Australian regional carrier Flight West Airlines is in negotiations with Ansett Australia to buy up to three Fokker F28-4000s which it will operate on new domestic and regional routes. The carrier is also likely to drop its order for Embraer EMB-145 regional jets.
The airline plans to use the F28s on new Papua New Guinea services, some domestic routes it now serves with Embraer Brasilia turboprops, and on new overseas and domestic routes to be vacated by Ansett.
Flight West has recently won rights to fly three weekly services from Brisbane to Norfolk Island, when Ansett withdraws its flights, and it will talso take over some of Ansett's internal Queensland services. Ansett will continue to provide reservations and ground-handling services.
Sir Dennis Buchanan, Flight West's managing director, says that he expects to clear the way later this year for two additional international routes from Cairns, Darwin or Townsville to Lae and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, depending upon the results of market studies.
Buchanan also says that the 50-seat Embraer EMB-145, for which the airline held two firm and two options, is now "too small" to match his route plans, and the purchase is unlikely to proceed.
"Whatever requirement we have for future aircraft will be a 70- to 72-seat aircraft such as the Fokker 70, Canadair CRJ Series 700 or Aero International (Regional)'s AIR Jet," he says.
Source: Flight International
