8 AIRLINER WORLD SEPTEMBER 2017
News Review • Europe
MAX Momentum
Builds at Monarch
Monarch Airlines’ preparations for the arrival of its new Boeing 737 MAX 8s are already well
underway, as Airliner World’s James Ronayne reports.
LUTON-BASED Monarch Airlines is
pressing ahead with its plans for the
entry into service of its Boeing 737 MAX
8 fleet. The carrier announced at June’s
Paris Air Show that it was exercising all
15 of the options it held for the type,
taking its total firm commitments to 45.
It has agreed a sale and leaseback deal
with an undisclosed lessor for 13 of the
additional jets.
“The decision to exercise our options
for an additional 15 737 Max 8 aircraft
is a clear illustration of confidence in
Monarch’s future success,” the airline’s
CEO Andrew Swaffield said. “By the
end of 2022, Monarch will have a
completely new, modern fleet which
will transform both the airline and the
customer experience.”
The first aircraft is due to be delivered
next spring, starting the airline’s transi-
tion from an all-Airbus to an all-Boeing
carrier.
“We were lucky in that when we placed
the order in 2014, we had time to be
able to map the deliveries along with the
end of leases,” Swaffield told Airliner
World at the show. “There is no real
overlap, it is essentially one in one out.
We’ve got a pretty ordered process,
nonetheless it is a big task.”
Decisions about where the first aircraft
will be stationed and the initial routes it
will ply have not yet been made public,
but Swaffield pointed to the operational
benefits of converting a base to an all-
Boeing operation rather than have the
aircraft spread around different airports.
To aid the entry into service of the MAX
8s, Monarch has leased a 737NG from
Turkish carrier Pegasus. The aircraft,
G-ZBAV (c/n 40872), is currently operat-
ing from Birmingham and is being used
to give crew exposure to the 737 before
the MAXs arrive.
“We’ve been training pilots in the Boeing
facility and then getting their hours up on
the NG,” Swaffield explained. “We arevery pleased with it so far, it is perform-
ing very well. We’ve got the aircraft for
the long term, the lease is around six
years, so we see it as an integral part of
our fleet. They’re [the MAX and the NG]
very compatible; it will definitely help
with the entry into service and we will
take another NG as well.”
The Monarch CEO said the aircraft willremain at Birmingham for operational
reasons, instead moving pilots to the
airport to fly the type.
The carrier also announced in Paris a
new joint venture between Monarch
Aircraft Engineering Ltd (MAEL) and
Boeing Global Services. Under the
agreement, the two companies will
collaborate to secure additional, third-
party fleet servicing agreements.
“We’ve got 800 qualified engineers
in the UK and around line stations in
Europe, so it is a pretty sizeable business
and it has reputation for delivering,” said
Swaffield. “We’re not always the cheap-
est, but we have a reputation for quality
and I think Boeing appreciates that.
Our view is that Boeing Global Services
will be successful in the aftermarket
space; it is inevitable that when Boeing
puts its mind to something it is going to
make it work. We wanted to ensure we
were part of that journey and that co-
operation between the MRO and Boeing
enables us to learn from each other’s
expertise.”
MAEL has already been carrying out
work on behalf of Boeing at its
facilities at Luton and Birmingham,
including maintaining 787 Dreamliners
for several carriers.
“We’ve been looking after the
Dreamliners for Norwegian under the
GoldCare programme, which is now
called the Global Fleet Care programme,”
explained Swaffield. “The Dreamliner is
a great aircraft and our expertise in that
has proved to be a business winner as
the Dreamliner becomes more popular.”Monarch CEO Andrew
Swaffield (right)
celebrates the carrier’s
new agreement with Stan
Deal, President and CEO
Boeing Global Services.
KEY – JAMES RONAYNEThe airline has leased 737-82R G-ZBAV from
Pegasus to give its crews exposure to the type
prior to the MAX 8s arriving. PEDRO BAPTISTAMonarch is scheduled to
take delivery of its first
MAX 8 next spring. BOEING