EUROPEAN AIRLINE SCENE - WEEK ENDING 29-08-09
The information in this blog comes from a variety of sources, though particular credit must be given to the following sites, both of which are very highly recommended.
Chris Witt/Skyliner
http://www.skyliner-aviation.de/
Jethro/UK & Ireland Airline Fleet Listings
http://jethros.eu/
Aeroflot-Don B734 VQ-BAN (25113) en route from Antalya operating DNV3148 made a hard landing at Chelyabinsk on 22/8 resulting in a tail strike. Reports indicate that the aircraft received substantial damage.
Aer Lingus A332 EI-EWR (330) became PK-YVI & left Shannon all white on 24/8 on delivery to Batavia at Jakarta. A333 EI-JFK (086) was ferried from Chateauroux to Bordeaux on 28/8 for painting for Vladivostok Avia.
Aeromexico B763 XA-MIR (24849) became N125RD with Ryan International on 17/8 & was delivered from San Bernardino, CA to Chicago/Rockford, IL the following day.
Afriqiyah A319 5A-ONI (4004) was delivered to Tripoli on 24/8
Air India B773 VT-ALQ (36315) made its first flight on 21/8. VT-ALP (36314) was delivered to Delhi on 25/8.
Alitalia. Some of the airline's former MD-82s that were sold to Safair are finding their way to African Express A/W. I-DAWQ (49207) has become 5Y-AXN & was noted in service at Dubai on 27/8, while I-DAWL (49204) is due to become 5Y-AXL & is to be delivered from Upington to Nairobi on 10/9 & will be followed by I-DAWP (49026) as 5Y-AXO in October.
Astraeus is reporting on its website that it will be adding an A320 to its fleet. The registration G-STRP is quoted & the airline shows it as being the former Clickair machine EC-GRF (0136), which is currently stored at Kemble, & delivery to the airline is expected to happen in October.
Atlant-Soyuz B738 VQ-BBS (32779) was delivered from Chateauroux to Moscow/Vnukovo on 21/8. This aircraft was formerly with Ryanair as EI-CSY. Flightglobal reports that the airline has converted a LoI, signed at the Paris Air Show, for thirty An-148s & fifteen Tu-204SMs into firm orders. With deliveries to be completed in three batches before 2013, the An-148s will comprise fifteen baseline models due in the next two years, ten stretched An-148-200s in 2012 & five VIP models in 2011/12. Of the Tu-204SMs ordered, eight are to be supplied in 2011 & the remaining seven in 2012.
Atlantic A/W B462 OY-RCW (E2115) was restored to the UK register as G-BRXT on 26/8. It is currently stored at Kemble. Austrian A/L. The EU Commission has approved Lufthansa's takeover of the airline, with certain provisos.
Austrian Arrows has returned DHC-8 OE-LTK (483) to Bombardier. It was reregistered C-GRAI & left Innsbruck on 27/8 routing to Canada via Prestwick & Reykjavik.
BMI. The airline's former A320 G-MIDZ (0934), which left East Midlands for Goodyear, AZ on 30/6 & became N934BV, has now been registered HC-CID with TAME. Also see under Lufthansa.
British A/W A318 G-EUNA (4007) was delivered from Finkenwerder to Gatwick on 28/8. It will remain there until the morning of 3/9 when it will depart to RAF Lyneham for a couple of days of circuit bashing after which it will ferry to London City for additional weekend circuit work. Also see under Lufthansa.
Cathay Pacific Cargo B742F B-HVX (24568) left Hong Kong on 24/8 for storage at Victorville, CA.
CityJet. See under VLM.
Contactair Fk100 D-AFKE (11505) was ferried from Amsterdam to Saarbrucken still as PH-MJP on 21/8.
EasyJet B737 G-EZJS (32414) operated its final revenue service as EZY2334 from Krakow to Luton on 23/8 & was then ferried to Southend later the same day as EZY8001 on return to the lessor. G-EZJF (30243) was cancelled from the UK register on 25/8 & was registered to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest as N243CL the following day (currently at Stansted in Aerolineas Argentinas scheme). A320 G-EZTN (4006) was delivered from Toulouse to Gatwick on 26/8. The airline has appointed BAe Systems to resell its four remaining A321 inherited from GB A/W (G-TTIC/D/E/F) & these will be available for delivery during September & October. It would appear that these may be replaced by an unknown number of new A321s, starting with MSNs 4148 & 4155.
Emirates B773 A6-ECT (35591) left Paine Field, WA on 26/8 on delivery to Dubai.
Flybe DHC-8 G-JECV (4148) was ferried from Manchester to Norwich on 23/8 for painting into Olympic Air scheme, with whom it is due to become SX-BIT. Also see under Lufthansa.
Hellas Aviation's Fk50s will shortly be registered SX-BRM (20207 ex PH-KVF), SX-BRS (20206 ex PH-KVE) & SX-BRT (20230 ex 5B-DCB) joining SX-BRV (20199 ex PH-ZDI). With thanks to http://athensairport.blogspot.com/
Iberia A321 EC-JZM (2996) has been painted into a special scheme to promote Madrid's bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games (see photo on the Skyliner site). A346 F-WWCG (960) was ferried from Toulouse to Lourdes on 27/8 in full Iberia scheme for 12 to 18 months storage, joining F-WWCS (1017), while the other undelivered A346, F-WWCK (993), remains at Toulouse. Also still stored at Toulouse are A320s F-WWIP (3882) & F-WWBI (3952). The airline announced on 28/8 that it is to ground a further three aircraft in addition those already taken out of service.
JAL B773 JA741J (36128) made its first flight on 21/8.
KLM B773 PH-BVD (35979) left the USA on delivery to Amsterdam in Sky Team colours on 24/8. B734 PH-BDY (24959) was ferried from Amsterdam to Norwich on 24/8 prior to return to the lessor.
KLM Cityhopper. See under Miniliner.
LOT took delivery of no less than three more EMB175s at Warsaw this week. SP-LIG (17000283) was delivered on 27/8, with SP-LIH (17000288) & SP-LII (17000290) both arriving the following day. The airline has a further nine EMB175s on order with one aircraft due in November, four more next year & the final four in 2011.
Lufthansa A321 D-AISU (4016) made its first flight on 20/8 as D-AVZF & was delivered from Finkenwerder to Munich on 28/8. The Times reports that Lufthansa may have to sell BMI in order to raise cash following a threat from Standard & Poors to downgrade its credit rating. The paper also reports that Lufthansa has held preliminary talks with Virgin Atlantic about a sale of BMI or a merger of the two airlines. A sale to British A/W of some of BMI's slots at LHR is also under consideration, while BMI's regional operations could be sold to Flybe. Also see under Austrian A/L.
Miniliner. Former KLM Cityhopper Fk50 I-MLDT (20197 ex PH-KVD) arrived at Charleroi on 27/8 following freighter conversion at Centennial Airport, Denver, CO.
MK A/L B742F G-MKHA (23071) was due to ferry from N'djamena to Kemble for scrapping on 26/8, but diverted to East Midlands due to poor weather, completing its journey on 28/8. It joins G-MKCA (22482) & G-MKGA (21650) at the Gloucestershire airfield. With G-MKJA (22477) stored at Manston & G-MKAA (22169), G-MKDA (22486), G-MKEA (22237) & G-MKFA (21841) all stored at Bristol/Filton, this only leaves G-MKBA (22481) & G-MKKA (21940) in service.
Norwegian Air Shuttle B738 LN-DYA (39162) arrived at Oslo/Gardermoen on delivery on 22/8.
Olympic Air DHC-8 SX-OBA (4267 ex G-PTHA) left Norwich on delivery on 23/8 bound for Athens via Corfu. A320 SX-OAQ (3748) was ferried from Toulouse to Dinard on 26/8 for painting into Olympic Air scheme & was joined the same day by SX-OAR (3812), which arrived from Finkenwerder.
Pegasus B738 TC-AAN (38173) arrived at Istanbul on delivery on 28/8.
Primera Air B737 TF-JXG (28210) had been reregistered as OY-PSG by 27/8.
Qantas A388 VH-OQD (026) left Toulouse on delivery on 22/8. This will take the total number of A388s in commercial service to eighteen.
Ryanair B738 EI-EFS (37542) made its first flight on 24/8, followed by EI-EFT (37543) on 26/8. Also see under Atlant-Soyuz.
Strategic A/L A320 F-GSTS (0420) was delivered from Toulouse to Le Bourget on 28/8.
Swiftair MD-83 EC-JJS (49793) left Madrid on 26/8 bound for Khartoum & UN operations.
Swiss International A333 HB-JHD (1026) was delivered to Zurich on 26/8.
Thomas Cook will lease seven aircraft to Skyservice this winter & the planned departure dates from the UK are:
12/10 - A320 G-TCAC (1411)
28/10 - A320 G-KKAZ (2003) & B752 G-WJAN (28674)
11/12 - A320s G-DHJZ (1965) & G-SUEW (1961) plus B752s G-FCLA (27621) & G-FCLD (28718)
It is thought that four A320s & six B752s come to the end of their leases prior to the start of the summer 2010 season.
Titan A/W is due to take an ex Skymark A/L B763 on a seven-year lease from December this year & the registration G-POWD has been reserved.
Ukraine International B738 UR-PSB (29654) made its first flight on 25/8.
United A/L B744 N194UA (26892) was ferried from San Francisco, CA to Victorville, CA for storage on 25/8.
UT Air took delivery of yet another former Continental B735 at Khanty-Mansiysk on 26/8, namely VP-BXQ (27315 ex N69602).
Virgin Atlantic. See under Lufthansa.
Vladivostok Avia. See under Aer Lingus.
VLM Fk50 OO-VLQ (20159) was ferried from Norwich to Antwerp on 25/8 following painting into CityJet scheme. Presumably, the remainder of the fleet will also be repainted as, following the merger of the two airlines, the VLM name is to disappear. A shame since the CityJet scheme is very uninspiring.
Yakutia announced an order for two Sukhoi Superjet 100s this week, with the first due to enter service in February 2011.