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Aviation History
1987
1987 - 0300.PDF
Martinair carries out mainly inclusive-tour work with its MD-82s Schroder strategy to strike a balance between the four market segments to guard against economic fluctuations in any one area. "We would never consider leaving any of the four segments because that would increase our risk and lose us credibility with our customers." insists Allard. Diversification, with a view to spreading risks, is indeed the name of Martinair's game, and so it is no surprise that the company boasts a formidable string of subsidiaries. Martinair Party Service, which organises lunches, dinners, recep tions, and staff parties, is now the biggest party service in the Netherlands, although it began humbly in 1974 when an employee borrowed the company kitchen to throw a party. "It was such a success that we gave the chap a small budget and before long it catered for state openings, anniversaries, product promotions, and open houses", explains Schroder. Another catering subsidiary, Margo, which produces deep-frozen meals, recently prepared 10,000 meals a day for the Dutch visit of evangelist Billy Graham. To cope with in-flight catering on a large-scale, the technology-conscious Margo developed such ingenious gadgets as the world's first automatic omelette machine to produce 1 • 5 million in-flight breakfasts a year. The system, a moving production line in the form of a revolving stainless steel table with 39 frying pans cooking the eggs to a turn by the completion of one revolution, churns out some 1,800 omelettes an hour. Near Margo in Lelystad is Martinair Lelystad Airport, where six Fuji 200s, three Piper Super Cubs, and two Cessna F172s maintain the original Schroder penchant for sightseeing flights, flying lessons, and the maintenance of small aircraft. In fact Schroder, a former fighter pilot in the Royal Netherlands Air Force, often takes up a Cessna to keep his hand in. And, at the end of a long day of flying or nipping in between the routes of scheduled carriers, Schroder can admire the view of Amsterdam harbour from his MartINN Harbour Restaurant. Martinair Trading deals in advice concerning on board sales, product selection, sales train ing, and the provision of company gifts and premiums, while Martinair Promo tions, a multi-service bureau, conducts product promotions at exhibitions, shop ping centres, on the beach, and in the air. The subsidiaries, whose $1-2 million net profit in 1985 benefited from a 16 per cent increase in turnover to $8-2 million, offer the opportunity to train young management, observes Schroder, adding that "they are just a part of our non-flying activities". Martinair retrained the cabin staff of Garuda International Airlines, and six Dutch air stewardesses currently work on British Midland's Amsterdam-London route. In 1986 the subsidiaries recorded a 50 per cent rise in turnover to $12-3 million. KLM's Fokker F.28s are serviced by Martinair in exchange for KLM main tenance of the charter carrier's bigger aircraft. Since Martinair's new hangar for widebody aircraft was completed in Febru ary, it has taken over more of its own aircraft maintenance from KLM, along with addi tional engineering work for third parties. Most third-party work to date has involved converting aircraft to cargo configuration, a field in which Martinair is a world leader. Since Thai Airways sought the Dutch Carrier's advice on re configuring an A300 to convertible cargo/passenger design, Airbus Industrie has introduced the system on all their A300s. The conversion is the world's fast est in turnaround time, and enquiries stream in from Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. Although passengers once complained of seats working loose, "our A310s are now turned around the same day with everything properly secured" says technical services director Han Siecker, probably the world's leading authority on converting convertible aircraft. Under his supervision, DC-lOs are converted from passengers to cargo in two days, while the reverse process, which entails cleaning, takes four days. "It could still be faster," complains logistics director Gerrit Draai, who aims to squeeze still more from their record- breaking pack of convertible workhorses. He helped develop the software for the airline's logistics computer which calcu lates the most efficient routes and provides customers with detailed quotes within minutes. "This gives us speed in reacting to enquiries at any time of the day or night from the market," says Draai. "We can thus create capacity where it is not obvious on the planning board." Martinair's capacity rose by 16 per cent to 796 • 2 million tonne/km in 1986, yield ing a 17 per cent rise in turnover from $167-5 million in 1984. The $9 million net profit was up 63 per cent on 1984 and, after providing for deferred taxes, was nearly 5 per cent of the turnover. The just- announced 1986 profits are significantly up again, at $16-05 million. The fleet—currently comprising four DC-lOs, two A310-203(C)s, two MD-82s, a Cessna 404 Titan Ambassador II, and a Cessna 550 Citation II—was joined by a Boeing 747-200 Convertible in February this year, and a second will arrive in Octo ber 1988. The 747's pride of place in the fleet is illustrated by the huge 747 model, The new pride of Martinair's fleet, this 747-200C is the first of two FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 2 May 1987
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