Swiftair (WT, Madrid Barajas) has temporarily suspended MD-83 ACMI operations the MD80com news blog has reported. The move, according to the site, is in force for the duration of the current 2014/15 winter season though Swiftair plans to return to the sector in summer next year.
In related news, the Spanish operator has also retired its McDonnell Douglas fleet from active service with no more flights operated since the end of October based on ch-aviation research. Swiftair had, at one point, operated a total of seven MD-83s before that number was whittled down to two in October. In July, MD-83 EC-LTV (msn 53190), operating for Air Algérie (AH, Algiers) was lost over Mali while en-route from Ouagadougou to Algiers. All 116 passengers on-board were killed.
Swiftair continues to operate two ATR42-320s and eleven ATR72s on passenger flights while its freight fleet consists of four ATR 42-300(F)s, six ATR 72-200(F)/-500(F)/-600Fs, seven B737-300(F)s, two B737-400(F)s and ten E120s.
Its ATR ACMI customers include Antrak Air (Accra), Air Europa (UX, Palma de Mallorca) and the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNO, Brindisi).
