NATIONAL JET Systems (NJS), of Australia, has signed an agreement to sublease up to ten BAe 146s to Merpati Nusantara Airlines. The aircraft will partially replace the Indonesian domestic carrier's ageing Fokker fleet of 15 F27s and 25 F28s on regional routes, beginning in November.
Adelaide-based NJS, which flies 17 BAe 146s, including 12 on Qantas Airlink's domestic regional and developmental routes, will initially provide flight-crews and maintenance but, under the agreement, will also provide training to allow a gradual transition to crewing by Merparti's pilots, (Flight International, 22-28 May).
NJS managing director Warren Seymour says that the ten aircraft have not yet all been sourced, but will be a mix of 100 and 200 models. The first, an ex-Manx Airlines Series 100, has been purchased from San Francisco, California-based PLM International.
All the aircraft will be reconfigured at the NJS Adelaide base, and the first is due to enter service with Merpati by mid-November.
Heavy-engineering over-haul and maintenance will be undertaken by the company's maintenance unit at Adelaide.
Source: Flight International
