AirTanker Services

AirTanker
Founded	2007
Commenced operations	2013
AOC #	2388
Hubs	RAF Brize Norton
Focus cities	Manchester Airport
Fleet size	14
Parent company	Airbus (40%); Rolls-Royce plc (20%); Cobham plc (13.33%); Babcock International (13.33%); and Thales Group (13.33%)
Headquarters	RAF Brize Norton, United Kingdom
Website	www.airtanker.co.uk

AirTanker Services, operating as AirTanker, is a British aircraft leasing company providing a fleet of Airbus A330 MRTT tanker/transports, known by the service name "Voyager", to the Royal Air Force for the aerial refuelling role.

For additional revenue it operates air charter flights using reserve aircraft. It is a consortium of Airbus, Rolls-Royce plc, Cobham plc, Babcock International and Thales Group.

In 2008 the Ministry of Defence signed the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) contract with AirTanker to provide the Royal Air Force (RAF) with an air transport and air-to-air refuelling capability. As well as supporting the RAF, AirTanker holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.[1]

Airbus Voyager of the RAF, owned by Airtanker, arrives at the 2016 RIAT, England

Following the granting of an air operating licence the airline flew its first charter flight to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus for the UK Ministry of Defence in January 2013.[2] After delays in certification, its first operational refuelling flight took place on 20 May 2013.[3]

From May 2015, AirTanker leased one aircraft to Thomas Cook Airlines to be deployed on holiday routes. The contract was to initially run for three years, and would have involved mainly long haul flights from Glasgow, Manchester and London Stansted Airport. Their first commercial flight took place on 1 May 2015 from Manchester to Cancun and Punta Cana for Thomas Cook Airlines using an Airbus A330.[4]

On 30 September 2016, AirTanker reached the final establishment phase milestone in the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) programme with the achievement of Full Service Date on time and on budget delivering all 14 Aircraft.

AirTanker also provides twice-weekly flights from RAF Brize Norton to RAF Mount Pleasant on the Falkland Islands mainly for military personnel, though fare-paying passengers are also allowed to travel.

Fleet

An AirTanker Airbus Voyager

A Thomas Cook Airlines-branded Airbus A330-200 in 2015, leased from AirTanker

AirTanker has a 27-year contract to provide fourteen aircraft: "core" fleet of nine aircraft - eight with military serials and one civilian registration - and a "surge" fleet of five civil registered aircraft which it uses for additional revenue.[5]

AirTanker Fleet (Feb 2019)[6]
Military registration	Civilian registration	Current use	Passengers
ZZ330	~~G-VYGA~~	RAF	291
ZZ331	~~G-VYGB~~	RAF	291
ZZ332	~~G-VYGC~~	RAF	291
ZZ333	~~G-VYGD~~	RAF	291
ZZ334	~~G-VYGE~~	RAF	291
ZZ335	~~G-VYGF~~	RAF	291
ZZ336	~~G-VYGG~~	RAF (VIP transport)	VIP, 158 including 58 business class seats[7]
ZZ337	~~G-VYGH~~	RAF	291
ZZ338	~~G-VYGI~~	RAF	291
ZZ339	G-VYGJ	AirTanker for RAF
ZZ340	G-VYGK	AirTanker for RAF	320 economy[8]
ZZ341	G-VYGL	AirTanker for RAF (Jet2.com)	327 economy[8]
ZZ342	G-VYGM	AirTanker for RAF (Jet2.com)	327 economy[8]
ZZ343	~~G-VYGN~~	RAF

References

Type A Operating Licence Holders
"AirTanker's first flight as an airline". Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
Osborne, Anthony (20 May 2013). "AirTanker Cleared To Begin Air-To-Air Refueling Operations". Aviation Week. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
"AirTanker Makes Commercial Debut". Airliner World: 5. July 2015.
RAF, https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/voyager/ "Voyager"]
G-INFO - Civil Aviation Authority retrieved 28 February 2018
Stevenson, Beth (6 July 2016). "RAF reveals VIP-configured Voyager". www.flightglobal.com. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
"AirTanker Leasing - Our Customers". www.airtanker.co.uk. AirTanker. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.

External links

Official website

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Type A Operating Licence Holders

[2] "AirTanker's first flight as an airline". Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.

[AW20130520-3] Osborne, Anthony (20 May 2013). "AirTanker Cleared To Begin Air-To-Air Refueling Operations". Aviation Week. Retrieved 25 May 2013.

[4] "AirTanker Makes Commercial Debut". Airliner World: 5. July 2015.

[5] RAF, https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/voyager/ "Voyager"]

[6] G-INFO - Civil Aviation Authority retrieved 28 February 2018

[7] Stevenson, Beth (6 July 2016). "RAF reveals VIP-configured Voyager". www.flightglobal.com. Retrieved 8 February 2019.

[airtankerleasing-8] "AirTanker Leasing - Our Customers". www.airtanker.co.uk. AirTanker. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.