All information posted here is believed to be correct, but without any guarantees. If you have any corrections or comments, please e-mail them to Ryosuke Yano.
December 13, 1999
On December 2, 1999, Miami-based aircraft leasing company Custom Air Support Holdings announced that they have acquired 24 former Saudi Arabian aircraft. This deal included 16 L-1011-200s and eight Boeing 737-200s. Although the value of the deal was unannounced, it is estimated to have been around $500 million.
Ryan International Airlines has wet-leased two L-1011s from TradeWinds Airlines. They will be used on ad-hoc and charter flights in North America through this winter season.
Air Scandic has returned L-1011-1 EI-CNN (msn 1024) to Aer Turas. The UK-based charter airline reported that they are interested in leasing further TriStars next summer. It is likely that the same aircraft will be included in the fleet again.
Novair has received their first Airbus A330-200. Two more will be delivered in 2000. Therefore, the retirement of L-1011s will start shortly. SE-DVX (msn 1183) will be retired by the end of the year.
November 25, 1999
Air Luxor will acquire a TriStar 500 in June 2000. The aircraft involved will be L-1011-500 SE-DVI (msn 1248) and it will come via Cabot Aviation. The aircraft is currently leased to Novair. It will be re-registered CS-TMP after it undergoes maintenance at Lisbon. However, the sole L-1011 currently leased will be returned to the lessor, Air Madeira, by the end of November this year.
Aero Continente of Peru is will be leasing two TriStars for international expansion. One is L-1011-100 P4-JAB (msn 1215), which will be leased from Jet Aircraft Leasings and the other is L-1011-100 TF-ABD (msn 1221), which will be leased from Air Atlanta Iceland.
Although Custom Air Support has not acquired the former Saudi Arabian L-1011-200s yet, they have made clear that they will only acquire 16 TriStars, instead of 17, as previously mentioned. The aircraft that won't be involved in the purchase is HZ-AHQ (msn 1192).
Novair's L-1011 retirement dates are as follows. SE-DVF (msn 1241) in April 2000, SE-DVI (msn 1248) in May 2000 and SE-DVX (msn 1183) by the end of this year. They are planned to undergo maintenance at Lisbon when they are retired.
November 10, 1999
Aero Continente of Peru will commence L-1011 flights between Lima and Miami on November 17. A Boeing 757-200 leased from Air 2000 will also be used on this route. Currently, the airline only operates one L-1011, but they are to lease a further two, and within a year the service is planned to go daily.
In the first week of November, Caledonian retired all of their L-1011s. For complete information and details, please see the Caledonian L-1011 Farewell page which was posted on November 10.
Kitty Hawk has regenerated a sole passenger L-1011. The aircraft involved is L-1011-200 N108CK (msn 1204). Rumor has it that the airline has recommenced passenger charter operations.
Custom Air has made its deposit for 17 former Saudi Arabian L-1011s, but the final contract is yet to be signed. Delivery is expected to start by 2000.
November 1, 1999
Air Transat will have all of their L-1011s wear the new scheme by November, except for C-FTNG, C-GTSK and C-GTSX. C-FTNG is planned for overhaul in Spring 2000, and the two others are destined to retire next year.
TradeWinds Airlines have reduced their L-1011 fleet to just four aircraft. All five phased out were returned to the lessor, Interlease Aviation. They have been put into storage.
Correction. Concerning the Saudia/Custom Air L-1011 sale, the deposit has been made by Custom Air, but the final contract is yet to be signed. Delivery is expected to commence in Winter 1999.
Canadian Aerospace Services has delayed, or canceled the purchase of L-1011-200 HZ-AHO (msn 1187) from Custom Air Support.
October 25, 1999
There is a rumor that Kitty Hawk International is planning to trade a pair of L-1011-200s for a trio of L-1011-100Fs. The 2 L-1011-200s are N108CK (msn 1204) and N109CK (msn 1205) which are currently in storage at Oscoda, Michigan. This is likely to be just a rumor since L-1011-100Fs don't exist.
All four Caledonian L-1011s will be held for remarketing by Fortis Aviation. The leasing company also offers some former TWA TriStars which are for sale and it is imminent that the Caledonian ones will also be put up for sale also.
October 13, 1999
Lockheed Martin Aircraft and Logistics Centers (LMALC) have received an official go-ahead for converting L-1011s to freighters. The launch customer is Intercapital of London who will purchase 13 former Delta L-1011-1s and convert all of them to cargo configuration. The conversion facility will be located in Greenville, South Carolina.
Novair has deferred the L-1011 retirement dates. The new dates are as follows: SE-DVF (msn 1241) in March 2000, SE-DVI (msn 1248) in May 2000 and SE-DVX (msn 1183) in November 1999. When they are retired, they will immediately be ferried to Lisbon for maintenance.
Air Luxor will acquire a second L-1011-500. The aircraft is SE-DVI (msn 1248) which is currently in service with Novair. It will be delivered to the airline in late June 2000.
Correction for October 6 news. Novair only leased C-GTSQ in June for just two weeks.
October 6, 1999
Caledonian and Flying Colours will soon merge under the name of JMC Air. Along with the merger, the entire L-1011 fleet will be retired. The last L-1011 flight for Caledonian will be on the night of November 2, from Gatwick to Salzburg and back. All Caledonian employees are offered to fly on this farewell flight.
Custom Air, a new airline based in Ft. Lauderdale is in the stages negotiation for acquiring all 17 L-1011s from Saudi Arabian. Custom Air plans to put all the TriStars back in service, with at least half of the fleet converted to freighters. The acquistion is planned to start by 2000.
An Airbus A330-300 (not a -200) will join the Air Transat fleet in October. This will allow yet another L-1011 to retire. The aircraft which will be invloved is L-1011-1 C-GTSK (msn 1021). It will be retired in January 2000.
Star Airlines returned L-1011-500 C-GTSR (msn 1239) to Air Transat. Now, there are 13 L-1011s in service with the Canadian airline.
Correction for September 22 news. Lockheed Martin Aircraft and Logistics Center hasn't been established yet. Lockheed Martin is currently reviewing the plans since the project will cost them a lot of money. An undisclosed customer made an unconfirmed commitment for converting 10 former Delta L-1011-1s.
September 27, 1999
Air Atlanta Icelandic grounded three L-1011s in the summer. Their places have been replaced by secondhand Boeing 747s. The aircraft are likely to be broken up for spares.
SriLankan Airlines (formerly Air Lanka) plans to have all of their L-1011s retired by summer 2000, when enough numbers of Airbus A330-200s are in service.
American Trans Air has completed the acquistion of five L-1011-500s from Royal Jordanian. Also, ATA is interested in acquiring further TriStar 500s.
Interlease Aviation Group, the parent company of TradeWinds has acquired Laker Airways, a long DC-10 operator that went bankrupt this summer. IAG plans to put six TriStars on Laker's operating certificate.
To cope with the capacity increase in the summer, Novair leased a L-1011-500 for three months from Air Transat. It has since been returned to the owner.
September 22, 1999
Delta Air Lines has announced that they will retire their entire L-1011 fleet by the end of July 2001. They will be retired at a rate of approximately one aircraft per month. A full update on the Delta TriStar fleet will appear in the next update of the Production List.
Caledonian Airways will retire their entire fleet of L-1011s by November. They will be replaced by additional Boeing 757-200s planned for delivery by the end of this year.
Air Lanka has changed its identity to SriLankan Airlines. Delivery of nine Airbus A330-200s will begin this month, and the airline has announced that they will gradually start the retirement of their TriStars as the new planes are come online.
Novair will replace their trio of L-1011-500s by March 2000. They have made the decision to lease Airbus A330-200s to replace them. SE-DVX (msn 1083) will retire in October 1999, followed by SE-DVF (msn 1241) in January 2000 and finally, SE-DVI (msn 1248) in February 2000.
Lockheed Martin Aircraft and Logistics Center has established a L-1011 freighter conversion program. They are planning to use the Marshall Aerospace plant in Cambridge, Britain. Commitments for 10 conversions have already been made by an undisclosed British finance company.
In July, Air Transat sold three L-1011s that ad been stored at Marana to Arizona Air Support. The company plans to dismantle the aircraft for spare parts.
Saudi Arabian Airlines is currently negotiating to sell up to eight L-1011s to an undisclosed leasing company. The company plans to convert those aircraft to freighters.
July 8, 1999
A new airline to be named Big Bird Aviation, based in Manchester, England will lease L-1011-50 (msn 1050), which is currently undergoing maintenance at Abu Dhabi. The airline will fly ad-hoc charters starting in September this year.
New Zealand based Gateway Airlines is currently negotiating with Equis Finance to lease 2 former Classic Airways L-1011 to commence services from Auckland. The airplanes are L-1011-100 (msn 1118) and L-1011-50 (msn 1145) which are both currently stored at Stansted, England.
Air Transat update. L-1011-150 C-FTNB (msn 1010), which was parked at Montreal's Mirabel Airport since April, has been ferried to Marana, Arizona for long term storage. The final fate of this aircraft is yet to be known, but it is unlikely to fly again due to its age.
Ft. Lauderdale based company Custom Air has reported that they are interested in acquiring all 17 L-1011s that were operated by Saudi Arabian Airlines.
July 2, 1999
Unfortunately, Chileinter Airlines has ceased operations. The two L-1011s, which had been leased from Royal Aviation, has been returned. The aircraft are currently parked at Montreal's Dorval Airport.
It is possible that Air Transat will dismantle C-FTSI (msn 1032) and C-GBBS (msn 1108) for spare parts. Both aircraft are currently stored at Marana, Arizona.
June 27, 1999
Due to unfavorable financial results after commencing service in January 1998, Chilean charter carrier Chileinter Airlines has decided to reduce the fleet. The aircraft involved is CC-CZR (msn 1069), which is still leased from Royal of Canada. The aircraft has been ferried to Montreal's Dorval Airport for storage.
June 22, 1999
The first L-1011 to retire from the Air Transat fleet became L-1011-150 C-FTNB (msn 1010). The aircraft is currently parked at Montreal's Mirabel Airport preparing for a ferry flight to a storage facility in the US. The destination airport is still unknown.
June 11, 1999
After eight months of storage at Southend, UK, L-1011-1 EI-COL (msn 1035) owned by Aer Turas has been broken up. This aircraft was the largest ever type to land at Southend Airport since its opening.
June 7, 1999
British charter operator Caledonian has announced that they will merge with another British charter airline Flying Colours. The merger is scheduled to take place in late summer.
It is likely that Caledonian Airways will dismantle L-1011-1 G-BBAI (msn 1102). The aircraft is currently stored at Abu Dhabi and this move is due to overestimated repairing costs and the unavailability of repairing times.
Kalitta American International is no longer operating under that name and they have been renamed Kitty Hawk International after its new parent company's name Kitty Hawk Air Cargo. All L-1011-200Fs will be repainted into a basic Kitty Hawk Air Cargo livery without the tail logo and with blue lines instead of red.
May 16, 1999
Aero Continente of Peru is currently making efforts to start the Lima-Miami service with the L-1011. They are hoping to get DOT approval soon. They will fly a pair of L-1011s that are currently stored at Roswell, New Mexico. They are currently undergoing maintenance there.
April 30, 1999
Orient Thai has restarted scheduled operations with four TriStars. All four aircraft, which includes two leased from IALI, have been re-registered in Cambodia.
With the delivery of Boeing 777s, Saudi Arabian Airlines has finally retired all of their TriStar 200s. It is believed that they are in storage at Riyadh.
American Trans Air has acquired their third L-1011-500 (msn 1220) registered N162AT from Royal Jordanian. By the end of the year, two more are scheduled to join. ATA operates three L-1011-500s plus 14 standard length L-1011s and they are interested in acquiring further L-1011-500s.
TradeWinds has resumed charter passenger operations after some conflict with their L-1011 lessor, Interlease Aviation.
April 16, 1999
Sweden's charter airline Novair has announced that they will phase out all three TriStars currently in service. SE-DVF, SE-DVM, SE-DVX will all be sold off by February 2000. It is likely that they will be replaced by Boeing 767-300ERs.
ING Aviation ferried L-1011-100 P4-JAB (msn 1215) to Miami for temporary storage. It is said that the aircraft will fly with a South American airline.
April 4, 1999
TradeWinds Airlines has suspended all of their passenger operations. All four passenger TriStars are currently stored at Boston's Logan Airport.
Air Transat has begun their fleet modernization. Recently a pair of Airbus A330-200s arrived to allow two TriStars to retire. The two aircraft are still unknown.
March 20, 1999
Caledonian will wet-lease four TriStars from Air Atlanta Iceland in May 1999 to cope with the upcoming summer schedule.
Monarch will wet-lease a TriStar from Air Atlanta Iceland in May 1999 and until October 1999.
Air Transat acquired L-1011-500 V2-LEJ (msn 1246) from Indosuez Airfinance. The aircraft has been re-registered as C-FTSW. This is because they leased out a L-1011-500 to Star Airlines.
March 10, 1999
Orient Thai leased L-1011-1 P4-IAH (msn 1040) and N762BE L-1011-50 (msn 1070) from International Air Leases.
Saudi Arabian Airlines has announced that all 17 TriStars, including four of which are stored, are up for sale. They are being replaced by Boeing 777s.
New startup Seaboard Airlines of New Zealand will lease three TriStars from Delta. Delivery is scheduled to begin in June 1999.
February 21, 1999
Fine Air has reported that they are interested in acquiring Arrow Air. The Miami-based cargo carrier currently operates a trio of L-1011-200Fs and a handful of Douglas DC-8 freighters.
Orient Thai plans to restart operations in Spring 1999. They have plans to lease additional L-1011s for expansion.
L-1011-100 SE-DSD (msn 1215) will not be dismantled at Manston. Engines have been refitted and rumor has it that it is going to be leased.
February 7, 1999
Kalitta American International has been taken over by Kitty Hawk Cargo. Therefore, Kalitta will change their name to Kitty Hawk International. All L-1011 freighters will be retained.
Delta Air Lines sold L-1011-500 N751DA (msn 1166) to AAR Corporation. The company plans to dismantle the aircraft for spare parts.
January 30, 1999
Sweden-based Novair has acquired their third L-1011-500. It previously served with Nordic European, a Swedish charter airline which ceased operations last spring.
French carrier Star Airlines has leased in L-1011-500 C-GTSR (msn 1239) from Air Transat. The aircraft will be used on long haul charter operations.
January 12, 1999
Due to financial losses, Kalitta American International plans to retire two passenger L-1011s currently in service and suspend its ad-hoc passenger operations.
BWIA International placed an order for nine Next-Generation Boeing 737s. Though these have been ordered to replace the McDonnell Douglas MD-80s, they could also be used to replace some L-1011s on regional routes but they have not announced anything about a L-1011 retirement.
BPI Aerospace of Miami acquired a L-1011. It will be dismantled at Miami for spare parts.
