5858 AIRLINER WORLD AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2018 APRIL 2018
impression reinforced by the all-white
fuselage and red tailfin – the result of
its former operator removing its large
company branding and distinctive
Swiss cross logo before the jet’s final
flight to the Netherlands.
The prospect of the apparently well-
maintained aircraft being broken up
causes an irrational twinge of pity. The
four-engined jet had completed its final
commercial service, a fully booked
flight from the South African capital of
Johannesburg back to its Zürich base,
just three days earlier. So why exactly
did the Swiss flag carrier decide to part
with the A340? “In one week’s time the
latest major overhaul of the landing
gear will be ten years ago”, Derk-Jan
van Heerden, AELS’s director and
founder explained. “After that, aviation
regulations prohibit the aircraft from
flying before another major overhaul
has taken place. Considering the
plane’s age of 20 years, it was felt
such an overhaul was no longer
economically worthwhile.”
The A340’s four CFM International
CFM56-5C4 powerplants are another
factor that went against it. The type
was developed by Airbus during the late
1980s when ETOPS was still in its infan-
cy and four-engined aircraft were kings
of the long-haul market. But increased
reliability has seen restrictions on twin-
jets gradually lifted. Today, the A330- designed in parallel with the A340
- can operate up to 240 minutes away
from a suitable diversionary airfield,
while for the latest-generation A350
this has been extended to 370 minutes.
This means such aircraft can fly more
direct routings, reducing flight times
and enabling them to compete direct-
ly against their more expensive coun-
terparts. “So, the four-engined A340
with its higher running costs is now
often first in line for replacement,” Van
Heerden noted.
AELS’ first A340 was originally
delivered to Austrian Airlines in 1997 as
OE-LAK (c/n 169) before joining Swiss
a decade later where it was re-regis-
tered HB-JMK. After its eventual with-
drawal from revenue service, the jet
was returned to its owner GOAL, before
being subsequently sold to AELS. Van
Heerden reflected that, with certain
components on the jet rapidly running
out of useful life, it was a race against
time to position the aircraft to Twente.
He added: “We had to get [the aircraft]
here almost immediately after its last
scheduled flight, otherwise it wouldn’t
have been allowed to fly at all.”
The agreement with GOAL prevents
the CEO from disclosing the specific
value of the deal, though he indicates it
was in the order of €1m. Notably, this
does not include the engines, which fall
outside the Dutch firm’s area of exper-
tise and instead are earmarked to be
returned to their respective owners –
in this case one to Swiss and three to
GOAL. As such, they’re the first point
of interest and, following a two-hour
inspection by a dedicated team fromBefore and After:
The pristine Airbus jet
following its arrival in
the Netherlands, and
during the teardown
process.TOP LEF T • The
immaculate cockpit of
the A340, which was
later stripped of
useful and reusable
components.The aircraft, devoid of all
markings save for a red
tailfin, had operated its
final commercial service
from the South African
capital of Johannesburg
back to its Zürich base,
just three days before its
arrival at Twente.“Apart from the engines,
the most valuable parts
are the landing gear and
the auxiliary power unit
[APU] in the tail, which
provides electricity
and bleed air when the
engines aren’t running.”
AELS’s director and founder
Derk-Jan van Heerden