newstodate.aero
Jun 28, 2011 (newstodate): The Danish carrier DAT has moved its two ATR freighters away from the European scene due to a collapsing market situation.
-After some development during January, February, the European ad-hoc market has come to an almost complete stand-still, notably due to the short-fall of demand in the automotive market that is traditionally driving this business, says Torben Ravnkilde, DAT VP Sales.
-Rather than leaving the freighters standing idle, or operating with a very low rate of utilization, we are now moving them to Africa. One aircraft is already now stationed at Pointe Noire, in Congo, on a limited contract allowing for further ad-hoc sales, and the other will soon go to Libreville, in Gabon, on a wet-lease contract.
-The decision to station one aircraft in Congo follows on the void left by Congo's ban on AN-26 operations that has created a need for an alternative, and the contract in Gabon provides full utilization of the second freighter.
-On the passenger side, all our aircraft are fully occupied during the summer season, and we have just received our MD-87 aircraft back from Finland where it has been operated under a contract with the Finnish airline Blue1, serving as a fast-response back-up to the introduction by Blue1 of its new fleet of Boeing 717 aircraft on its route network, says Mr Ravnkilde.
-After some development during January, February, the European ad-hoc market has come to an almost complete stand-still, notably due to the short-fall of demand in the automotive market that is traditionally driving this business, says Torben Ravnkilde, DAT VP Sales.
-Rather than leaving the freighters standing idle, or operating with a very low rate of utilization, we are now moving them to Africa. One aircraft is already now stationed at Pointe Noire, in Congo, on a limited contract allowing for further ad-hoc sales, and the other will soon go to Libreville, in Gabon, on a wet-lease contract.
-The decision to station one aircraft in Congo follows on the void left by Congo's ban on AN-26 operations that has created a need for an alternative, and the contract in Gabon provides full utilization of the second freighter.
-On the passenger side, all our aircraft are fully occupied during the summer season, and we have just received our MD-87 aircraft back from Finland where it has been operated under a contract with the Finnish airline Blue1, serving as a fast-response back-up to the introduction by Blue1 of its new fleet of Boeing 717 aircraft on its route network, says Mr Ravnkilde.