Thomas Cook Airlines UK (Manchester International) will wet-lease a modified A330-200 from AirTanker (9L, Brize Norton) for use on flights connecting Glasgow International, Manchester International, and London Stansted with Las Vegas Harry Reid, Orlando International, and Cancún beginning May 2015.
Under the terms of the three-year agreement, Air Tanker will operate the aircraft under its civil Air Operator’s Certificate in a 323-seat configuration. Cabin service will be undertaken by Thomas Cook Airlines, which will also oversee the aircraft's line maintenance. Base maintenance will, however, be undertaken by AirTanker.
In addition, six Thomas Cook Airlines Captains and four First Officers, will be seconded to AirTanker, flying alongside AirTanker’s own civilian pilots.
“This ground-breaking deal with AirTanker, which may be extended in the future, will allow us to bring a brand new A330 to serve our new routes alongside our refurbished long haul fleet and illustrates the transformation of our airline as we look to bring a new level of reliability and comfort to our customers,” Christoph Debus, the Chairman of the Thomas Cook Group Airlines, said.
AirTanker, the company behind the RAF Voyager (UK Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft) programme, is a consortium made up of various aerospace, defence and facilities management specialists namely Babcock, Cobham, Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac), Rolls-Royce and Thales.
