Ansett Australia is re-examining its future fleet strategy, focusing on its international capacity and an overhaul of its regional operations.
The carrier says that it expects to finalise its long haul fleet early in 1999 and has advised Singapore Airlines that it will return the first of three Boeing 747-300s leased from SIA when the lease expires in January 1999.
"The view was that while we still don't have a decision on the complex internal review now in progress, we will have those decisions by next January," says Ansett. "It's extremely unlikely that we would have a long term fleet strategy that would involve the 747-300 into the next millennium.
"However, we don't plan to reduce our total capacity, and we've been looking at all sorts of options, including the Airbus A330, Boeing 777 and 767-400."
Plans to procure a new long haul fleet were originally put on hold following a decision that the carrier was not generating sufficient income to support an acquisition.
One of the prime goals of the review will be to reduce the number of aircraft types in Ansett's fleet. The 13 British Aerospace 146-200s and -300s that it operates throughout Australia are expected to be an early casualty.
Ansett has been working with regional subsidiaries Kendell Airlines in Australia's south-eastern states and Perth-based Skywest Airlines, and it is likely that the BAe 146 routes will be taken over by one or both of the regionals.
Both carriers have been evaluating the Embraer RJ-145 and Bombardier's 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet and would either take over the existing BAe 146 fleet or use the new 50-seaters. Embraer is demonstrating its ERJ-145 this month to Ansett, Qantas and their regional subsidiaries.
Source: Flight International
