Air Luxor -Spook's Favourite Airline
Interesting. Had not heard that. Air Luxor have had a modicum of success in UK MoD charters when 216Sqn were "bizzy" and the EU were enquiring the status of the RAF as an civil operator with L1011-500s to FHAW (Ascension) and EGYP (Mount Pleasant).
No problem with the RAF flying military pax but as both South Atlantic islands can only be air accessed by military flights what ho with the civilians who have to travel by them? MoD charters on this route keep the minimum of people unhappy and Air Luxor and BMI have flown the A330-200. [It is 3800nm to FHAW from Brize (3900 on roulement) and 3400 from ASI to MPN].
Air Luxor has extremely close ties to Airbus and they and BMI have "lent" A330-200's from time to time I hear for proximity tests in refuelling trials. I wonder if there is a connexion with the impending RAAF tanker deal?
Air Luxor are very close favourites when it comes to tendering for UK MoD contracts... they are principally a sunshine charter outfit with seasonal deadspots. They used to operate L1011-500s which is a 216 Sqn bonus but their pax have come to like "Slo Mo" in the A330-200 form.
I'd guess Air Luxor might be able to lend a crew or two short-term to help the tanker prog and that they will meld in somehow to Red Rat who are to provide much of the backup.
In the Iberian-West African domain Air Luxor are very ambitious to sew up Azores, Canaries, Senegal, Madeira,Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome, Angola and indeed all the former Portuguese territories and connect onto Namibia and South Africa. Part of their plan is to win the UK-ASI-MPN route and pick up some of the mooted 4 civilian ASI slots talked about since man walked on the moon with an entree into Portuguese speaking Brazil. There is the US military route FLL-ANU-ASI in their pipe dreams too. A very confident little outfit, family run, and in talks I hear with Virgin Nigeria. The Air Luxor-Virgin combo ties in with what I hear about St Helena too, my ancestral home.
I shall now wipe away my tears and sing "Advance Australia fair" followed by "Jammer Meneer" and cook plo with rice tonight. Oh for a Cawsell or even an Ollies but the Vic at Moonan Flat will do.
Spooks favourite? BBC+CSO+C&W+Charter = Air Luxor!! So I'll see them in Alice then? Ah well. Just chewing the fat. Nothing like a good conspiracy, chuck another peppercorn on the fire Mr Bush.