newstodate.aero
Jan 30, 2015 (newstodate): The Swedish/British carrier West Atlantic expects to finally place its first Boeing 767 freighter on commercial service from Q1 this year.
-It has indeed been a very prolonged and complicated process to receive all pertinent permits and having the aircraft registered, says Russell Ladkin, West Atlantic Marketing & Sales Director.
-Initially, our plans were to place the aircraft with our UK airline company and much time and effort was invested in the procedures with the UK civil aviation authority. In the end, the process was overly stretched and a decision was then made by West Atlantic to abrogate the process with the UK authority and place the aircraft with our Swedish airline instead.
-Although all EU civil aviation authorities work on the basis of a common set of regulations as put down by EASA, our experience has proved that there is indeed a wide difference in how national aviation authorities actually approach and handle the issues.
-Suffice it to say that here in Sweden we are actually considered to be customers with the aviation authority, which was certainly not the case with the British authorities. Here things are moving forward to secure a fast and competent handling of issues, the communication is easy and fast-flowing and it seems that both sides share a common interest in securing the best conditions for businesses.
-So we now expect to see the completion of the process and the registration of our first Boeing 767-200F aircraft very soon, presumably by week 11 or 12, and plans are to add two or three more aircraft per year, ending up with a fleet around six Boeing 767-200 and 767-300 freighters in about two years from now.
-The Boeing 767-200F aircraft will probably be contracted on an ACMI basis to operate for integrators across Europe while the Boeing 767-300F, with its longer range capabilities, may be operating on longer lanes also outside Europe, says Mr Russell.
-It has indeed been a very prolonged and complicated process to receive all pertinent permits and having the aircraft registered, says Russell Ladkin, West Atlantic Marketing & Sales Director.
-Initially, our plans were to place the aircraft with our UK airline company and much time and effort was invested in the procedures with the UK civil aviation authority. In the end, the process was overly stretched and a decision was then made by West Atlantic to abrogate the process with the UK authority and place the aircraft with our Swedish airline instead.
-Although all EU civil aviation authorities work on the basis of a common set of regulations as put down by EASA, our experience has proved that there is indeed a wide difference in how national aviation authorities actually approach and handle the issues.
-Suffice it to say that here in Sweden we are actually considered to be customers with the aviation authority, which was certainly not the case with the British authorities. Here things are moving forward to secure a fast and competent handling of issues, the communication is easy and fast-flowing and it seems that both sides share a common interest in securing the best conditions for businesses.
-So we now expect to see the completion of the process and the registration of our first Boeing 767-200F aircraft very soon, presumably by week 11 or 12, and plans are to add two or three more aircraft per year, ending up with a fleet around six Boeing 767-200 and 767-300 freighters in about two years from now.
-The Boeing 767-200F aircraft will probably be contracted on an ACMI basis to operate for integrators across Europe while the Boeing 767-300F, with its longer range capabilities, may be operating on longer lanes also outside Europe, says Mr Russell.