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Aviation History
2000
2000 - 1768.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT Dalavia aims to freshen fleet with Tu-214 twinjets DALAVIA, a former Aeroflot division based in the Pacific coastal city of Khabarovsk, has placed orders with Tupolev and the Kazan Aircraft Production Factory (KAPO) for two Tu-214 twinjets. The airline operates an ageing fleet of Ilyushin Il-62s and its prin cipal route is the 9,000km (4,900nm) link between Kha barovsk and Moscow. For this rea son, it requires the higher take- off weight Tu-214 version of the Aviadvigatel-powered Tu-2 04 family. Dalavia plans to take its first Tu-214 in December and the sec ond in January. Tupolev sources indicate that the Tu-214 could operate the Moscow route non-stop, but with a payload limited by around 40 seats - to 150-160 passengers. This is less than the 168-seat all-economy accommodation of the 11-62. The Tatarstan Government, anxious to see its aviation industry thrive, has shown its willingness to advance "credits" (ie, loans) for the deal, and the Khabarovsk regional government has also promised support. Russia's Pacific coast is heavily populated and the only alternative for travel to Moscow is a seven-day rail journey. Meanwhile, the Krasnoyarsk, central Siberian carrier Kras Air will receive its first Tu-2 04 this month after a four-year effort to acquire the type. The aircraft is ready for delivery at the Aviastar factory in Ulyanovsk and is one of two due to be handed over to cus tomers this month. The other is the fourth for Air Cairo, which will go immediately on lease to EgyptAir. Funding the order has been dif ficult for Kras Air, but the new management appointed by Governor Alexander Lebed last year has turned the airline's finances around and achieved a 28% growth in traffic last year. Another Russian carrier, Riga- based Ilyushin 11-76 operator Inversiya, is negotiationing with Tupolev for the acquisition of three Tu-204C freighters, as well as sev eral passenger models. • Air Caribbean wants newer 737s as it looks to expand Air Caribbean wants to dispose of its 737-200s and acquire younger -300s AIR CARIBBEAN plans to trade in its three Boeing 737- 200s for newer -300s and expand international services with a fresh injection of equity from a potential new investor. According to executive chair man Leslie Lucky-Samaroo, the Trinidad and Tobago-based carrier is in negotiations for an unidenti fied ''large corporation" to take up to 49% interest in the company. The deal would include the supply of three replacement 737-300s. The carrier hopes to dispose of its fully owned 737-200s by November and is in "negotiations to sell the the aircraft to a US carri er", says Lucky-Samaroo. Air Caribbean hopes to use the replacement jets to launch new ser vices to Jamaica and Venezuela by the end of the year. An application has also been filed with the US Department of Transportation (DoT) to fly from Port of Spain to Orlando via Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, St Kitts and St Lucia. "The service would initially be limited to sea sonal charter, but we've asked the DoT to relax the three-month period to fly all year," adds Lucky- Samaroo. Air Caribbean has been operat ing scheduled services from Port of Spain to Miami since January and is now seeking US approval to extend this service to Guyana. The Miami application was granted in the face of opposition from B WIA and the carrier has since complained to the Trinidad licensing authority of predatory pricing on the route by BWIA and American Airlines. The airline continues to look for a leased 767-200ER to launch ser vices to New York and Toronto and is working to restore two grounded NAMC YS-11 turboprops to sup plement four used on inter-island services. It has also opened talks on co-operation with Antigua-based start-up Caribbean Star. • RootsAir enters Canadian fray BRIAN DUNN/MONTREAL SKYSERVICE AIRLINES has linked with Roots Canada, one of the country's best-known cloth ing brands, to form a new Canadian scheduled airline, RootsAir, which will start flying in November. The two companies have agreed a marketing and branding alliance, with Roots Canada taking a 20% stake in the new airline, which will be operated by privately owned Toronto-based charter airline Skyservice (Flight International, 6- 12 June, P8). The move comes as part of a drive by several new and existing Canadian carriers to fill the void left by the merger of Canadian Airlines and Air Canada. RootsAir's business plan calls for the airline to operate a fleet of leased Airbus A320s and A330s on services between Canada's major cities and to selected US destina tions, beginning with Los Angeles. The airline will expand its fleet from the current five to 18 over a three-year period. All the airline's staff, from mechanics to pilots, will wear Roots clothing. The new full-service airline is positioning itself between Air Canada and low-cost carriers such as Westjet. Although it will not operate the same frequencies as its rivals, three classes of fares will be offered at prices below the compe tition. Alliances and tie-ups with as yet undisclosed international carri ers are also being negotiated. "Our association with Roots brings us instant brand recogni tion," says Skyservice chairman Russell Payson. "We'll be doing a lot of joint promotions and RootsAir tickets will be sold at all Roots stores across Canada." • Boeing 717 in line for more deals SEVERAL MORE deals are in the offing for the Boeing 717, with carriers in China and the CIS finalising acquisition plans. Turkmenistan Airlines, based in Ashgabat, is understood to be final ising a deal directly with the manu facturer for three of the 100-seaters. The airline already operates some Western equip ment, with three Boeing 737-200s and three 757s in service. Meanwhile, Pembroke Leasing confirms it is discussing Boeing 717 lease deals with two Chinese airlines - China Yunnan and Wuhan Air Lines. The two carriers are each under stood to be interested in taking at least five of the twinjets, subject to approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 13 - 19 June 2000 17
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