FOKKERnews   June 2009 This page contains recent news items related to the Fokker F27 (including Fokker 50 & Fokker 60) and Fokker F28 (including Fokker 70 & Fokker 100). Also the Fairchild models F-27 & FH-227 are part of the news section. The news items are printed in reverse chronological order. News items older than a month are moved to the archive (not yet active). For reactions on the contents or sharing news updates please contact the editor: fransvanzelm[at]airnieuws.nl Damaged Fokker 100 transported to Tarbes After its accident at Pau on 25 January 2007 sixteen year old Fokker 100 F-GMPG (11362) of R'gional, S.A. remained stored in damaged condition and was slowly robbed of all useful parts. Finally the aircraft was cut into pieces and the fuselage without its wings and tail section arrived at Tarbes, near Lourdes on 19 May 2009. A few days later the fuselage was off loaded and seen fitted onto a transport rig. At Tarbes, close to The Pyrenees mountains, an industrial firm is situated for aircraft dismantling: TARMAC AEROSAVE. Tarbes Advanced Recycling & Maintenance Aircraft Company (TARMAC) was created in 2007 and a large variety of aircraft parts can be seen here. The company is offering, additional to its dismantling activity, a global range of services, from short term storage and maintenance to the dismantling phase. These services can be offered to all aircraft owners (civil or military, of any type). So we shall see what becomes of this crippled Fokker 100. [15 June 2009] F-GMPG arrived at Tarbes on a trailer. (Pierre-Andr' Got, 19 May 2009) Troubled Freedom Airways has stopped Euro Aviation, S.A. has taken over Fokker 50 5B-DCB (20230) which was previously operated by Freedom Airways. The Greek air-taxi and airport handling company based at Athens, started in March 2009 with the lease and flew a first charter on 27 May 2009 from Athens to Podgorica and back. The start of Freedom Airways in May 2006 was a troubled one and the Fokker was not very active due to the lack of a proper Air Operator Certificate (AOC). When finally in March 2008 (!) all permits were arranged the AOC was revoked again only nine months later. On 4 June 2009 the aircraft was ferried by Euro Aviation to Stockholm - Arlanda in white c/s with only Freedom Airways tail logo remaining for some tender, love and care. [5 June 2009] 5B-DCB seen active at an unknown location in June 2008. (FvZ collection) New Swedish Fokker 100 operator Air Express in Sweden AB was sold on 1 June 2009 to MCA Airlines AB, the charter airline of parent company MCA Travel Group AB, to obtain its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Swedish CAA. The operator inherited besides two Saab 2000's the only remaining Fokker 100 SE-DUU (11286) which is already repainted in MCA Airlines colours. MCA Airlines originally started in October 2008 out of Stockholm - Arlanda with a wet-leased MD-83 operated by Sky Wing Airlines from Greece, which was later replaced by Dubrovnik Airlines with the same equipment. Recently MCA Airlines has started scheduled flights out of Stockholm to Athens and Thessaloniki. With a leased Airbus A320 new routes will be started from Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malm' to Erbil and Sulimaniya in Kurdistan and Beirut. Also a scheduled service between Stockholm and Larnaca in Cyprus will be started and flown by the Fokker 100. [5 June 2009] SE-DUU seen here in its most recent colours. (via Skyliner, Stockholm - Arlanda, 4 June 2009)