Virgin + Skyforce (Pionair) - Codeshare Ops?
 

***Hot off the presses*** Air Kiribati’s brand new E2 rotting on the ground is confirmed as booked to Virgin, but via Pionair (Skyforce)

Interesting idea (same as QFA/UTY) except for the part where Pionair’s gotten involved. Pionair is not of the same breeding as Alliance, Rex or anyone other mob who has added a new type in the last 10 years - that BAe146 AOC took 1184 days for those brainiacs to get.

They’ve been madly at it for <<<at least>>> 1190 days and counting since the (in)famous EIS meeting in AKL (search last post). STILL NO AOC? Must be desperate times if they are closing a deal with Virgin with no AOC?

Kiribati President Taneti Maamau told media reporters last year that the Embraer aircraft is draining $200K from public funds every month just for the aircraft to be maintained.

All focus inside Pionair’s “management” is on the E2 project, and the 146 has fallen by the wayside. Revenue flights being cancelled, last minute pilot roster changes, annual leave being recalled and RDOs cancelled, union action, new inductee pilots on the ground paid +untrained, aircraft maintenance backed up, current pilots have no transition to E2 and are being ignored by those at the top. The best pilots are jumping ship at their first opportunity to whoever will take them. And they think CASA will let them add an E2 now? Adding complication won’t add stability, anyone can see it.

So does this spell the (latest) start of the (latest) end for the (latest) Pionair-Skyforce? How could the Kiribati Administration with Virgin’s risk folk be so daft as to give these turkeys a deal after 3 years of proven failure from every angle? Will they finally pay their Skyforce-Pionair super with this deal or will ex-employees and the Kiribati’s remain screwed?

The last 1189 days of “back-story” in Pionair's last PPRuNe's post.

Hmm...someone not happy! The former VA dealt with Pionair, so there should be an awareness of their limitations. But is VA positioning to acquire a cheap second AOC?. With Alliance, Network & NJS/Cobham under the big QF umbrella, long term business arrangements with any of these would probably be seen by some in VA management as a conflict of interest.
If VA paid off the shareholders (who would probably be delighted to get out), got rid of the dross and installed the right people at the top, they could upgrade the AOC in a few months at most. The basic organisational bones are there, and they have some good people at an operational level with plenty of experience to offer (if they are ltreated right).

Since when is Cobham UNDER the Qantas umbrella?

NJS was “transferred” from Cobham to Qantas, that’s all.

Does Virgin still hold the Tiger AOC?

Oh, do forgive me for being sooo sloppy with words. Are you that guy who corrects every checklist response eg "it's not flap...it's flaps" (or is it the other way around)?
As for whether there is still a Tiger AOC, although there is precedent, CASA don't like 'shelf' AOCs, and I seem to recall in the past still needed to see a head accountable person on the books.
Also, it probably wouldn't help much unless the intent was to replace Embraer with Airbus.