www.airmalta.com
Date: Friday, April 04, 2008
Ref: 017-2008
http://www.airmalta.com/newsdetails?l=&n=120
Last weekend, on Sunday 30th March, Air Malta bid farewell to its last Boeing aircraft in its fleet. Upon departure the Boeing 737-300 aircraft, 9H-ADI, which operated its last commercial flight KM3326/7 to Frankfurt, was greeted with a ‘triumphal arc’ of water from two vehicles of MIA’s Firefighting Section parked on either side of the taxiway.
It was an emotional departure especially to the hundreds of Air Malta employees that throughout the years have worked on the airline’s Boeing fleet in a variety of jobs from engineers, cabin crew, technicians, pilots, baggage handlers, dispatchers and others. The aircraft’s departure was also witnessed by a sizeable crowd of aircraft enthusiasts who have flocked the airport perimeter to view and photograph the last Boeing aircraft takeoff in Air Malta livery.
Air Malta has been operating with a Boeing fleets for 34 years since its first flight on the 1st April 1974. The first Air Malta flight was operated with a Boeing B720-040B leased from Pakistan International Airlines with a capacity of 148 seats. The airline bought its first (three) Boeing 737-200 on its 10th anniversary on the 30th March 1983. Since then the Maltese airline has operated with over 60 Boeing aircraft from various types including the 707, 727-100/200 and the Boeing 737 series.
On the Boeing fleet, throughout the years, Air Malta has transported over 15 million passengers. Distinguished passengers have travelled on Air Malta’s Boeing aircraft including Pope John Paul II who travelling two times (27th May 1990 and on 9th May 2001), and international pop artist Madonna who has travelled on board the Maltese airline together with her family on the 20th October 2001 after shooting the film ‘Swept Away’ on the islands.
Air Malta milestones achieved with the Boeing fleet include the world record of the highest utilisation of the aircraft type presented by the Boeing Company in October 1983. That year, in September 1983, Air Malta achieved the highest worldwide utilisation of the Boeing 737 aircraft type with a utilisation record of 14.9hours per day. Other milestones included the flight with a Boeing 737 on the 8 March 1997 (International Women Day) Captained by Marthese Desira, Air Malta’s first female Captain with an all female crew.
Another landmark flight operated by a Boeing aircraft (which incidentally was the same aircraft that last Sunday operated the last Air Malta commercial flight) was the flight on 5 January 2005 to Colombo in Sri Lanka. This flight transported tons of medicines and other life-saving medical supplies that were urgently needed by the victims of the tsunami disaster and were donated by the Maltese Government and the Malta Civil Protection. The flight, which Air Malta operated at its own cost, presented a navigational and operational challenge. The flight took 13 hours stopping over in Cairo, and Dubai before arriving in Colombo with a total distance of over 7,300km.
The decision to replace the airline fleet was not an easy one. At the start of the millennium Air Malta recognised the need of a younger fleet to lower maintenance costs and downtimes and the post Sept 11 aviation crisis provided the negotiating team, setup to evaluate fleet replacement proposals, a unique opportunity to obtain huge concessions.
In July 2002 Air Malta announced that after months of intensive negotiations and evaluations the airline concluded a multi-million dollar agreement which involved International Lease Finance Corporation, Airbus Industrie and CFM International for the renewal of its fleet over a four-and-a-half-year period. Two major elements of the deal involved the sale and lease back from ILFC, a major American aircraft lessor, of Air Malta’s own two A320-200s and three B737-300s, and the lease of twelve new aircraft from the Airbus A320 family for a term of twelve years each.
The delivery of new state-of-the-art Airbus, which started in January 2004 and concluded in March 2007, has presented Air Malta with substantial operational and technological advantages that include better cabin layouts, inflight entertainment and substantial cost savings arising from fleet commonality.
Substantial savings were also registered in crew certification and recurrent training, reduced aircraft and engine spares inventories and better economies of scale in the production departments. The new fleet registered superior performance achieving a better fuel burn ratio and has presented Air Malta with a more environmentally responsible aircraft fleet with less CO2 emissions and noise footprints.
Air Malta wishes to thank the Boeing Company for the continuous support it has given the airline throughout the years.
Date: Friday, April 04, 2008
Ref: 017-2008
http://www.airmalta.com/newsdetails?l=&n=120
Last weekend, on Sunday 30th March, Air Malta bid farewell to its last Boeing aircraft in its fleet. Upon departure the Boeing 737-300 aircraft, 9H-ADI, which operated its last commercial flight KM3326/7 to Frankfurt, was greeted with a ‘triumphal arc’ of water from two vehicles of MIA’s Firefighting Section parked on either side of the taxiway.
It was an emotional departure especially to the hundreds of Air Malta employees that throughout the years have worked on the airline’s Boeing fleet in a variety of jobs from engineers, cabin crew, technicians, pilots, baggage handlers, dispatchers and others. The aircraft’s departure was also witnessed by a sizeable crowd of aircraft enthusiasts who have flocked the airport perimeter to view and photograph the last Boeing aircraft takeoff in Air Malta livery.
Air Malta has been operating with a Boeing fleets for 34 years since its first flight on the 1st April 1974. The first Air Malta flight was operated with a Boeing B720-040B leased from Pakistan International Airlines with a capacity of 148 seats. The airline bought its first (three) Boeing 737-200 on its 10th anniversary on the 30th March 1983. Since then the Maltese airline has operated with over 60 Boeing aircraft from various types including the 707, 727-100/200 and the Boeing 737 series.
On the Boeing fleet, throughout the years, Air Malta has transported over 15 million passengers. Distinguished passengers have travelled on Air Malta’s Boeing aircraft including Pope John Paul II who travelling two times (27th May 1990 and on 9th May 2001), and international pop artist Madonna who has travelled on board the Maltese airline together with her family on the 20th October 2001 after shooting the film ‘Swept Away’ on the islands.
Air Malta milestones achieved with the Boeing fleet include the world record of the highest utilisation of the aircraft type presented by the Boeing Company in October 1983. That year, in September 1983, Air Malta achieved the highest worldwide utilisation of the Boeing 737 aircraft type with a utilisation record of 14.9hours per day. Other milestones included the flight with a Boeing 737 on the 8 March 1997 (International Women Day) Captained by Marthese Desira, Air Malta’s first female Captain with an all female crew.
Another landmark flight operated by a Boeing aircraft (which incidentally was the same aircraft that last Sunday operated the last Air Malta commercial flight) was the flight on 5 January 2005 to Colombo in Sri Lanka. This flight transported tons of medicines and other life-saving medical supplies that were urgently needed by the victims of the tsunami disaster and were donated by the Maltese Government and the Malta Civil Protection. The flight, which Air Malta operated at its own cost, presented a navigational and operational challenge. The flight took 13 hours stopping over in Cairo, and Dubai before arriving in Colombo with a total distance of over 7,300km.
The decision to replace the airline fleet was not an easy one. At the start of the millennium Air Malta recognised the need of a younger fleet to lower maintenance costs and downtimes and the post Sept 11 aviation crisis provided the negotiating team, setup to evaluate fleet replacement proposals, a unique opportunity to obtain huge concessions.
In July 2002 Air Malta announced that after months of intensive negotiations and evaluations the airline concluded a multi-million dollar agreement which involved International Lease Finance Corporation, Airbus Industrie and CFM International for the renewal of its fleet over a four-and-a-half-year period. Two major elements of the deal involved the sale and lease back from ILFC, a major American aircraft lessor, of Air Malta’s own two A320-200s and three B737-300s, and the lease of twelve new aircraft from the Airbus A320 family for a term of twelve years each.
The delivery of new state-of-the-art Airbus, which started in January 2004 and concluded in March 2007, has presented Air Malta with substantial operational and technological advantages that include better cabin layouts, inflight entertainment and substantial cost savings arising from fleet commonality.
Substantial savings were also registered in crew certification and recurrent training, reduced aircraft and engine spares inventories and better economies of scale in the production departments. The new fleet registered superior performance achieving a better fuel burn ratio and has presented Air Malta with a more environmentally responsible aircraft fleet with less CO2 emissions and noise footprints.
Air Malta wishes to thank the Boeing Company for the continuous support it has given the airline throughout the years.
