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 27, 2003
Air Transat retired L-1011-100 C-FTNL (msn 1073) on November 10th, bringing their TriStar fleet down to five. L-1011-500s C-FTSW (msn 1246), C-GATM (msn 1236) and C-GTSR (msn 1239) are the only three that remain in their scheduled operations, with the other two used primarily as backup equipment. The Canadian airline's last day of TriStar operations is likely to fall on either the 22nd or 24th of May, 2004.
Air Rum of Jordan has been operating its sole aircraft, L-1011-1 9L-LDV (msn 1200) on behalf of Libyan Arab Airlines since October 7th. The Jordan company is currently considering a second L-1011, possibly a -100, to expand its ad-hoc operations.
Former Delta Air Lines L-1011-500 N752DA (msn 1172) was used by the Canadian special forces for training in aircraft assault during October and November. It was carried out at Mojave, where the aircraft is parked. Like most other former Delta L-1011s at Mojave, the aircraft will be broken up.
November 30, 2003
Air Universal is currently negotiating with Delta Air Lines to acquire up to 24 L-1011s at an estimated price price of US$4.5 million. The company initially intends to put three L-1011-250s in service with an unknown number of L-1011-500s to follow at a later date. Most of the other L-1011s, including a few L-1011-500s, will be broken up for spares. Air Universal is a Jordanian charter airline which currently operates two L-1011s, of which one is a former Delta example.
Skygate International Airlines is the name of the latest Jordanian startup. The airline acquired L-1011-250 N1738D (msn 1234) from Delta Air Lines on November 10, and ferried the aircraft to Amman's Queen Alia Airport two days later with the new registration JY-SGI. The newcomer, which intends to operate charter services in the Middle East, will also acquire L-1011-250 N741DA (msn 1245) from the same source.
Air Transat is now delaying the retirement of its three remaining standard-length TriStars: C-FTNG (msn 1048), C-FTNL (msn 1073) and C-GTSZ (msn 1103). These were scheduled for retirement in September, however, with a new expansion plan in place and the recent granting of rights to operate new flights to Mexico, the Canadian charter airline postponed the retirement to a date yet to be determined. At least C-GTSZ is expected to survive the 2003/04 winter season.
Star Air's sole L-1011-200F 9L-LDZ (msn 1212), which had been parked at Dusseldorf since March, was successfully ferried to Amman's Queen Alia Airport on October 31. The aircraft had previously made an attempt but mechanical problems including a fuel leak forced the aircraf to return. 9L-LDZ will receive a heavy check along with a number of repairs at JORAMCO before entering service with the fast-growing Jordanian airline.
A new airline named Georgian Cargo Airlines has acquired L-1011-100 A8-AAA (msn 1101) for cargo operations in the Middle East. The aircraft, leased from International Air Express Liberia, was formerly 3C-QRQ with Ducor World Airlines. According to some reports, the lessor may acquire additional L-1011-100s from the defunct airline.
TradeWinds Airlines will retire their sole L-1011-1F N311EA (msn 1012) in December to concentrate is operations on Airbus A300 freighters. The aircraft will reportedly be ferried to Victorville for storage. N311EA is the only L-1011 that retains the original Eastern Airlines registration and is also the oldest flying TriStar.
On November 6th, an ATA Airlines' L-1011-500 that departed Baltimore bound for Frankfurt, was forced to make an emergency landing at Shannon after the crew reported a problem with one of its engines. The aircraft involved was N161AT (msn 1219).
Air Luxor's L-1011-500 CS-TMP (msn 1248), which suffered a tailstrike at London Stansted on August 20, is now repaired and back in service. The aircraft arrived back at Lisbon on November 14. Correction regarding the previous news: The aircraft was ferried to Amman via Budapest, not Lisbon.
September 28, 2003
Star Air has acquired L-1011-500 9L-LDR (msn 1179), which was formerly 9Y-TGJ with BWIA West Indies. The aircraft is currently operated on behalf of Sudan Airways on its routes to London and Vienna. Star Air intends to acquire two more former BWIA examples: N3140D (msn 1233) and 9Y-THA (msn 1222). Meanwhile, its recently acquired L-1011-200F 9L-LDZ (msn 1212) remains parked at Dusseldorf, Germany due to a number of mechanical problems.
Orient Thai Airlines took delivery of former Delta Air Lines L-1011-1 N730DA (msn 1199) on September 11th. Its ferry flight routing was Roswell - Honolulu - Midway Islands - Bangkok, which took nine days. The aircraft received its new registration HS-UTE on September 20th and is scheduled to enter service in October. The fast-paced Thai airline will also purchase N1732D (msn 1213) from the same source. They are also looking for Boeing 757s and 737s to start low-fare services.
Air Transat retired three L-1011-500s on September 12th. Aircraft involved were C-GATH (msn 1235), C-GTSP (msn 1242) and C-GTSQ (msn 1243) and they are currently parked at Montreal's Mirabel Airport. The Canadian charter airline will also retire C-GTSR (msn 1239) and its remaining three standard-length L-1011s by the end of the year in order to reduce costs. The last two L-1011s, C-FTSW (msn 1246) and C-GATM (msn 1236) will be phased out by April 30, 2004, ending TriStar operations with the airline. Air Transat will acquire four additional Airbus A310s as replacements.
Ducor World Airlines, which suspended operations in July this year has gone out of business. The bankrupt airline's sole airworthy L-1011-100 3C-QRL (msn 1093) remains parked at Maastricht Airport, and along with the other three former Caledonian Airways examples the airline owned, its fate is unknown. The three aircraft which never entered service with the airline remains stored at Abu Dhabi.
On September 4th, ATA Airlines' (nee American Trans Air) L-1011-500 N161AT (msn 1219) had just taken off from Shannon at 1750 local before it developed problems with one engine five minutes later, forcing the pilot to shut it down and make an emergency landing back at Shannon. They dumped 70-80 tonnes of fuel before landing at 1835, according to a local media. The aircraft was enroute from the US to Bahrain on an AMC charter, and had stopped off in Shannon to refuel. It departed Shannon for Indianapolis without any passengers for repairing two days later.
Air Luxor's L-1011-500 CS-TMP (msn 1248) suffered a heavy tailstrike at London's Stansted Airport on August 20th. It was ferried back to Lisbon on September 8th, and was later ferried to Amman's Queen Alia Airport for further inspections and eventual repairing by JORAMCO. Though rumors had it that there was a high chance the damaged aircraft would be retired along with CS-TMR (msn 1241), however, Air Luxor currently has no definite plans to retire the type as the two aircraft are necessary to cope with the airline's growth.
Saudi Royal Flight's L-1011-500 HZ-HM5 (msn 1250) made an emergency landing at Geneva on September 6th, just 20 minutes after leaving the airport, the pilot believing one of its tires was on fire. The plane was positioned at the end of the runway for 10 minutes before taxiing under the escort of the fire department to a remote stand. HZ-HM5 left Geneva later that day without any damage.
August 24, 2003
Northeast Bolivian Airlines' L-1011-50 3D-NEG (msn 1066) is leased from TriStar Capital LLC, after The Auxer Group / Viva International failed to obtain enough financial support to acquire the aircraft. It was to be purchased by Auxer for lease to Northeast Bolivian Airways Ltda, an airline whose 45% of its stocks were to be acquired by Auxer. Now, the necessary capital to prepare the airline and its aircraft is being funded by TriStar Capital, who renamed the airline Northeast Bolivian Airlines SA after its fundings resulted in a 35% stake. According to Northeast Bolivian, 75-80% of its recertification process is now complete, and 3D-NEG is in the process of being re-registered CP-2388. Initial flights will be ad-hoc charters from South American cities to the Caribbean.
Orient Thai Airlines will be acquiring two more L-1011s from Delta Air Lines as part of its expansion. The aircraft involved are N730DA (msn 1199) and N1732D (msn 1213), and these have since been ferried to New Iberia (Louisiana, USA) for maintenance work and refurbishing. In addition to the L-1011s, the airline also intends to acquire Boeing 757s and 737s. Orient Thai currently operates Boeing 747s and a single L-1011, HS-UTA (msn 1225), with another example to be returned from sister company Kampuchea Airlines shortly.
Air Transat will accelerate the retirement of its L-1011 fleet. They will retire one L-1011-500 by the end of the year, in addition to the three standard-length TriStars that are planned for phase out at the end of the summer season. The aircraft to be involved had not yet been identified at the time of posting, but it will likely be one of the ex-TAP Air Portugal examples. The other TriStars are also to follow gradually. Replacements under consideration are additional Airbus A330s and A310s.
ATA Airlines (nee American Trans Air) is considering phasing out its remaining L-1011 fleet earlier than planned due to rising maintenance costs. Currently, no more TriStar retirements are scheduled for this year, however, the airline is seriously evaluating the Boeing 767 as its replacement. The original plan called for all remaining six L-1011s to be retained up to 2005.
July 14, 2003
Star Air now intends to acquire 9Y-THA (msn 1222) from BWIA West Indies, after Euro Atlantic Airways stepped down to acquire the aircraft. Meanwhile, 9Y-TGJ (msn 1179) has been re-registered 9L-LDR and will be delivered to the airline by August, and engine run-ups were recently carried out on N3140D (msn 1233), which will be delivered after 9L-LDR. The Jordanian carrier also intends to acquire L-1011-200F V2-LFQ (msn 1212), which has been parked up at Dusseldorf since operator CBJ Cargo encountered financial difficulties in March. It will be re-registered 9L-LDZ. Star Air plans to have no less than seven L-1011s in operation by 2004.
Northeast Bolivian Airlines, an associate of the Auxer Group, took delivery of 3D-NEG (msn 1066) on July 13th after a week of test flights. It will receive further maintenance at Cochabamba, Bolivia and will initially be deployed on charter flights to Manaus, Brazil. The Bolivian airline plans to offer the aircraft for charters in the South American region and the Caribbean, primarily Cuba and the Dominican Republic while it may also be operated for Tropical International Airways and Viva Airlines, both associates of the Auxer Group. The group will also acquire 3D-NEC (msn 1096), for lease to Viva Airlines.
ATA Airlines (nee American Trans Air) has retired two more TriStars. N198AT (msn 1111), a L-1011-100, operated its last revenue flight on June 10th and was ferried to Roswell three days later for long-term storage. N195AT (msn 1041), a L-1011-150, flew passengers for the last time on July 8th, and was ferried to the same storage facility later on the same day. For now, no more L-1011 retirements are scheduled in 2003 and the remaining six examples are to fly into 2004. N188AT (msn 1078) and N194AT (msn 1230) will soon receive a C-check.
BWIA West Indies will continue to wet-lease CS-TEB (msn 1240) through the summer season, as the delivery of their second Airbus A340-300 has now been delayed indefinitely. Operated by Euro Atlantic Airways, it flies for BWIA two days a week. As part of a plan to reduce its heavy debt, the Caribbean airline intends to raise fund by selling off three of its L-1011s to Star Air, though the fourth, 9Y-TGN (msn 1191) will likely be scrapped as the aircraft has already been heavily cannibalized of many parts.
Air Transat will retire its last three standard-length L-1011s at the end of the summer season. The aircraft involved are C-FTNG (msn 1048), C-FTNL (msn 1073), and C-GTSZ (msn 1103), which have been retained primarily as backup equipment. All three are to be broken up for spares to support the six remaining L-1011-500s that are expected to soldier on into 2005.
May 27, 2003
Air Luxor's CS-TMP (msn 1248) operated its 'last flight' MCZ-LIS on May 5th. However, they have decided to retain the aircraft in order to cope with the company's expansion. After the necessary rear spar modification is completed in Abu Dhabi by GAMCO, it is to re-enter service on June 20th. Meanwhile, CS-TMR (msn 1241) has been returned to Air Luxor from Yes Air Charter, and will also re-enter service in June, after a C-check at Abu Dhabi. On the other hand, Yes has wet-leased a Boeing 767-300ER from Martinair to operate alongside CS-TMX (msn 1206) until a decision on its replacement is made.
The Auxer Group has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to purchase a single TriStar along with two spare engines and associated spares from TriStar Capital. The aircraft involved is 3D-NEG (msn 1066), which was intended for Northeast Airlines but canceled after the newcomer encountered financial difficulties. Auxer intends to operate the aircraft under the name Viva Airlines, on behalf of St. Kitts-based Tropical International Airways. A total of three aircraft are to be eventually acquired, although the remaining two aircraft had not been identified at the time of writing.
ATA Airlines (nee American Trans Air) continues to reduce its TriStar fleet. N186AT (msn 1074) operated its last revenue flight on May 4th, and was ferried to Roswell for storage the following day. N197AT (msn 1082) "Big Ed" flew its last revenue flight on May 7th, and was ferried to Roswell on the same day. Two more aircraft are scheduled to be retired this year: N195AT (msn 1041) and N198AT (msn 1111). Currently, the four L-1011-500s fly exclusively on military charters while the remaining standard-length examples carry out ad-hoc charters.
April 6, 2003
Air Luxor will retire its L-1011-500 CS-TMP (msn 1248) on May 5th. It will be replaced by CS-TMR (msn 1241), which is currently leased to Yes Air Charter and will be returned by that date. Meanwhile, Yes is considering replacing its L-1011 fleet with Boeing 767-300ERs. For the record, they operated CS-TMX (msn 1206) on behalf of Cubana until the end of March to subsitute for a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 they wet-leased from Air Lib, which went bankrupt.
Bismillah Airlines has launched operations with a single L-1011. The aircraft involved is S2-ADR (msn 1129), which is a former Kampuchea Airlines example. It is utilized on light cargo services without the large cargo door on the main deck. Their scheme consists of a white fuselage with a sky blue cheatline, the Kampuchea bird logo on the tail and Bismillah Airlines titles.
CBJ Cargo, the cargo arm of Caribjet, will soon receive its second L-1011. The aircraft involved is N102CK (msn 1198), which was ferried to Amman on February 26 for heavy maintenance by JAMCO. It will likely be re-registered in Antigua. If the company's plan to build a hub at Dusseldorf comes to fruition, they will acquire three additional ex-Kitty Hawk L-1011-200Fs.
American Trans Air has simplified its name to ATA Airlines. However, this change will not be reflected by any of its L-1011s, all of which will remain in the airline's old scheme. The Indianapolis-based airline intends to retire four L-1011s this year, of which three are to retired by the end of this month. Aircraft involved will be N186AT (msn 1074), N197AT (msn 1082) and N198AT (msn 1111).
Northeast Airlines' 3D-NEC (msn 1096) has been grounded at Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso due to unpaid fuel and landing fees. Further, 3D-NEG (msn 1066), which received the company's full livery, remains parked at Hamilton Aviation in Tucson due to incomplete maintenance. No work has been started on N41016 (msn 1060) and N312GB (msn 1100) yet.
February 25, 2003
Northeast Airlines has launched L-1011 operations. Their first aircraft is 3D-NEC (msn 1096), which was delivered on February 5 in an all-white scheme. It is currently based at Johannesburg, South Africa operating Hajj flights. Their second aircraft is 3D-NEG (msn 1066), an ex-TWA machine. This aircraft received the airline's full livery and will enter service after maintenance work is completed. It will be based at Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Northeast will introduce two more L-1011s; N41016 (msn 1066) and N312GB (msn 1100).
BWIA West Indies duly retired its last L-1011-500, 9Y-THA (msn 1222) on January 28. However, because the delivery of their second Airbus A340-300 has been delayed again, the company is currently wet-leasing Euro Atlantic Airways' CS-TEB (msn 1240) as its temporary replacement. Meanwhile, the Portuguese charter airline has agreed to buy 9Y-THA from BWIA.
Star Air has purchased two L-1011-500s that were formerly operated by BWIA West Indies. The aircraft involved are 9Y-TGJ (msn 1179) and N3140D (msn 1233). The former will enter service by March while the latter is expected to join the fleet by May after it undergoes heavy maintenance. The airline intends to acquire further TriStars to become the largest ad-hoc charter carrier in the Middle East in the coming years.
Orient Thai Airlines will introduce a second TriStar. The aircraft involved is XU-100 (msn 1156) which had been operated by sister company Kampuchea Airlines. It is currently being inspected by the Thai Department of Aviation and should be placed on the Thai register before March. Along with its new scheduled services, it is expected to launch charter flights to Japan.
Air Rum's sole L-1011-1, XU-200 (msn 1200) has been placed on the Kenya register as 5Y-RUM and has entered service on Hajj flights. The aircraft is currently based at Amman's Queen Alia Airport and is wearing a yellow livery with large Air Rum titles.
January 26, 2003
BWIA West Indies will operate their last L-1011 revenue flight on January 28, and will simultaneously put its second Airbus A340-300 in service as its replacement. The last aircraft is 9Y-THA (msn 1222), the last remaining TriStar with the Caribbean airline. BWIA is the last original operator of the TriStar, and this will end their 23-year relationship with the trijet.
International Air Leases (IAL) has sold its remaining TriStars to Cuda Ray Investments, which will continue to remarket these ex-Rich International aircraft. The owner of IAL intends to withdraw from the aircraft leasing business. All of the aircraft are currently in storage at Roswell Industrial Airport.