Malaysian turboprop operator Firefly, which is taking delivery next month of its first two ATR turboprops, has decided it will phase out its last Fokker 50 at the end of this year.
“Our fleet of three Fokker 50s will be phased out progressively with the arrival of the ATRs [and] the last Fokker 50 will be retired on 31 December,” Firefly managing director, Eddy Leong, says in an emailed response to a query from Flight's affiliate ATI.
He says Firefly’s parent, Malaysia Airlines (MAS), owns one of the Fokker 50s and MAS’ parent, Penerbangan Malaysia (PMB), owns the other two.
According to Flight’s ACAS database one of the PMB-owned aircraft was built in 1990 and the other in 1992.
Firefly is replacing the Fokker 50s with 10 ATR 72-500s on order.
Leong says the first is to be delivered in the second week of August, the second also in August, the third in September, the fourth in October and the fifth in December.
Another five will be delivered in 2009. The airline also has “six options in 2010 and four options in 2011”, he says.
Firefly operates from Kuala Lumpur’s Subang airport and from west Malaysia’s Penang island to a mix of international and domestic destinations.
Source: Flight International
