newstodate.aero
Jun 11, 2014 (newstodate): The Danish carrier DAT is seeing the Airbus A320 as a strategic corner-stone in its future development.
The carrier has just taken delivery of its second Airbus A320 aircraft, to be based at Billund Airport and operating for charter companies.
The company's first Airbus A320 was slated for delivery already in April 2014 but DAT agreed with its seller, Adria Airways, to keep the aircraft until October 2014, after which it will undergo an extensive pre-delivery check before entering service with DAT.
Covering up for the delayed delivery of the first Airbus A320, DAT has leased back the MD-87 aircraft phased out in December 2013, and the carrier may consider keeping it in service on a lease contract even after October 2014 to provide additional capacity to the ACMI market.
Also in the fleet is DAT's MD-83 aircraft that will remain in service as long as it meets coming EU requirements and continuous upgrading is still economically viable.
-Anyway, the future is with Airbus A320 that is an aircraft very much in demand around the world and therefore quite difficult to get hands on in conditions that meet our requirements, says Jesper Rungholm, DAT CEO and co-owner.
-We still uphold our decision not to grow the fleet that will remain around today's size of 22 aircraft. While we are now introducing the Airbus A320, we will reduce the fleet of ATR aircraft, but instead of selling them we will probably rather place them on dry-lease contracts with other operators which remains a profitable business, says Mr Rungholm.
The carrier has just taken delivery of its second Airbus A320 aircraft, to be based at Billund Airport and operating for charter companies.
The company's first Airbus A320 was slated for delivery already in April 2014 but DAT agreed with its seller, Adria Airways, to keep the aircraft until October 2014, after which it will undergo an extensive pre-delivery check before entering service with DAT.
Covering up for the delayed delivery of the first Airbus A320, DAT has leased back the MD-87 aircraft phased out in December 2013, and the carrier may consider keeping it in service on a lease contract even after October 2014 to provide additional capacity to the ACMI market.
Also in the fleet is DAT's MD-83 aircraft that will remain in service as long as it meets coming EU requirements and continuous upgrading is still economically viable.
-Anyway, the future is with Airbus A320 that is an aircraft very much in demand around the world and therefore quite difficult to get hands on in conditions that meet our requirements, says Jesper Rungholm, DAT CEO and co-owner.
-We still uphold our decision not to grow the fleet that will remain around today's size of 22 aircraft. While we are now introducing the Airbus A320, we will reduce the fleet of ATR aircraft, but instead of selling them we will probably rather place them on dry-lease contracts with other operators which remains a profitable business, says Mr Rungholm.