Aviation News — February 2018

Euro Move by Russian Freight Specialist

The Russian Volga-Dnepr Group, which

specialises in moving outsized freight,

has outlined plans to launch a European

offshoot. The carrier has not confirmed

a timescale for its new operation, but

according to local press it was due to initially

transfer three Antonov An-124s earmarked

for overhaul imminently to a new AOC.

The as yet unnamed subsidiary,

which will operate in addition to British

division CargoLogicAir, is expected to be

based in the German city of Leipzig, an

important destination on its parent network

and already equipped with dedicated

maintenance facilities for the Russian heavy-

lift aircraft.

Elsewhere, Volga-Dnepr has revealed it

intends to acquire up to three Boeing 737-

800s. They will undergo passenger-to-freight

conversion before entering service, which is

likely to be with domestic subsidiary Atran

Airlines. It is not immediately clear whether

these will complement or replace the three

737-400Fs currently in service with the carrier.

Bournemouth Airport Sold

Bournemouth Airport has a new owner.

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) ended

its 16-year association with the facility

with the sale of the south coast hub for

an undisclosed sum to Regional & City

Airports (RCA), a subsidiary of the Rigby

Group, which also owns Coventry, Norwich

and Exeter airports.

Commenting on the deal, Sir

Peter Rigby said: “The acquisition of

Bournemouth Airport represents an

important landmark in our strategy to

create a robust and credible group of

regional airport assets and services

across the UK. Not only does it expand

our catchment to include the major regions

of South England, but also focuses

operations on a core market poorly

serviced by the major aviation players.”

MAG says it will focus on improving its

Manchester, London Stansted and East

Midlands Airports.

Joon, the self-styled ‘airline for millennials’, has

launched. The Air France subsidiary is initially

operating Airbus A320s and will later bring in

A321s, transferred from its parent to link its

Paris/Charles de Gaulle base with Barcelona,

Berlin/Tegel, Lisbon and Porto.

New connections to Istanbul, Cairo, Naples,

Oslo and Rome are due to come online in

late March as the carrier acquires further

airframes.

Joon is also expected to add long-haul

services to Cape Town, Tehran, Fortaleza and

Mahé this year, using former Air France A340s.

Air France subsidiary Joon has launched and

is expected to establish more services this

spring. Renato Fonseca

New French Airline

Boeing 737-73V, YI-BAN (c/n 32412) has been introduced by Fly Baghdad. The jet was delivered

new to easyJet in June 2002 as G-EZJP and has been flying in South Korea with Eastar Jet,

prior to joining the Middle Eastern carrier in October. The Iraqi carrier is using the jet to serve

Erbil, Amman and Istanbul/Sabiha Gökçen. Ilgaz Deger

Fly Baghdad’s Newcomer

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 11

It’s All Over for

Dniproavia

Dniproavia ceased operations on November

13 after filing for bankruptcy. The action

came just weeks after the airline’s Air

Operator Certificate (AOC) expired and

several of its aircraft were transferred to

Windrose Airlines.

It is the latest development in a turbulent

12 months for the Ukrainian airline, which

has struggled with financial difficulties since

it was re-nationalised last April.

easyJet Now

at Southampton

Former British Olympic ski jumper Eddie

‘The Eagle’ Edwards saw off the first easyJet

operation from Southampton Airport on

December 14. It was bound for the Swiss

ski destination of Geneva.

It’s the first time easyJet has operated

from the South Coast airport and it aims

to provide passengers from across the

region with additional options for winter

ski holidays, or for connecting through

Geneva.

Flights from Southampton to Geneva

now operate three times a week throughout

the winter on Tuesdays, Thursdays and

Sundays.

Jetlines

Heading

for Halifax

Jetlines, a Canadian start-up, will base

its eastern operations at Halifax/Stanfield.

The British Columbia-based company is

targeting a summer launch of flights. The

carrier has already agreed deals to serve

Hamilton, Ontario, and Abbotsford, British

Columbia.

Stan Gadek, CEO of Jetlines,

remarked: “Halifax is the leading airport

of the Atlantic Provinces and we look

forward to lowering the cost of air travel to

and from Atlantic Canada with our ultra-

low fares.”

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