTSB concluded that “the
captain’s decision to continue
the landing with an unsafe gear
indication” was the “probable cause”
of the incident.

DATE REG'N C/N TYPE OPERATOR FATALITIES LOCATION NOTES

Jan-19 G-JMCY 25114 Boeing 737-400(SF) West Atlantic 0 UK Heavy landing
Jan-23 N275JP 1036 Bombardier Challenger 600 Global Avionics LLC 0 Mexico Runway excursion
Jan-28 N217US FL-519 Beechcraft King Air 350 MM-Air LLC 0 United States Runway excursion
Feb-01 JA13KZ 36138 747-8F Nippon Cargo Airlines 0 Japan Tail strike
Feb-08 9H-FAM 50000100 Embraer Phenom 100 Luxwing 0 France Runway excursion
Feb-10 HZ-FAB 7867 Airbus A320ceo Flyadeal 0 Saudi Arabia Attacked by Ansar Allah drone
Feb-13 N823RC 201 Dassault Falcon 900EX Aerospike Iron LLC 0 United States Landing gear collapse

94 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

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Loftleiðir
The hippie airline

Two Loftleiðir Douglas

DC-8s on turnaround
at Luxembourg/Findel
ICELANDAIR

96 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

 There’s little doubt Sir
Freddie Laker had a major
impact on the transatlantic
market during the 1970s
and 80s with his no-frills
operation Laker Airways,
but the ebullient British
entrepreneur wasn’t the first
to bring low-cost travel to the
masses. Charles Woodley
chronicles the history of the
true budget pioneer, Loftleiðir

P
erched in the North
Atlantic on the very
periphery of Europe,
Iceland is relatively
isolated and has a national
population comparable to a mid-sized
British town. Yet this remote island
nation was at one time home to not
just one but two international airlines.
First on the scene was Flugfélag
Akureyrar (Airline of Akureyrar),
founded in June 1937 in Akureyri, a
small port and fishing town in the
Eyjafjörður fjord in the country’s far
north. Three years later the company
relocated its headquarters to the
capital Reykjavík and changed its
official name to Flugfélag Íslands
(Flight Company of Iceland – not to
be confused with two short-lived
seaplane operators of the same name).
To increase its international appeal, it
was more commonly known under its
trading name Iceland Airways.
The second player arrived on March
10, 1944 in the shape Loftleiðir (also
known as Loftleiðir Icelandic and
Icelandic Airlines), the brainchild

www.key.aero 97
of three young Icelandic pilots Alfreð
Elíasson, Kristinn Olsen and Sigurður
Ólafsson, who were unable to find
paid work after graduating from flight
school. Like its rival, the new arrival
concentrated initially on domestic
operations using a Stinson Reliant
single-engine monoplane TF-AZX.
A testament to the fledgling firm’s
diversity and flexibility, this aircraft
spent the whole summer of 1944
supporting the local fishing industry.
Elíasson and Olsen lived in a tent
on the shores of Lake Miklavatn for
several months, accumulating around The airline commenced
operations in 1944
300 flying hours searching for shoals with a Stinson Reliant
of herring. ICELANDAIR
The contract didn’t end particularly
well. The Stinson was damaged
while taking off from the water,
necessitating its return to Reykjavík by
truck where it was further damaged
after striking telephone lines.
Loftleiðir’s first aircraft never flew
again but, unfazed, the trio moved to
acquire new equipment. By summer
1945 the firm had taken ownership of
a second Reliant and an amphibious
Grumman Goose, facilitating the
introduction of passenger charters
alongside the herring searches. A raft
of other, largely military surplus types
were added soon after as the company
quickly expanded, including the
Noorduyn Norseman, Avro Anson, Members of airline staff
Vultee L-1 Vigilant, Consolidated pose in front of one of the
Canso and the Douglas C-47 Dakota. company’s Douglas DC-4s
ICELANDAIR

East and west to Scotland and to Denmark. Loftleiðir far greater ambition. A year later, then
With Loftleiðir and its rival Iceland followed two years later, the arrival US president Harry S Truman granted
Airways developing rapidly, it was of its first C-54A Skymaster, TF-RVH permission for the carrier to operate to
inevitable they would soon outgrow (c/n 7485) Hekla, paving the way for its the USA. A second C-54 was acquired,
the domestic market. The end of inaugural service between Reykjavík and on August 26, 1948, TF-RVC (c/n
World War Two in 1945 was enough and Copenhagen on June 17, 1947. 27240) Geysir, flew the maiden charter
to prompt the latter to move initially, It was a major step for an airline still to New York’s Idlewild airport with 46
launching its first international links very much in its infancy, but it had passengers on board.

98 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021


Now a fully fledged transatlantic
carrier, Loftleiðir remained in private
hands and as such was unable to call
on the government for assistance
when it ran into financial difficulties
in 1950. Instead, it tried to balance its
books by leasing out one of its C-54s
to Seaboard & Western Airlines.
On September 14, 1950 TF-RVC was
cruising at 6,000ft while operating
a freight flight from Luxembourg to
New York via Reykjavík when it struck
the Vatnajökull glacier in southeastern
Iceland. Weather conditions were so
poor it took rescuers five days to locate
the wreckage where, remarkably, all
six crew were found alive having
taken advantage of the stricken
aircraft’s rather fortuitous cargo of
expensive furs and Swiss chocolate.
Going it alone
By 1952, domestic competition
between Iceland Airways and
Loftleiðir had grown so fierce the
government was forced to intervene,
dividing up routes between the
carriers. Unhappy with its share,
Loftleiðir withdrew from the Icelandic
market entirely to concentrate on its
blossoming transatlantic business.
That August the carrier launched
scheduled services to New York, the
first truly commercial passenger
connection between Iceland and
the US. It was readily apparent,
however, that its unpressurised C-54s
simply couldn’t compete with the
latest-generation propliners in use
elsewhere. The loss of TF-RVH in a
landing accident in Pisa the previous
January reinforced the fact the airline
needed to re-invest into its fleet, but it
lacked the necessary capital to do so.
Widespread disagreement over
how to overhaul the carrier led to
the appointment of a new board in
October 1953 and the subsequent
adoption of a revamped business
model. This saw Loftleiðir delve into
the low-fare market in the hope of
attracting new customers who had
been otherwise unable to afford
crossing the Atlantic by air.
At the time, fares on a given
route were largely defined by
the International Air Transport
Association (IATA), which
governments enlisted to set a fixed
cost structure that avoided price
The Keflavik-based airline
operated six Douglas DC-4s
between 1954 and 1960
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/THE SAMBA
COLLECTION
This Douglas DC-4
Skymaster, TF-IAL (c/n
10399) was one of two
leased from Braathens SAFE
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
ATI COLLECTION
A Loftleiðir Douglas DC-4
shares the Stavanger
ramp with DC-3s of
Scandinavian Airlines in 1958
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
ATI COLLECTION
www.key.aero 99
competition between their respective
state flag carriers. However, as
Loftleiðir remained under private
ownership, it opted against joining
the trade body and was thus able
to define its own fares between
Reykjavík and the US.
In order to comply with then-valid
freedoms of the air restrictions, tickets
for transatlantic flights were issued in
two parts (to/from Iceland), meaning
the airline was bound by IATA’s
pricing for its onward feeds to Europe,
but it now held a distinct advantage
over its international rivals.

Innovation and influence

During the first year of low-fare
services, the airline carried around
5,000 passengers, a figure that more
than doubled during the following
12 months. In 1955 Loftleiðir opened
links to Luxembourg, another
European state not bound by
IATA’s price fixing by virtue of the ABOVE • Loftleiðir acquired
this Douglas DC-6B,
fact it wasn’t served by any other TF-LLC (c/n 44121), from
international airlines at that time. Pan American Airways.
The resulting joint venture proved The propliner is pictured
extremely successful – during its under tow at London/
Heathrow on May 19, 1964
peak, the airline was carrying 300,000 MELVYN MORLEY
passengers a year between the US
and Luxembourg, from where they
continued by rail or coach across
mainland Europe. RIGHT • The company's DC-6s
This impressive operation was were deployed on services
to European destinations
further aided by the airline’s including Amsterdam,
innovative marketing staff, who Copenhagen, Glasgow,
pioneered such sales techniques as Gothenburg, Helsinki,
London, Oslo and Stockholm
enabling customers to pay for tickets
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
over an extended period of time, and THE SAMBA COLLECTION
the 24- or 48-hour stopover packages
that gave passengers the chance to
see something of Iceland during
their trip while staying at the
company-owned Hotel Loftleiðir at RIGHT • Canadair CL-44,
TF-LLJ (c/n 4), on turnaround
Reykjavík airport, at that time the at Basle during September
biggest of its kind in the country. 1970. The aircraft was
Though the carrier had outlined lost in a hangar fire at
Harare, Zimbabwe while
plans to replace its Skymasters, the
operating for Air Gabon as
type remained the backbone of TR-LVO in February 1982
Loftleiðir’s long-haul fleet well into BOB O'BRIEN
the late 1950s. This included two
Norwegian-registered examples on
permanent lease from Braathens
SAFE. The two airlines were
long-term partners, having signed a
co-operative agreement in 1952 under
which the Oslo-based firm leased
personnel and mechanical services to
its Icelandic counterpart in exchange
for profit sharing on their respective
routes to the US and Hong Kong.
Flights between Reykjavík and New
York operated by these C-54s would
make the occasional technical stop at
Goose Bay in Labrador, Canada, but
could generally be flown non-stop.
This was made possible by reducing
the overall weight of the aircraft via
the removal of its freshwater tanks
in favour of specially developed ‘wet
packs’ for customers. They were also
Loftleiðir referred
fitted with high-density five-abreast
to its CL-44s as
seating for 54 passengers, ten more Rolls-Royce Jet Prop 400s
than the regular four-abreast layout, VIA BOB O'BRIEN COLLECTION

100 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021


while the traditional hot meal service
was replaced by a high-end cold buffet
(including complimentary cognac on
legs between Iceland and the US).
Fighting back
There’s little doubt Loftleiðir benefited
greatly from circumventing IATA’s
fare regime. In a bid to level the
playing field, the association
responded by introducing new
ABOVE • The Icelandic airline
was the only company to
operate the Canadair CL-44
in passenger service
VIA BOB O'BRIEN COLLECTION
TOP • The headset
operator backs away
from a Loftleiðir Canadair
CL-44 as the type's four
Rolls-Royce Tyne turboprops
create their own snowstorm
KEY COLLECTION
transatlantic economy class fares in
April 1958 that set the price of a
one-way ticket between London and
New York at £90 – £3 lower than
Loftleiðir’s. Not to be outdone, the
Icelandic carrier promptly reduced its
own fares to maintain the advantage.
This was made possible by virtue of
the airline’s high aircraft utilisation
– in 1959 its fleet of Skymasters were
flying almost ten hours per day,
operating a combined nine
round-trips per week during the
summer season.
The firm had little choice but to work
its ageing propliners hard in the face
of the bigger and faster competition,
but it did enjoy some benefits. In 1959
IATA intervened again, reflecting the
increased operating cost for airlines
that were introducing cutting-edge
jetliners such as the DC-8, Boeing
707 and the de Havilland Comet
by adding a jet surcharge to
transatlantic fares of US$15 each
way in economy class, and US$20
in first. This played into the hands
of Loftleiðir, making its fares
comparatively cheaper once again.
Fours out, sixes in
The Icelandic carrier flirted with
various new types during the late
1950s as it considered potential
replacements for its Skymasters.
It placed an order for two Lockheed
L-188 Electras in April 1958 but
cancelled them before they were
delivered. At the same time it also
openly touted the idea of acquiring
DC-6Bs – possibly from Canadian
Pacific, which was replacing its
examples with DC-8s – to provide
additional capacity.
In the end, Loftleiðir opted for the
DC-6B, albeit five ex-Pan American
World Airways aircraft. The first two
arrived in time for the 1960 summer
season, during which they were
operated on five of the eight weekly
rotations to New York, with the
remainder following in the course of
the next 18 months. This opened the
door for the withdrawal of the last
C-54 in March 1961, after almost 14
years in service.
Elsewhere, the airline retained its
stranglehold on the transatlantic
sector, introducing a 17-day
www.key.aero 101
excursion ticket between London
and New York that was more than
£9 cheaper (equivalent to around
£170 today) than the lowest IATA fare
of the time.
In a bid to muscle in on Loftleiðir’s
market share, SAS Scandinavian
Airlines launched a rival propeller
operation during the winter of 1963/64
using written-down DC-7Cs. This
experiment was largely unsuccessful
and was abandoned at the end of the
season. By then, Loftleiðir had grown
its European network substantially,
offering connecting services to
Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Glasgow,
Gothenburg, Helsinki, London,
Luxembourg, Oslo and Stockholm.

A Canadian touch
The enterprising Reykjavík-based
carrier was constantly looking for a
bargain and in 1964 unveiled plans
to acquire two Canadair CL-44D4-8
turboprops. A development of the
Bristol Britannia, this variant had been
designed as a freighter and had
a hinged tail section that ‘swung’
open to facilitate loading bulky cargo
into the cabin.
Early customers included Flying
Tiger Line and Seaboard World
Airlines, but sales were flat and
Loftleiðir acquired these completed
but unsold freighters at a heavily
discounted price. The carrier deleted by up to 30%. to maintain the same maximum ABOVE • Canadair CL-44
the swing tail and equipped the Eager to further capitalise on the take-off weight. freighters were later
transferred to Cargolux
Canadian-built aircraft in a 160-seat, success of the ‘Forty-Four’, the airline Marketed by Loftleiðir as the – jointly created by
six-abreast layout, taking delivery of commissioned Canadair to ‘stretch’ its ‘Rolls-Royce 400 PropJet’ – a Loftleiðir and Luxair
TF-LLF (c/n 35) and TF-LLG (c/n 36) in examples via a 10ft 1in fuselage plug reference to its Rolls-Royce Tyne KEY COLLECTION
May and September 1964, respectively. forward of the wing, and another 5ft engines and its 350kts cruising
Barely 18 months later the carrier 1in plug to the aft. The modifications, speed – these CL-44Js were the only TOP • A Loftleiðir Canadair
was recording an average load factor which brought the aircraft up to passenger-carrying examples of their CL-44 heads a line of Boeing
and Douglas-built jets
on transatlantic services of 72% CL-44J standard, increased passenger kind and, when they were introduced, ICELANDAIR
(compared with less than 50% at US capacity to 189, though it reduced were the largest commercial aircraft
major operator Pan Am), while the overall range as it necessitated by seating capacity flying across
new type was cutting journey times removal of the centre wing fuel tanks the Atlantic Ocean.

Loftleiðir Icelandic Airlines fleet

Type Reg'n C/n Period of Use Comments Type Reg'n C/n Period of Use Comments
TF-RVF 4263 1946- ? lsf Charlotte Aircraft
Avro Anson Mk II N8016 45254 1977-1977
TF-RVL 4185 1944-1948 w/o 7/3/48 Mt Skálafell Corporation
TF-LLF 35 1964-1978 N8630 46101 1970-1977 lsf Seaboard World Airlines
TF-LLG 36 1964-1970 w/o 2/12/70 Dacca N8631
45936 1970-1979 lsf Seaboard World Airlines
Canadair CL-44 TF-LLH 9 1965-1979 (TF-FLB)
TF-LLI 39 1966-1978 N8633 lsf Seaboard World Airlines
46020 1970-1978
TF-LLJ 20 1968-1975 (TF-FLA) w/o 15/11/78 Colombo
TF-RVG CV-332 1951-1952 N8639 46049 1970-1975 lsf Seaboard World Airlines
Consolidated
Douglas DC-8 N8641 46106 1970-1970 lsf Seaboard World Airlines
PBV-1A (Canso) TF-RVR CV-605 1949-1952
TF-RVM 13057 1948-1952 1975-1975,
Douglas C-47 N8642 46109 lsf Seaboard World Airlines
Dakota TF-RVP 17016 1951-1951 1976-1977
LN-HAT 10358 1954-1960 lsf Braathens SAFE N8960T 45938 1973-1974 lsf Seaboard World Airlines
LN-SUP 18378 1954-1960 lsf Braathens SAFE 1973-1973,
N8962T 45900 lsf Seaboard World Airlines
TF-RVC 27240 1948-1950 w/o 14/9/52 Vatnajökull Glacier 1974-1975
Douglas DC-4
TF-RVH 7485 1947-1952 w/o 27/1/52 Pisa TF-FLC 46088 1977-1979
TF-RVM 10278 1948-1952 TF-FLF 46112 1978-1978
TF-IAL 10399 1955-1960 TF-RVA 1020 1946-1951
TF-LLA 44120 1959-1970 TF-RVG 1168 1947-1949
TF-LLB 44118 1960-1970 Grumman G-21A TF-RVI 1139 1946-1947 w/o 13/3/47 Hvammsfjördður
Douglas DC-6B TF-LLC 44121 1961-1968 TF-RVJ 1125 1946-1953
TF-LLD 44117 1961-1968 TF-RVK B-71 1945-1949
TF-LLE 44425 1962-1968 Lockheed L-749 N9812F 2559 1960-1960 lsf Miami Airlines
N797FT 46140 1977-1977 lsf Flying Tiger Line Noorduyn UC-64A TF-RVD 126 1945-1946 w/o 26/6/46 Reykjavík
N802SW 1969-1971, lsf Seaboard World Airlines, Norseman TF-RVE 113 1945-1946 w/o 15.4.46 Pateksfjördður
Douglas DC-8 45818
(TF-LLK) 1971-1973 opf International Air Bahama TF-AZX 9749 1944-1944 w/o 1944 Lake Miklavatn
Stinson SR-8 Reliant
N868F 45950 1973-1973 lsf Seaboard World Airlines TF-RVB 9760 1944-1952

102 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

Hippie trips
By 1967 the airline’s fleet had
swollen to four CL-44s – operating a
combined 32 flights per week between
Reykjavík and New York – with air
fares averaging between 10-30% lower
than the then-standard IATA prices.
This made the carrier extremely
popular during the late 1960s and
early 1970s with US college students
– including the future US President
Bill Clinton – and earned Loftleiðir the
nickname ‘The Hippie Airline’.
Its aircraft were, however,
noisier than the pure jet-powered
competition and the flying time via
Iceland, even in the relatively fast
CL-44J, was twice that of direct
flights. This didn’t stop the firm’s
marketing department turning these
shortcomings into an advantage,
coining the advertising slogan ‘We are
slower, but we are lower’.
Its five DC-6s in the meantime
continued to provide a crucial service
flying in connecting passengers
from Europe to Iceland, while they
were also employed on ad hoc
charter duties including an extended
detachment supporting Nordic
Christian organisations during the
Biafran War that was raging in West
Africa at the end of the 1960s.
The jet age
Though Loftleiðir had found its
niche with its propeller-driven fleet,
it had long harboured ambitions to
acquire pure jet aircraft, but licence
restrictions prevented the use of such
equipment in key markets. The airline
did, however, continue to optimise
its operations elsewhere. Following
protracted negotiations, it was
eventually permitted to use its
‘Forty-Fours’ on flights between
Scandinavia and Iceland, provided
that it reduced seating capacity to 80
to match the existing DC-6Bs. This
reduced the saving in air fares from
15% to 10%, but it also significantly
decreased the travelling time and
afforded passengers a new level of Loftleiðir entered the jet age
comfort on board. in 1969 when it received its
maiden Douglas DC-8
Loftleiðir did eventually get to taste
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
pure jet operations, albeit indirectly. CARL FORD
On March 5, 1969 it agreed to take
over International Air Bahama, flying
its first service – using a DC-8-63
leased from Seaboard World Airlines
– from Nassau to Luxembourg. The
Caribbean carrier was acquired
outright by Loftleiðir subsidiary
Hekla Holdings the following August
and continued until its eventual
closure in 1981.
A new agreement with the US
government in 1970 removed the
restrictions associated with Loftleiðir’s
previous licence and enabled, for the
first time, the use of jet equipment on
low-fare services between the US and
This DC-8-55, TF-LLK (c/n
Europe. Having already established a 45818), spent two years
working relationship with Seaboard connecting Iceland to
World the Icelandic carrier turned to destinations on both sides
of the Atlantic Ocean
its New York-based counterpart once
between 1971 and 1973
again and leased three DC-8-63CFs, AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
using the ‘Super DC-8’ to replace CARL FORD
www.key.aero 103
 Almost three-quarters of
its CL-44s from May 1970. The first Loftleiðir's DC-8 fleet was
Icelandic-registered example, -55 leased from New York-based
series TF-LLK (c/n 45818, ex-N802SW), Seaboard World Airlines
BOB O'BRIEN
followed in October 1971 and was
employed on links to Scandinavia,
enabling the carrier to offer an all-jet
service for the first time.
Several more DC-8s were added
over the remainder of the decade,
most of which were leased from
Seaboard World. Buyers for the
now-redundant CL-44s were,
however, hard to come by so the
turboprops were converted back to Loftleiðir's success on
freighters and transferred to Cargolux, transatlantic connections
between Luxembourg,
a dedicated Luxembourg-based cargo
Iceland and the United
carrier launched in 1970 by Loftleiðir States was down to its
in partnership with Luxair and the ability to split flights
Swedish shipping company, Salenia. into two distinct services
with a stop in Iceland,

End of the line and Luxembourg's

The 1970s brought much instability
for Loftleiðir, with fierce rivalry from
Icelandair and the wider Nordic
region, putting the entire sector
under mounting economic pressure.
It was soon clear that government
intervention was needed and in 1971,
Loftleiðir was finally persuaded to
enter negotiations with Icelandair.
Formal talks continued well into the
next year and, with no end in sight,
the state eventually enforced the
merger and the creation of a new
parent company, Flugleidir, on
July 20, 1973.
The following winter season a
joint flight schedule was introduced,
and while Loftleiðir continued to fly
under its own banner, its back-office
operations were merged with its
one-time rival. The process was
decidedly slower for flight crews, who
exemption from
International Air Transport
Association price fixing
BOB O'BRIEN COLLECTION
Douglas DC-8-63, TF-FLA (c/n
46020), turns on to stand at
Düsseldorf Airport during
1976. Two years later, the
aircraft crashed on approach
to Colombo, Sir Lanka while
operating a Hajj charter on
behalf of Garuda Indonesia
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
WOLFGANG MENDORF
very much remained in their former
camps – Flugleidir was in existence
for a full eight years before an
agreement was eventually reached.
The shift did not, however,
drastically change the group’s
precarious financial position but
while international passenger traffic
continued to fall, charter work – and
particularly lucrative Hajj pilgrimage
flights – kept the company in
business. It was on one such service
that disaster struck, DC-8-63CF,
TF-FLA (c/n 46020), crashing on
approach to Colombo in Sri Lanka on
November 15, 1978 with the loss of 183
of the 262 passengers and crew. It was
a dark day in the carrier’s history, but
by then the Loftleiðir branding had
all but disappeared as aircraft passed
out of the combined fleet or were
repainted into Icelandair colours.
By 1979 the transition was complete
and the former ‘Hippie Airline’ was
no more. Its legacy lives on, however.
The Loftleiðir name was resurrected
in 2003 as Flugleidir’s newly created
wet-lease and charter subsidiary (the
division took over the administration
of, and later fully acquired, Cabo
Verde Airlines).
One-time rival Icelandair has rather
ironically forged an important niche
for itself using the same low-fare,
one-stop transatlantic model that
Loftleiðir pioneered almost seven
decades ago, an impressive testament
to a truly remarkable airline.

104 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2021

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The MAY 2021 issue of Airliner World includes:
Lufthansa’s Maintaining
longest flight SOFIA
The flag carrier made headlines
around the world in February as its
Airbus A350 undertook a mammoth
journey from Germany to the
Falkland Islands. We hear from the
onboard team and examine the
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Airliner World Key Aero fp.indd 107 22/02/2021 10:24:46

 ECO PIONEERS FLY E2
We’d like to congratulate KLM Cityhopper on the delivery
of the E195-E2, the first of 21 aircraft the carrier has
on order. The KLM Group is the largest operator of E-Jets
in Europe and has led the way in sustainable operations,
cutting carbon emissions by 30% per pax/km since 2005.
By 2030 their ambition is to reduce their carbon footprint
by at least 50% per pax/km. The introduction of the E2,
the cleanest and quietest aircraft in single aisle, will help
to ensure this pioneering carrier achieves this ambition and
strengthens their outstanding sustainability credentials.

E195-E2 ADVANTAGES
31% CO2 EMISSIONS REDUCTION PER SEAT COMPARED TO THE E190
60% QUIETER COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS GENERATION E-JETS

embraercommercialaviation.com
#E2Sustainability

Embraer.indd 1
C42418-009-Embraer-KLM-Eco-AirlinerWorld-Apr21-297x210-v1.indd 1 16/02/2021 16:50:43
16/02/2021 14:40