Alliance Airlines has agreed to buy five Fokker 100s from Switzerland's Helvetic Airways, in a deal that includes spare engines, parts and tooling.
No details were provided on the deal value and timeline. The Australian carrier expects the acquisition to help with fleet expansion as demand in Australia and the South Pacific grows, particularly in contract aviation and wet lease services.
“As with the Austrian [Airlines] transaction we have purchased aircraft from Helvetic in excellent condition, straight from operating revenue services in Europe,” says Scott McMillan, managing director, referring to a $15 million deal with the Lufthansa Group subsidiary for 15 F100s and six F70s in December 2015.
Since that last deal, Alliance has increased its operational fleet by 11 aircraft, he adds, to meet demands from a resurgent resources sector, tourism, as well as wet-lease services.
Securing low-cost major components also allows the carrier to enhance the economic life of its fleet and reduce future capital expenditure.
It also seeks to secure its position as the largest supplier of engines and spare parts outside of Fokker, while diversifying revenue streams.
“We have also successfully on-sold several of the Austrian fleet as well establishing ongoing engine leases and we continue to sell increasing amounts of spare parts to all the major Fokker operators in the southern hemisphere.”
Alliance operates 23 Fokker aircraft comprising 23 F100s, 11 F70LRs and five F50 turboprops, with additional units to enter service later this year.
Cirium's Fleets Analyzer shows that Helvetic has five F100s in storage – MSNs 11324, 11459, 11466, 11478, 11501 – averaging 26 years of age.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
