Lack of own aircraft or crew or need bigger aircraft for loads

I recall when I worked for Air UK during one 90 minute period when my oppo was at lunch, all had been quiet when he went to lunch, I sub-chartered in six aircraft from such operators as KLM, Gill Air, Brown Air, South East Air, TALAIR and by the time my oppo returned from lunch we would thereafter joke that the blood vessels were protruding from my head whilst I had a Captain on the Ops desk manning the telephones.

I'd hate to be answering to some of you lot "why the change of aircraft?" or similar, providing that they are shifting the passengers is it really that important what type of aircraft or operator is operating it?

at 200 quid plus for a 20minute flight from Belfast to the rock next month theyll have no need for all those seats an the saab

Quite often on an ACMI contract there is a dictated minimum or maximnum number of hours, i.e. one can't hog a whole aeroplane and crew(s) and only operate them when it suits, and one pays for the minimum number of hours whether one utilises them or not, so I'd imagine that Eastern sare doing what is most economical given the circumstances.

I am guessing the lease on the Darwin S2000 is due to end on 29SEP17 as it is no longer showing as operating any T3 flights after that date.

The AIS J32 looks like it will based at NCL until end of October....

They also seem to have some involvement with the Air Canada Jazz (Operated by Backbone Aviation) CRJ that's around at the moment.


It operated on an EZE call sign from LPL to FAB last week but since then I have not seen it on FR24 etc. Perhaps its down there for maintenance?

The Eastern flights for Winter 2017 onwards are now bookable on flybe's website. These are the original T3 flights to operate as a Franchise, this is in addition to the JV on the Scottish Islands.

Backbone Aviation CRJ, is currently operating from BRS on behalf of BM.

No it's not, Backbone don't currently have any of their own Aircraft. The Aircraft in BRS is operated by ProAir on behalf of Global Reach Aviation along with sister ship D-AGRA. Don't believe everything you read on FR24 as they can't be bothered to update their database.

Anyone know why flights from ABZ-LSI are not available to book on BE’s website for flights from 25MAR18?.

The daily flight to EDI and GLA is showing available to book for S18.

Looks like Eastern are planning to combine there flights to ABZ from HUY and MME. From 6th November flights from HUY will operate via MME in both directions.

I think that had to happen. There just isn't sufficient traffic to sustain HUY-ABZ direct anymore & presumably MME is similar so probably sensible to combine them, at least for winter. I doubt the traffic will ever come back.

Will they sell the HUY MME sector? or will that just be part of the flight that you cannot by tickets for?

Had a look on BE website and that sector cannot be booked.

It definitely won't come back at £482 return for a one-stop service from Humberside via Teesside to Aberdeen. You're now paying more for the inconvenience of a stop. Genius.

Very strange move - looks like an SB20 on the morning and evening and a JS41 on the middle one. Related to shortage of crew?

So guess that means Teeside base closes & Humberside switches to Saab 2000 base

Wonder what they will do with the 2x Jetstream 41s and crews that this frees up?

I would expect them to start selling the Durham Tees Valley - Humberside route if it's going to be scheduled route.

Lots businesses and people from both regions have interest in both regions due to renewable energy and Oil & Gas / chemicals Industries etc. being big in both regions.

I've only seen this so far, seems to be the same report as on the BBC website. The Stornoway Gazette makes no mention of it on their site, but they are carrying a Flybe advert and the same advert full page in their print editions.

Stornoway airport plane incident

Looks like NWI-ABZ is being dropped as well from the end of October. There are currently only southbound flights available to book through BE website.

ABZ-NWI and NWI-ABZ flights were showing on BE’s online timetable until a day or two ago

I was just looking at the flyBe routemap including Eastern flights. At first I got excited about all the potential connections off the Anglesey flight and thought they could really help numbers take off...

... and then I realised that very few of the connections work :-( This is a terrible shame!

Think it might be a problem with the website as just looked at there online timetable for flights from EDI and the schedule being displayed is the one for W15/16

ABZ-NWI available to book again

Looking at the summer 18 timetable it would appear that MME will have a based aircraft again. Also the Humberside flight is direct again to Aberdeen, but you know Eastern, things could change again.

29 pax - is that an average figure?

Easterly wind gusting 33kts around that time - maybe a factor?

An Air UK F27 did that at ABZ one winter time, lined up with the runway centreline lighting, commenced it's take-off run, went roaring off down the runway and it was onlly once it had exited the ARP that the Captain came to realise that ABZ didn't have runway centreline lighting!

That was the second incident from the same Captain in quick succession to each other and as I recall he was given 24 hours to resign.

Indeed he did HW, I remember it as well. I think from my hazy memory it either had been or was snowing at the time.

Way higher than average!

Yes, snow was a factor.

The incident prior to that the same Captain had had a hot start, flames out the side of the Dart, not sure if he blew a fire bottle before, he jumped out the DV window leaving the passengers and all on board watching their Captain running across the tarmac :)

Does anyone know if T3’s S2000, G-CFLV is in temporary storage or has it left the fleet?

Also when will the ATR start operating to Scatsta?

That ATR Was back in HUY Yesterday. Seems to spend time going HUY-DTV-ABZ And back .
Some days I think but don't source it's flown to Southampton to DTV From HUY.
Once NWI - HUY - DTV -ABZ.
In answer I thought I'd seen it on FR24 Down at 14000 feet heading North from Sumburgh a couple of weeks back . No destination and Scatsa didn't record it as being on the ground after watching it land there .

Yes it did some crew training at Scatsa before returning to MME direct.

It starts on Mon 13th (yeah I know) Nov.

Does anyone know if T3 are planning to add BE's livery to any other aircraft in the coming weeks and months?. Also when are T3 operated flights beyond mid June expected to go on sale through BE's website?.

Apparently no further aircraft to be painted at this point. I guess schedules will depend on them finding some passengers. Carrying two at a time on the Embraer 170 as they were doing today isn't exactly productive.

Even less productive for BE.

I don't think any of us are surprised at the way this is going are we?

MME-ABZ
 

Also 2 passengers on last Wednesday's tea time flight, MME-ABZ in the ATR. I think there was about 18 on the Loganair.

Concerning the ATR, would they be able to train pilots and carry fare paying passengers at the same time? Any passengers would help cut the cost of retraining pilots.

to convert a pilot to a new type is 2 weeks ground school followed by 10-16 sessions in a full motion simulator.

After that they go into whats called line training which is done with pax in the back.

The stuff that's done in the sim can't be simulated in the real aircraft and the stuff that can I doubt you would have much repeat custom from PAX if you subjected them to it.

Regulations came in years ago to prevent type ratings being done on an aircraft if their is a simulator available. So even if they did want to they can't now. In the past Eastern did used to do some conversions on aircraft such as Jetstream 32 to Jetstream 41. But its illegal now.