Air Universal
Air Universal
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,650
Likes: 0
From: southern england
Whoaa, not a great deal of news, but some this year from the excellent L-1011 site
- http://flytristar.tripod.com/page/news.html
Feb/02 - Air Universal is a new ad-hoc charter airline based in Amman, Jordan that has acquired two L-1011s. TF-ABT (msn 1231) was purchased from Air Atlanta Icelandic on January 22 and delivered four days later with the new Sierra Leone registration 9L-LDC. N740DA (msn 1244) was purchased from Delta Air Lines on the same date, however, it was not delivered until February 22 when it was re-registered 9L-LDE. The company is currently deploying the TriStars on Hajj flights linking Jeddah and southeast Asia. They intend to acquire a third aircraft, N741DA (msn 1245)."
However, not all good news, since the following also appeared in Feb/02 in a number of papers, including this account from India's "The Hindu". By placing Air Universal in Iceland, they may be confusing Air Universal with Air Atlanta, who used to operate this aircraft, unless anyone knows any different!
"The curtains came down on the almost day-long drama involving the unscheduled landing of an Air Bangladesh flight here on Friday evening, after the Tri-Star passenger carrier took off this afternoon.
Landing here after a two-hour mid-air drama, the flight, which gave anxious moments to the authorities, was allowed to take off after obtaining the necessary clearances from the Union Ministries of Home and Civil Aviation.
The clearance was accorded to the flight, which took off around 4.45 p.m., with a condition that it would fly directly to Dhaka. The Air Bangladesh jet (L-1011) was on its way to Dhaka from Amman to fly Haj pilgrims from there.
None of the 42 crew members of the chartered flight, barring the pilot, were allowed to disembark from the aircraft, which was parked in a remote bay at the old Meenambakkam airport. Security arrangements were made around the aircraft by armed ITBP and CISF personnel. The permission to fly out was given after the Central agencies were satisfied that the flight landed here due to "genuine problems'', though it had used the Indian air space with an expired DGCA permission.
Detailing the sequence of events, airport sources told The Hindu that the wet-leased jet from Air Universal of Iceland had the official permission from the Director of Regulations and Information, R.K. Maheshwari, to "operate six overflying flights on the Dhaka-Jeddah-Dhaka route between January 27 and 31''. Even this was accorded with a rider to follow the "promulgated Air Traffic Service routes approved for international operators''.
It all began when the plane entered the Mumbai Flight Information Region (FIR) on Friday and the pilot sought permission to land. But the Mumbai ATC authorities did not accede to his request as the DGCA permission had lapsed. The pilot then sought permission to continue the journey to Dhaka via Colombo, which was given. However, on approaching the Chennai FIR, the pilot was questioned and again he sought and was given permission to divert to Colombo. With no firm reply from the Colombo ATC authorities, the in-distress flight contacted the ATC here seeking to land at Chennai as it was running out of fuel.
The "unscheduled landing'' was allowed on "humanitarian grounds'' after the Chennai AAI authorities obtained permission from the DGCA. On landing, the crew members, whose nationality varied from Sierra Leone to Iceland, were subjected to a detailed investigation by the Airport Immigration authorities.
Later, medical assistance was provided to the pilot and a lady crew member, besides drinking water and refreshments. A ground power unit was also provided to the stationed aircraft as back-up power"
- http://flytristar.tripod.com/page/news.html
Feb/02 - Air Universal is a new ad-hoc charter airline based in Amman, Jordan that has acquired two L-1011s. TF-ABT (msn 1231) was purchased from Air Atlanta Icelandic on January 22 and delivered four days later with the new Sierra Leone registration 9L-LDC. N740DA (msn 1244) was purchased from Delta Air Lines on the same date, however, it was not delivered until February 22 when it was re-registered 9L-LDE. The company is currently deploying the TriStars on Hajj flights linking Jeddah and southeast Asia. They intend to acquire a third aircraft, N741DA (msn 1245)."
However, not all good news, since the following also appeared in Feb/02 in a number of papers, including this account from India's "The Hindu". By placing Air Universal in Iceland, they may be confusing Air Universal with Air Atlanta, who used to operate this aircraft, unless anyone knows any different!
"The curtains came down on the almost day-long drama involving the unscheduled landing of an Air Bangladesh flight here on Friday evening, after the Tri-Star passenger carrier took off this afternoon.
Landing here after a two-hour mid-air drama, the flight, which gave anxious moments to the authorities, was allowed to take off after obtaining the necessary clearances from the Union Ministries of Home and Civil Aviation.
The clearance was accorded to the flight, which took off around 4.45 p.m., with a condition that it would fly directly to Dhaka. The Air Bangladesh jet (L-1011) was on its way to Dhaka from Amman to fly Haj pilgrims from there.
None of the 42 crew members of the chartered flight, barring the pilot, were allowed to disembark from the aircraft, which was parked in a remote bay at the old Meenambakkam airport. Security arrangements were made around the aircraft by armed ITBP and CISF personnel. The permission to fly out was given after the Central agencies were satisfied that the flight landed here due to "genuine problems'', though it had used the Indian air space with an expired DGCA permission.
Detailing the sequence of events, airport sources told The Hindu that the wet-leased jet from Air Universal of Iceland had the official permission from the Director of Regulations and Information, R.K. Maheshwari, to "operate six overflying flights on the Dhaka-Jeddah-Dhaka route between January 27 and 31''. Even this was accorded with a rider to follow the "promulgated Air Traffic Service routes approved for international operators''.
It all began when the plane entered the Mumbai Flight Information Region (FIR) on Friday and the pilot sought permission to land. But the Mumbai ATC authorities did not accede to his request as the DGCA permission had lapsed. The pilot then sought permission to continue the journey to Dhaka via Colombo, which was given. However, on approaching the Chennai FIR, the pilot was questioned and again he sought and was given permission to divert to Colombo. With no firm reply from the Colombo ATC authorities, the in-distress flight contacted the ATC here seeking to land at Chennai as it was running out of fuel.
The "unscheduled landing'' was allowed on "humanitarian grounds'' after the Chennai AAI authorities obtained permission from the DGCA. On landing, the crew members, whose nationality varied from Sierra Leone to Iceland, were subjected to a detailed investigation by the Airport Immigration authorities.
Later, medical assistance was provided to the pilot and a lady crew member, besides drinking water and refreshments. A ground power unit was also provided to the stationed aircraft as back-up power"
