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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 2824.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT RESTRUCTURE JACKSON FLORES / RIO DE JANEIRO Losses force TAM into major rejig Recent safety incidents convince Brazilian airline to replace half of its Fokker 100 fleet with Airbus A319s/A320s Brazilian carrier TAM has unveiled a wide-ranging restructuring plan after reporting a first half loss of $63.7 million, which will see its domestic network trimmed, staff redundancies and the withdrawal of part of its Fokker 100 fleet. TAM says it will progressively return 21 of its 49 Fokker 100s to their owners as their leases expire, with the aircraft due to be with drawn by the second quarter of next year. Deliveries of Airbus A319s and A320s will be acceler ated to fill the void. The move follows a spate of acci dents and incidents involving the airline's Fokker 100s in recent weeks, which resulted in the loss of one aircraft and significant damage to a second (Flight International, 10-16 September). This has tar nished the aircraft's public image in Brazil, and reportedly prompted TAM's decision to phase-out nearly half of its Fokker 100 fleet. The airline will receive one more A319 and an A320 this month, while a further four A319s and two A320s will arrive in December. Four more A319s are due in the first quarter of next year by which time the airline will have a fleet of 57 Airbuses, including 46 A3l9/A320s and 11 A330-200 widebodies. Nine domestic routes will be cut, along with 450 staff - 158 pilots and 300 flight attendants - which represents a 6.6% reduction. The heavily devalued Brazilian Real is blamed for the bulk of TAM's recent financial woes. Fokker 100 glut hits values TAM's plans to retire half its Fokker 100 fleet in the coming months is a further blow to the already embattled 100-seat twinjet. It follows the grounding of US Airways' entire fleet of 40 Fokker 100s earlier this year, and news last month that American Airlines is accelerating the retirement of its 74-strong fleet. American's air craft, some of which are just eight years old, will leave the fleet over two years from the third quarter of 2003. According to the Airclaims CASE database, around 60 of the 275 Fokker 100s in existence are idle - over 20% of the fleet. Unless aircraft are placed quickly, this tally looks set to balloon to at least 80 aircraft. UK appraisers Airclaims and IBA say that Fokker 100 market values had already been hit severely as a result of the US terrorist attacks, and the recent developments have had further impact. Current market values have already tumbled by 25-50% depend ing on age and specification. Dutch aerospace group Stork, which owns the type's support arm Fokker Services, has already warned that the fleet reductions could mean that the valuation of stocks will need to be reviewed. "Market values have already been impacted by the US Airways stand down, with future values impacted by the American Airlines announcement. TAM's third punch landed after the first two had already knocked the Fokker 100 out," says Airclaims' director of consultancy Edward Pieniazek. "The latest development makes little immediate difference, other than to further delay the prospects for recovery," he adds. "We will be taking another hard look at the current and future values in light of recent events," says IBA's head of special projects Russell Hubbard. Both appraisers think that the declines in value could open up possibilities for the type into new markets such as Asia, the CIS and Eastern Europe. TAM plans to return 21 of its 49 Fokker 100s as their leases expire ENGINES VLADIMIR KARNOZOV / MOSCOW Ukraine design bureau starts work on uprated D-27 variant Ukrainian engine design bureau ZMKB Progress has started feasibility studies on the development of a new-generation of high-thrust, high- bypass-ratio turbofans which would be based on the core of the D-27 propfan developed for the Antonov An-70 military transport. The Zaporozhiye-based bureau is considering three models rated at 22,000lb- (98kN), 26,500lb- and 35,000lb-thrust. According to the ZMKB, the decision to develop a turbofan derivative follows the successful com pletion of engine trials on the only operational An-70 prototype. "We do not intend to change anything in the core," it says. The Motor-Sich production plant has begun assembling eight more D-27 propfan engines to power the three An-70s ordered by the Czech Republic earlier this year. They are to be completed by year-end. • The An-70 prototype has now completed its certification tests, but the programme also requires a production aircraft to be completed and audited. The first production airframe is close to completion at the Aviant factory in Kiev, but is not expected to fly until mid-2003. MAINTENANCE EVA nears Chinese link EVA Air is seeking approval from the Taiwanese government to per form heavy maintenance on main land China-registered aircraft. Taiwan's number two carrier says it has applied for approval, and the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) has indicated it is not opp osed to it. Approval is needed from Taiwan's transport ministry and other government agencies. "We are submitting a proposal to the government and are waiting for further instructions," EVA says. "The CAA has already stated that they are happy to see mainland Chinese carriers fly to Taiwan for maintenance on their aircraft. The ministry of transport and other security departments need to give approval," it adds. If go-ahead is secured, it will rep resent another sign of warming rel ations between Taiwan and China. China considers Taiwan a renegade province, and there have been no direct flights between the two for more than 50 years. EVA says the chairman of Shan ghai Airlines visited its mainten ance arm, Evergreen Aviation Tech nologies in July, as the airline would like to have Boeing 767s maintained by the division. 12 24-30 SEPTEMBER 2002 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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