ASA Holdings, the parent of Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which operates as a Delta Connection carrier, announced on 19 June that it plans to standardize its jet aircraft fleet on the 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet. As a result, ASA plans to exercise its option to return the five BAe 146-200s it has on lease from Jet Acceptance Corporation. The 146s will be returned beginning in the fourth quarter of 1997, with the last leaving the fleet in the first quarter of 1998. ASA will write down a one-time charge of approximately $2.6 million for expenses related to the return of the BAe 146s. Ronald V. Sapp, senior vice president of the airline, said that “We have enjoyed financial success with the 88-seat BAe 146 since introducing service with the aircraft in December 1995. However, we believe the combination of 30, 50 and 66-seat aircraft is the ideal fleet-mix for our company, customers and shareholders in the years ahead.”
Air Jet ends scheduled services
French airline Air Jet has ended its scheduled BAe 146 services between London City and Paris Charles de Gaulle on 9 June. Service on the route had been launched in October 1995, with two daily flights in each direction. The service used a BAe 146-200QC configured with 68 seats in a business class-only layout. Operations under the Air Jet name ceased on 27 June. Although the service was starting to gain customers and was breaking even with 50 percent load factors, parent Groupe Jet Services decided to use the aircraft to expand its parcel delivery service.
SABENA receives first Avro RJ100
SABENA took delivery of its first Avro RJ100, OO-DWA msn E3308, on 27 June. This is the first of 9 RJ100s the airline ordered on 21 September 1996 by exercising an option to convert part of its order for 23 RJ85s. Like the RJ85s, the RJ100s will be operated by SABENA affiliate Delta Air Transport (DAT). OO-DWA entered service on 29 June, on the Brussels-Amsterdam route.
