DHL / Air Contractors A300

[mmeteesside]

Any ideas why the A300's have started to transfer to EI-reg and operate under Air Contractors callsigns on the DHL network recently? 4 have transferred across so far I understand. :confused:

[One Outsider]

Apparently the LBA would not accept the non-standardized state of the aircraft. Last I heard was that there were 7 different nav systems or layouts on the fleet.

[dixi188]

I'm suprised there hasn't been a lot of stuff on here about this change to ACL operation!
Good news is that more aircraft are going back into service.

[boingdrvr]

Questions:

Who is "Air Contractors"?

They are flying route segments previously flown by DHL EAT in aircraft that were previously on DHL EAT or DHL UK certificate??

Which and how many airframes are still being flown by DHL UK and DHL EAT pilots?

BD

[hotelmodemetar]

Air Contractors take all the DHL A300 fleet. They have 14 A300s.
EAT crews have been seconded to Air Contractors, and the rest of the crews are Air Contractors already. :ok:

ASL Aviation (http://www.aslaviationgroup.com/)

Air Contractors : Home Page (http://www.aircontractors.com/)

Air Contractors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Contractors)

[james solomon]

I noticed an abr hercules kicking around doing routes is that still in service. Why do all dhl a300's have different systems say a300 x has one system then a300 y has a different one and a300 z has a different one ext

[Dengue_Dude]

The A300B4s came from a variety of operators, thus when they were acquired they had different avionics fits (mainly) but some had different freight doors etc (DIB & DIC as was).

EAT/DHL were attempting to get all the aircraft into one of two different avionic fits but the world changed before they were finished and they started 'laying off' aircraft and crews.

As for now, as I understand it, EAT guys are all getting Irish endorsements to fly for ACL, seconded from EAT.

But, watch this space. I can't imagine all the histrionics are over yet. . .

[mmeteesside]

Ah right cool cheers. So eventually we will end up with the whole DHL A300 network (in Europe at least) operating as ABR? With 14 A300's.

[james solomon]

Do ABR still have A300 trained pilots from when they used to own some themselves

[hotelmodemetar]

Yes Air Contractors have (well) trained and very experienced crews on all their fleets :ok: ;)

One Aircraft is registered EI-DHL, that's original isn't it?

[mmeteesside]

Very original :} I think they had one registered that before it went to DHL so that could be the same one. EI-SAF, EI-OZB and EI-OZC are the others to have come back so far.

Also any ideas what these additional 4 ATR72's are for? Am I right in thinking they will join the single ATR72 on Europe Airpost work (allowing them to get rid of the Miniliner F27's) or are they for Fedex expansion?

[james solomon]

Miniliner still have some rotting F27's at Cologne that have been there a while. Im not supprised if the other F27's join them

[fingal flyer]

Yep mmeteeside
THose A300s including EI-DHL were previously on the irish reg with ACL.They had 10 or 11 which ended up in the EAT fleet so all will I guess end up back on the EI reg with the old reg's.8 were operated previously by ACL for DHL so I guess in one respect its old birds coming home.

[hotelmodemetar]

I think Europe Airpost (= Air Contractors) is the owner of the F27s used on the french domestic routes. They are operated by Miniliner and I think it is cheaper than using ATRs on those routes.
As far as I know the additionnal 4 ATR72s will either be used on FedEx network (there might be new routes to come) or they will be dry leased anywhere else.

[Yorky Towers]

"I guess in one respect its old birds coming home"

So can we look forward to the B72's coming home too?? :E

Best regards and Happy Christmas

Yorky:ok:

[fingal flyer]

Alas no Yorky those days are gone for good.Shame really cause they were real good days eh!

[piky]

Hi Fingal, ye, great days and a superb bunch of people to work with, regards to all in Dublin.

[james solomon]

Will we see operated by Air Contractors stickers on the DHL A300's.

[Black Knat]

Doubt it. Incidentally, most of the airframes are owned by Air Contractors and leased to DHL.

[Yorky Towers]

Hi Fingal, yes, good days and a great bunch of people to work with. My regards to you all in Dublin.

All the best for the new year..Yorky.

[james solomon]

Will they transfer any to Europe Airpost to ballance out crews ect or is it all air contractors deal. As far as i know abr own europe airpost

[FougaMagister]

The A300s will be EI-registered on Air Contractors' AOC, and fly for DHL. As mentioned above, some of the A300s were already owned by ACL, and leased to EAT/DHL. Crews are both Air Contractors A300 crews, and EAT crews seconded to ACL.

Cheers :cool:

[james solomon]

I just wondered

[hotelmodemetar]

Will they transfer any to Europe Airpost to ballance out crews ect or is it all air contractors deal. As far as i know abr own europe airpost

At the moment there is no internal transfer at Europe Airpost (EAP).
Europe Airpost (fully owned by Air Contractors) have just finished to recruit 30 ish new pilots (including non type rated guys!!) from an external recruitment, and nobody will come from Air Contractors... The reason is that EAP pilots are happy to receive four additional B737s (including two -700s series!) but they don't want the irish to fly "their" aircraft out of Dublin :ugh:
Hence they refused any Air Contractors crews to transfer to EAP...
Stupid mentality :yuk: (But I am sure the Irish will take revenge in the near future :E)

Anyway the belgium company EAT is slowly extinguishing and all ex EAT A300 crews will eventually become Air Contractors. :ok:

[MrIkea]

That's not entirely correct hotelmodemetar, EAT crew stay with EAT and will be seconded to ACL as long as the A300 flies... Once they will start replacing it (let's say in min 3 to max 5 years) the idea is that the EAT crews will be rejoining normal operations within EAT (Gmbh, without doubt...)

[Black Knat]

Mr Ikea,
Interesting thought but apart from DHL work, what do EAT do? Surely that is a clue where EAT are heading?
best regards,
BK

[birdstrike]

Does the revival of the A300 mean that loads are once again on the increase?

My understanding was that DHL had drastically cut back on the A300 as the business just wasn't there to justify their use.

Great news for ACL and for all my former colleagues there.

[james solomon]

Are these all comming out of storage to be used again

[fingal flyer]

no most were always operating even with the economic downturn.

[dixi188]

A year ago there were 18 A300s in service.
Then EAT went down to 10.

Now back up to 12 operational at last count. ( but 1 of these is in the hangar for a structural repair)

OO-DID went to the desert, OO-DLY to Orlando for scrap, OO-DIF at Kemble for storage, that leaves 15 in Leipzig.

[james solomon]

I counted they had 18 again the 5 leased from ABR and the 13 eat had

[FougaMagister]

ABR has more than 5 A300s; some of the OO-reg'd ones flown by EAT were actually owned and leased by ABR to EAT on top of the EI-reg ones.

Any idea what will happen to EAT's OO-reg'd 757-200PFs?

Cheers :cool:

[DIRRIK]

:ok:That could be an interesting question!

[eurocontrol]

all the OO- regd EAT B757's are to go onto the new EAT Leipzig GmbH AOC during 2010, they have all been allocated regs in the D-ALEx series

EC

[james solomon]

If there getting transfered over then that means the A300's will be all transfered over pritty soon

[RampTramp]

No quite Jame, the Germans don't want the A300's on their register so they'll stay with ACL.

RT

[slam dunk 4]

Hi DIRRIK,

please check your p.m.

THX

[james solomon]

thats what i ment to close there belgium aoc they have to transfere the a300's pritty fast to abr to officially close the aoc

[FougaMagister]

All A300s will be EI-reg'd by March.

Cheers :cool:

[dixi188]

I've heard all will be irish by 5th February.

[DIRRIK]

They had initially reserved D-regs as well for the A300s...

My bet is that the EAT 757's will get a G-reg. This because of the requirement to get the aircraft cat 3 asap.

[james solomon]

2 more for the irish register transfered over

Airbus A300 B4-203F 250 EI-EAC Air Contractors DHL cs, re-regd at LEJ 08jan10, to enter svc 13jan10 ex OO-DLT
Airbus A300 B4-203F 289 EI-EAD Air Contractors DHL cs, re-regd at LEJ 08jan10, to enter svc 13jan10 ex OO-DLU

[DIRRIK]

and another one:

EI-OZD Airbus 300B4-103F Air Contractors reregd 15jan2010, in service 18jan DHL network

[FougaMagister]

Spotter! :8

Cheers

[Sam Crow]

Super Anorak:ok:

[gearupflapsupshutup]

so you guys saying they are recruiting (holdpool) with bases at the continent?
what are the changes for AMS?

and 80K Euros for ATR isn´t bad for a FO...

cheers

[ConstantFlyer]

Oh, I remember Air Bridge Carriers operating Armstrong Whitworth Argosy aircraft back in the 1970s. What a sight! What a sound! Cue wave of nostalgia.....

[james solomon]

Its Air Contractors not ABC

[ACP-Moderator]

That is what he meant!

Air Contractors was ABR in the 70's and still uses ABR as 3-letter code.

[james solomon]

So air bridge carriers was air contractors back in the 70's

[dixi188]

Air Bridge Carriers, became Hunting Cargo Airlines, became Air Contractors.

There was also Sagittair before Air Bridge but I'm not sure if they were related other than via the AW Argosies that came from Universal in the USA.