24 Jul 2002
West Air Sweden is accelerating plans to increase its ATP freighter fleet in the light of positive market acceptance of the aircraft from its freight customers.
Recently, the airline acquired a further two ATPs, previously operated by British World Airlines (BWA). One of these is now in service as a bulk 'E' Class freighter and later will be based at Luxembourg with the new West Air Luxembourg operation. This aircraft will be offered as a regional air transport alternative to the 160 daily truck movements that carry freight into and out of the air transport cargo hub. The second ex-BWA aircraft is now being converted into a freighter at Lidkping.
West Air Sweden also declared its intention today at Farnborough International 2002 to acquire a further two ATPs this year to bring the airline's ATP freighter fleet to 10 aircraft by the end of 2002. In addition, West Air Sweden operates nine BAe 748s in the freighter role.
These extra aircraft augment the six ATPs with which West Air Sweden commenced ATP operations two years ago. Five of these have been converted to an 'E' Class bulk freighter configuration and are in service on an intensive overnight mail service on behalf of the Swedish Post Office, in addition to European operations on behalf of the major integrators. The sixth aircraft has been converted into the first large freight door version, on display at Farnborough.
This aircraft flew for the first time from the airline's Lidkping facility in Sweden on July 10 after a conversion programme jointly undertaken by BAE Systems and West Air Sweden. BAE Systems Regional Aircraft at Prestwick was responsible for the design of the freight door and the creation of a manufacturer's Service Bulletin, while West Air Sweden was responsible for the manufacture and installation of the door.
As a dedicated freighter, the ATPF brings second generation turboprop economics, outstanding environmental credentials and 8 tonne cargo capacity to the regional cargo market, providing growth opportunities for airlines and permitting the replacement of some of the 250 older and less efficient 5-6 tonne turboprop freighters that are now facing more stringent noise and emissions standards.
Market studies commissioned by BAE Systems suggest that in the overall 8 tonne market segment some 90 aircraft could require large freight doors over a 10-year period. Of this total the company expects that some 30-40 ATPs could reasonably expect to be converted. The price of the ATP large cargo door conversion will be around US$750,000 with an additional cost of some $250,000 to provide an E Class cargo interior with a cargo handling system and retention nets.
West Air Sweden plans to continue expanding with up to four ATPs a year and has created a new subsidiary company - European Turboprop Management (ETM) - to offer franchising opportunities to existing companies. ETM will market a complete freight concept including aircraft, insurance, engine, propellers, rotable components and all base checks over 400 man hours with the entire package to be purchased on a 'cost per hour' basis by other operators. A customer would also have the use of a substitute aircraft during periods of heavy maintenance.
In further moves, West Air Sweden has agreed terms for the acquisition of French freight operator Air Provence (a BAe 748 operator). This will allow West Air Sweden to gain a foothold in the French freight market and bid for extra work in addition to taking over the Air Provence contracts that are already in place.
BAE Systems also announced today that it has started a two-year cost of ownership review on the ATP. This is looking at cost issues identified by customer airlines with the aim of reducing these through the engineering of reliability modifications on to the aircraft and improving maintainability, as well as possible interval extensions between maintenance checks. The company is aiming for a 10-20% maintenance cost reduction on the ATP over a two-year period
West Air Sweden is playing a major role in this cost of ownership review and is already demonstrating the inherent reliability in the aircraft with a dispatch reliability figure averaging 99.2%, with plans to increase that to 99.75% this year.
ABOUT BAE SYSTEMS:
BAE Systems is a systems company, innovating for a safer world. BAE Systems employs nearly 100,000 people including Joint Ventures, and has annual sales of around 13 billion. The company offers a global capability in air, sea, land and space with a world-class prime contracting ability supported by a range of key skills. BAE Systems designs, manufactures and supports military aircraft, surface ships, submarines, space systems, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, guided weapon systems and a range of other defence products. BAE Systems is dedicated to making the intelligent connections needed to deliver innovative solutions.
