Gulf Air is planning to return up to three of its five stored L-1011 TriStar 200s to service, for operation on services within the Gulf, and to the Indian sub-continent. The move comes in the wake of the sale of six Boeing 767-300ERs to Delta Air Lines.
One of Gulf Air's TriStars has been at Marshall Aerospace's Cambridge, UK, plant, undergoing heavy maintenance, painting and interior work, and will be returned to Gulf Air at the end of April. This aircraft was one of three Gulf Air TriStars stored in Bahrain, while the two others are at Abu Dhabi, one of them at Gulf Aircraft Maintenance.
Gulf Air announced earlier this year that it was seeking buyers for six of its 18 Boeing 767-300ERs, as part of a restructuring programme to recover from its financial crisis. Delta has now purchased and taken delivery of two of the aircraft, and is expected to take delivery of the other four by June.
In 1995 Gulf Air sold three of its original fleet of eight TriStar 200s to International Air Leases (IAL), and these are now in service with IAL's subsidiary Arrow Air as freighters, following conversion by Marshall. The remaining five TriStars, which were put into storage during 1995, have also been rumoured to be eventually destined for IAL, for conversion to freighters.
Source: Flight International
