Canadian leisure company SkyLink is negotiating to acquire about 15 ex-Italian air force Alenia G222 twin-turboprop transport aircraft to use in humanitarian relief flight and logistics activities.
SkyLink president Walter Arbib says talks are continuing with Alenia Aeronautica, which is taking back old G222s from the Italian air force as they are replaced by the new Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartans. Arbib says the secondhand G222s' good payload and field performance make them useful for frontline operations in Africa, where SkyLink is operating relief flights. SkyLink could base its G222 fleet at a dedicated facility at Forlì airport in central Italy. Until now, SkyLink has mainly operated wet-leased Soviet-era transport aircraft from Russia and Ukraine.
Source: Flight International
