I think I read recently that VARA was taking another two A320s to add to its fleet. At some point they will need to make a call on the F100s, however all the cheap E190-E1s have now been taken up by that other operator, so a natural replacement may be some ways off. My sense is though that once a major mining company that has wants to reduce their Scope 3 emissions completes their tender process, there may be a few moves to newer equipment in the 100 seat category. Bottom line is that for some of the airports and charters that VARA flies in, the A320 will be too big and not capable, so they will need to replace the F100s, sooner rather than later.
‘Then why continue to invest in A320’s when they’re considered too big for the 100 seat market? Couldn’t they just run them on rpt services and have them half empty into the mine sites? I’m sure the mining companies would keep their risk down by staying with the 320 instead of going for another fleet type.