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This page contains an archive of news items relating to the BAe 146, Avro RJ, and Avro RJX regional jetliners built by BAE Systems, from January 2012.
| Index | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| January 2012 |
Neptune BAe 146 air tanker wins USFS contract
Just before the new year, the US Forest Service's (USFS) announced that it had awarded a one year contract to Neptune Aviation's BAe 146-200 air tanker N146FF 'Tanker 40' (msn E2049). This fall, she operated under an interim contract, helping fight fires in Texas and California. N146FF is currently at Tronos' base at Summerside for a C-Check, having ferried there just before Christmas.
[2012-01-03]
A second BAe 146 air tanker is soon to take to the skies. Minden Air is expected to roll out its BAe 146 air tanker during January, and then begin testing it, first by running water through the system while on the ground, and then in flight. Minden acquired former Jazz BAe 146-200 N446MA (msn E2111 ex C-FBAO) for conversion from BAE Systems in January 2009. The company had earlier intended to convert former Air Wisconsin BAe 146-200 N606AW (msn E2033) in cooperation with lessor Tronos but that project was eventually abandoned and the aircraft scrapped, and Minden decided to continue on its own. Minden's air tanker will have a 3,000 gallon internal retardant tank and a computer controlled constant flow door system. Minden has also acquired a second former Jazz series 200, N556MA (msn E2106 ex C-GRNZ), which it will also convert to an air tanker. [2012-01-05] |
Former Romavia BAe 146 delivered to Aviastar
Indonesia's Aviastar Mandiri has taken delivery of a BAe 146-200 previously operated by Romania's Romavia. Series 200 G-BVMS (msn E2227 ex YR-BEA) had been in storage at Bucharest Baneasa since November 2010. After post-storage maintenance, she was re-registered PK-BRI on December 22, and then departed Baneasa on her delivery flight to Indonesia on December 29.
[2012-01-05]
UK Ministry of Defence shops for BAe 146QCs
The UK Ministry of Defence has published a contract notification for two BAe 146-200QCs. Citing an "urgent operational requirement", the tender sets a deadline of midnight on January 13 for offers. The deal could be worth as much a UKP6 million (US$9.3 million) for the pair -- a good price in the current market. The 146QCs would be used to support UK troops deployed in Afghanistan, complementing the Royal Air Force's C-130 Hercules fleet. Only five BAe 146QCs were built, limiting the potential suppliers: three are operated by Titan Airways (G-ZAPK msn E2148, G-ZAPN msn E2119, and G-ZAPO msn E2176) and two by TNT Airways (OO-TAY msn E2211, and OO-TAZ msn E2188). TNT had previously expressed an interest in disposing of their QCs.
[2012-01-10]
After a long period of storage at Basel, former Italiatour Airlines Avro RJ85 I-CLBA (msn E2300) was ferried to Southend on January 20. She had been in outside storage at Basel since the Italian airline's collapse in September 2009. She is currently receiving attention from Inflite. [2012-01-22] |
Airlink Avro RJ85 in international incident
An Avro RJ85 of South Africa's Airlink had to turn back mid-flight after she was refused entry into Madagascar on January 21. The RJ85 was operating flight SA8252 from Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo Airport to Antananarivo. Among the flight's passengers was the former President of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, who was forced from office in 2009 by the military, and has been in exile since. The RJ85 had just entered Madagascan airspace two hours after departing Johannesburg when the government closed all the country's airports. She returned to Johannesburg, landing just after 14:00.
[2012-01-25]
Canada's Conair Group is partnering with Falko to develop an air tanker with a 3,000 US gallon capacity based on the Avro RJ85. Conair, based at Abbotsford, in British Columbia, has developed air tanker conversions of numerous aircraft types, and operates almost fifty of them. Rick Pedersen, Senior Vice President of Conair, described the Avro RJ85 as an ideal basis for a modern, affordable, Type 1 airtanker. "As a later variant of the BAe 146, the Avro RJ85 is a younger aircraft which will give longer life, and with its higher design weights and better 'hot and high' performance it will be a more suitable aircraft for these demanding missions," he said. "With the improved performance of the RJ85 coupled with what we believe to be a game-changing tank design, the RJ85 Airtanker will offer a significant improved mission capability compared to existing, new and proposed aircraft including the BAe 146-200." The two companies announced their agreement at the Aerial Firefighting Conference and Exhibition, in Sacramento, California. Conair has already acquired former Lufthansa RJ85 N839AC (msn E2270 ex D-AVRI) and has begun converting her. She is expected to be ready for the 2013 fire season. [2012-01-26] |
| February 2012 |
Avro RJs to be stored at Manston
Falko has contracted Avman to store up to six Avro RJs at its Manston Airport base. With additional aircraft being returned off-lease by Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa, and Kemble already full, Falko needed additional storage space.
[2012-02-04]
Malmö RJ100 to operate for Sverigeflyg
Malmö Aviation will operate one of its Avro RJ100s on behalf of sister company Sverigeflyg during the 2012 summer season. Sverigeflyg is an umbrella brand for seven Swedish local airlines: Blekingeflyg (Ronneby), Flysmaland (Växjö), Gotlandsflyg (Visby), Kalmarflyg (Kalmar), Kullaflyg (Angelholm/Helsingborg), and Sundsvallsflyg (Sundsvall). Malmö Aviation parent Braathens Aviation acquired Sverigeflyg in April 2011. Braathens Aviation then also acquired Golden Air, which operated most flights for Sverigeflyg, in December 2011. Sverigeflyg and Malmö Aviation have already been coordinating schedules at Stockholm's Bromma Airport, where they account for the majority of movements. Under the new agreement, a Malmö Aviation Avro RJ100 will be used on two flights a week between Malmö and Visby from June 4 to August 26, alternating with a Gotlandsflyg ATR72. It is not known whether a specific RJ100 will be dedicated to the Visby route and painted in Sverigeflyg (or Gotlandsflyg) colors, but given the limited schedule this seems unlikely.
[2012-02-05]
BAE Systems to repair Airlink Avro RJ85
South Africa's Airlink has awarded BAE Systems Regional Aircraft a contract to repair a damaged Avro RJ85. RJ85 ZS-SSH (msn E2285) suffered extensive skin damage to the lower fuselage and damage to the nose gear doors when she landed at Johannesburg with her nosewheel retracted on November 11, 2011. No one was injured in the accident. Following an initial damage assessment and a comprehensive damage report, BAE Systems Regional Aircraft dispatched a team of six specialist engineers to South Africa to carry out repairs on ZS-SSH.
[2012-02-11]
BAE Systems to warehouse spares in Miami
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft has contracted with Miami's Kuehne + Nagel to store consumables and rotable spares to support the growing number of BAe 146s, Avro RJs, and Jetstreams being operated in South America. Miami was chosen because of its extensive air connections to the continent.
[2012-02-15]
Brussels Airlines continues to withdraw its Avro RJ85s and return them off-lease. RJ85 OO-DJN (msn E2275) was the latest to depart, being ferried to Kemble on February 14. The latest departure reduces the airline's RJ85 fleet to eight. OO-DJK (msn E2271) was the first RJ85 to depart, in August 2011. OO-DJL (msn E2292) followed in December 2011, while OO-DJO (msn E2279), -DJQ (msn E2289), and -DJS (msn E2292) all left in January 2012. All Avro RJ85s are to be phased out by the end of the year, as are the airline's Boeing 737-300 and -400s. To replace them, the airline is acquiring additional Airbus narrowbodies and contracting other airlines to operate the thinner routes with turboprops or regional jets. [2012-02-16] |
AirQuarius shuts down
Lanseria-based AirQuarius Aviation shut down on February 7. Several of the South Africa-based BAe 146s were operated on AirQuarius' AOC; these are apparently being transferred to Freedom Air or Fair Aviation.
[2012-02-20]
Korongo to finally start up
Korongo Airlines, the new airline being established in the Democratic Republic of Congo by Brussels Airlines in partnership with Georges Forrest International (GFI) and Congolese investors, has received the final authorizations it needed to begin operations. The airline has been ready to go for some time, with trained crews, a large maintenance hangar at Lubumbashi, and three aircraft fully painted -- including two BAe 146s -- but "administrative difficulties" delayed the granting of the necessary permits. The dam finally broke in January, with the airline receiving its operating permit on January 12, an import licence for its aircraft on January 15, and approval for its proposed routes on January 31. Korongo is planning to begin services in late March or April, initially with a Boeing 737 being used on the trunk routes to Kinshasa and Johannesburg, and a BAe 146 on regional routes. The second 146 will join the fleet later, as additional regional routes are added.
[2012-02-24]
Starbow to add two more BAe 146s
Ghanaian airline Starbow will add two more BAe 146s, doubling its fleet. The airline began operations on September 26, 2011, with two former Eurowings series 300s. The two new examples will be leased from Riva Investments, a lessor based in the British Virgin Islands, which has purchased them from Falko Regional Aircraft. One is another former Eurowings series 300 (msn E3183, ex D-AEWB), who has more recently been leased to Titan Airways as G-BUHB. The second is a former Airlink series 200 (msn E2059 ex ZS-PUM), which was traded in as part payment for an Avro RJ85. Both are expected to be delivered in May, allowing Starbow to add flights from Accra to Abidjan in the Cóte d'Ivoire, Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Monrovia in Liberia, and Cotonou in Benin.
[2012-02-28]
| March 2012 |
Atlantic Airways' Avro RJ100 OY-RCC (msn E3357) was rolled out at Manchester in a new company color scheme on February 29. She had recently been at Southend for maintenance, and ferried to Manchester on February 21. The new color scheme is being introduced to mark the imminent delivery of Atlantic Airways' first Airbus A319. [2012-03-01] |
Tajikistan's Asian Express Airline is planning to start services using Avro RJ85s. The airline was established in 2007, initially as Asian Express Aviacompany; it changed its name to Asian Express Airline in 2011. Earlier this year, it indicated that it was planning to add four Avro RJ100s and six Airbus A320s. Instead, it appears to have opted for former CityJet Avro RJ85s. The first such RJ85, EI-RJP (msn E2363), entered the paintshop at Dublin Airport after operating its last flight for CityJet on January 19. She was rolled out on February 21 in the airline's colors. She departed for Asian Express Airline's base in Dushanbe on February 29. [2012-03-01] |
Vincent Aviation painted its BAe 146-200, ZK-ECO (msn E2130), in a new corporate color scheme. She had been operated in relatively anonymous livery of previous operator Air National since Vincent took her over in June 2011. She was painted by Wellington's VA engineers and Tag Signs Ltd in early March. On March 5, she proudly posed for pictures by photographer Rob Neil during an air-to-air sortie along the southern Wairarapa coast, just to the east of Wellington on New Zealand's North Island. She has since departed for a three-week charter to Australia. [2012-03-10] |
CityJet fined
Irish Avro RJ85 operator CityJet was found to have violated French labor laws by paying its employees under Irish contracts between 2006 and 2008 even though they lived and worked in France. The court fined CityJet EUR100,000 and ordered it to pay EUR637,380 to the French social security collection organization (URSSAF) as well as EUR10,000 each to the SNPL pilots' union and the SNPNC flight attendants' union and EUR233,540 to a group of employees who had filed suit. The court also assessed a EUR15,000 euro fine on CityJet deputy CEO Michael Collins. CityJet is planning to appeal.
[2012-03-15]
Titan Airways Avro RJ100 G-POWF (msn E3373) returned temporarily from her work in the Middle East on behalf of the Ministry of Defence for a C Check at Norwich. She arrived on March 5, via Sharm El Sheik and Brindisi. One of Titan's Boeing 737s is standing in for her in the Middle East during her absence. [2012-03-15] |
Parcel-delivery giant UPS has agreed to buy TNT Express for US$6.8 billion. Negotiations began in February, when UPS made an unsolicited offer of US$6.5 billion. Although that offer was rejected, negotiations continued, culminating in the deal announced on March 19. Integration of TNT's network into UPS' operations is expected to take several years. One question to be resolved is whether to maintain TNT's cargo hub at Liège or consolidate operations at UPS's european hub at Köln. TNT Express' subsidiaries TNT Airways and Pan Air Líneas Aéreas operate 18 BAe 146QTs (ten series 200QTs and eight series 300QTs) from Liège. [2012-03-20] |
Former TNT Airways BAe 146-200QC OO-TAY (msn E2211) has been painted in Royal Air Force colors. She flew her last service for TNT Airways on March 2, then was ferried from Liège to Lelystad on March 5. She emerged from the QAPS paintshop on March 19. Later that day, she departed Lelystad for Harwarden, where Hawker Aviation will continue preparing her for service entry. Sistership 146QC OO-TAZ (msn E2188) continues to fly for TNT Airways for the time being. [2012-03-20] |
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RJ70 delivered to QuinetiQ Former Malmö Aviation Avro RJ70 SE-DJP (msn E1254) was delivered to UK defence contractor QinetiQ at Boscombe Down. SE-DJP flew her last service for Malmö Aviation on March 1. She was due to be delivered to QinetiQ on March 8, but the need for an engine change led to a delay, and she did not depart until March 19. She will complement RJ100 QQ101 (msn E3368 ex G-BZAY), who was delivered last December. [2012-03-21] |
Former Air Dolomiti BAe 146-300 ZS-SOR (msn E3155) has been ferried from Lanseria to nearby Rand, ending a long period of inactivity. She had arrived at Lanseria in August 2010, imported by African Airline Investments, but had not flown since, even as she was sequentially re-registered to a number of different owners. Her current registered owner appears to be attempting to put her to work. In early January, her fuselage was stripped to bare metal. Some wag then spray-painted the name "The naked lady SSSH" on the fuselage in red. She left Lanseria for Rand on March 25, apparently for painting in a new customer's colors. [2012-03-27] |
TNT Airways to be sold
TNT Express will have to sell its TNT Airways and Pan Air Líneas Aéreas subsidiaries prior to the completion of its acquisition by UPS. Under European Union law, airlines cannot be majority owned by non-Europeans. The plan is to sell the airline to European investors, and then continue to contract it to operate on behalf of TNT and eventually UPS.
[2012-03-28]
First Korongo BAe 146 arrives in Lubumbashi
The first BAe 146 for DRC start-up Korongo Airlines has been ferried to the airline's based at Lubumbashi. Series 200 OO-MJE (msn E2192) left Bruxelles on March 27, routing via Algiers, Tamanrasset, Kano, Yaoundé, and Brazzaville. OO-MJE was painted in Korongo colors in January 2011, and has been flying on regular Brussels Airlines services in Europe while awaiting her long-delayed departure to Africa. Korongo's first flight is scheduled for April 18. Most initial services will be flown by the airline's Boeing 737, with the 146 only flying a
single weekly service from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa. The 146 will get busier as Korongo adds more regional routes. At that point, the airline's second 146, series 200 OO-DJJ (msn E2196) will also join the fleet.
[2012-03-29]
| April 2012 |
A new Philippine airline, Skyjet, is planning to begin operating a BAe 146 from Manila to Batanes, an island province north of the Philippines' main island of Luzon. Skyjet is being established with the support of the Batanes Cultural Travel Agency (BCTA), whose director, Mr Joel Mendoza, is also the director of Magnum Corporate Jet. Lionair Subic Philippines will operate BAe 146-200 RP-C5525 (msn E2031) on Skyjet's behalf. RP-C5525 was to have been used by Malaysian start-up Heritage Air, but that airline only ever operated a single flight -- a charter from its Melaka base to Dili, in Timor Leste. She then sat idle at Melaka for several months, before eventually returning to the Philippines. Skyjet operated a route proving flight on February 11. Full services are expected to begin on April 8. Skyjet will fly three times a week to Batanes. The airline will offer a full service on the flights, eschewing the currently popular low-fare, bare-bones service model. [2012-04-01] |
Swiss orders cargo hold modification kits
Swiss has ordered D-C cargo hold fire detection and suppression system modification kits for its 20 Avro RJ100s from BAE Systems. The modification involves installing new piping with fire detection sensors from the nose to tail in the RJ's two cargo bays, fitting fire bottles in strategic locations, and installing a revised flight deck display to alert the crew of any fire along with a switch panel in the overhead panel to direct the deployment of the fire suppression system. These modifications are not yet mandated by EASA, but are expected to be. Similar modifications are already mandated by the US FAA and Australian CASA, and thus both Mesaba's Avro RJs (now mostly flying for CityJet) and Cobham Aviation Services fleet of 146s/RJs have been modified. TNT Airways 146QT fleet has also been modified.
[2012-04-06]
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