Max Kingsley-Jones/MANCHESTER
Airtours International could follow fellow UK charter airline JMC Airlines with an acquisition of Boeing's stretched 757-300 model, but only if its tour operator parent is confident the aircraft's capacity is not excessive.
Manchester-based Airtours has chosen Airbus types for its recent rapid fleet expansion, but the airline retains a core fleet of six Boeing 757-200s and three 767-300ERs. The Airbus A320/A321 will be the prime aircraft to provide growth in Airtours' continental European divisions (Premiair, Air Belgium and FlyFTi), but the 757 still has a long-term future with the UK airline, says Airtours Aviation chairman Mike Lee.
"The 757-300 is being evaluated and if we decide to go ahead it would make a nice fit," says Lee. The aircraft is being studied for "trunk" European holiday charter routes from Manchester and London Gatwick.
The 757-300 seats around 50 more passengers than the 233-seat -200 in an inclusive tour layout. Lee says the decision to acquire the larger version lies with Airtours' tour operator parent. "The evaluation is on their desk," says Lee. He points out that Airtours traditionally averages over 93% load factors and "they have to decide whether they can fill the aircraft or not", he says.
Any final decision is at least 12 months away, says Lee, who says that an initial deal would be for "a couple" of aircraft. No formal offer has been discussed with the manufacturer, he adds.
Meanwhile, Airtours is preparing to reorganise the fleets of its airline arms this year as new aircraft arrive. Three 410-seat Airbus A330-300s will be delivered to Premiair this summer, replacing four McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10s on intra-European flights. "We will bring the 379-seat DC-10s into the UK from November, for the next five summer seasons, and park them for the winter or use them for back-up," says Lee.
Source: Flight International
