Wingnuts
30th Apr 2006, 21:54
The whisper is that NJ has put a ‘For Sale’ sign up on Jetex, its freighter operation, as a going concern or individually by aircraft as they come off contract. With the loss of AAE as a long term client, NJ sees its future as being on the west and north coasts, rendering the east coast a backwater. To facilitate the separation, Jetex’s corporate structure is presently being rejigged.
So for a mere 15 million, the price of 1 737F, you could be the owner of 5 727s and 3 146s. The other whisper is that Toll, Linfox and DHL are kicking the tyres. Little’s desire to get into airfreighters as soon as possible is no secret and Jetex would provide him with an immediate, interim vehicle. His empire building history is via acquisition of up-and-running companies rather than starting and growing from scratch. His purchase of Virgin gives him the ground handling infrastructure. The only bit now missing is aircraft.
Lindsay, as usual, is blowing smoke out his bum, but he does have serious dreams of Avalon being the airfreight hub of south eastern Australia.
Failing that, with a share market crash around the corner, it may be an opportune time for you to redirect your super money into the safety of a 727 purchase. With that in mind, VLG (RMX), the one with the bent wingtips, comes off contract in the latter part of this year. It is a little heavy but its ‘Quiet Wing’ gives a fuel saving of about 300 lbs/hr. It can physically take 12 containers but its STC limits it to 11½. ( Ansett put in 11½ but AAE carry only 11, a ½ container being too much of a bother for them.)
TXH (RMV, a sister of RMX) comes off contract in the new year. It is approved to operate at a higher ZFW of 152000 lbs but AAE operate it at the standard 140000 lbs. For a typical east coast flight its payload could be increased 3000kgs to 23000 kgs if landing fuel was reduced from the current about 18000 lbs to 12000 lbs like back in the days when it carried self-loading freight.
If Jetex is sold it could be the beginning of a new chapter for the 727. But not if certain interests have anything to do with it. The last 72,TBS (RMS), that came off contract about 2 years ago, had 24 20mm holes drilled into its spar to prevent the possibility of it being used by a competitor. A buyer might want to consider an injunction to prevent such vandalism.
Meanwhile, it is rumoured that Star Track, a road express company bought by Qantas and Australia Post for $750 million, is being positioned to do to AAE what Jetstar has done to Australian Airlines and mainline Qantas.
So for a mere 15 million, the price of 1 737F, you could be the owner of 5 727s and 3 146s. The other whisper is that Toll, Linfox and DHL are kicking the tyres. Little’s desire to get into airfreighters as soon as possible is no secret and Jetex would provide him with an immediate, interim vehicle. His empire building history is via acquisition of up-and-running companies rather than starting and growing from scratch. His purchase of Virgin gives him the ground handling infrastructure. The only bit now missing is aircraft.
Lindsay, as usual, is blowing smoke out his bum, but he does have serious dreams of Avalon being the airfreight hub of south eastern Australia.
Failing that, with a share market crash around the corner, it may be an opportune time for you to redirect your super money into the safety of a 727 purchase. With that in mind, VLG (RMX), the one with the bent wingtips, comes off contract in the latter part of this year. It is a little heavy but its ‘Quiet Wing’ gives a fuel saving of about 300 lbs/hr. It can physically take 12 containers but its STC limits it to 11½. ( Ansett put in 11½ but AAE carry only 11, a ½ container being too much of a bother for them.)
TXH (RMV, a sister of RMX) comes off contract in the new year. It is approved to operate at a higher ZFW of 152000 lbs but AAE operate it at the standard 140000 lbs. For a typical east coast flight its payload could be increased 3000kgs to 23000 kgs if landing fuel was reduced from the current about 18000 lbs to 12000 lbs like back in the days when it carried self-loading freight.
If Jetex is sold it could be the beginning of a new chapter for the 727. But not if certain interests have anything to do with it. The last 72,TBS (RMS), that came off contract about 2 years ago, had 24 20mm holes drilled into its spar to prevent the possibility of it being used by a competitor. A buyer might want to consider an injunction to prevent such vandalism.
Meanwhile, it is rumoured that Star Track, a road express company bought by Qantas and Australia Post for $750 million, is being positioned to do to AAE what Jetstar has done to Australian Airlines and mainline Qantas.