30.04.2016 - 05:35 UTC
Kalitta Air (K4, Detroit Willow Run) has taken delivery of its maiden B767-300F following its conversion into a freighter with Bedek Aviation Group, the MRO arm of Israel Aerospace Industries (Tel Aviv Ben Gurion).
Skyliner Aviation indicates N173CR (msn 24753) was ferried from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion to Oscoda via Detroit Willow Run earlier this month and is due to be deployed into service in May.
Kalitta acquired four B767-300(ER)s of which two, both ex-Business Air (Thailand) (Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) machines, are to be converted into freighters while the other two will be used for spares. Air Cargo World indicates several more may be acquired in future to serve as replacements for Kalitta's ageing fleet of four B747-200(F)s. The twinjets will also allow the carrier to test the US domestic freight market which it has thus far overlooked in favour of international operations.
The Michigan-based cargo specialist also operates ten B747-400(F)s (two of which are away on duty for DHL Express).
18.02.2016 - 03:18 UTC
The Thai government is likely to delay until next year, a follow up audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) the newly formed Thai Civil Aviation Authority (ThCAA) has said.
The government says it requires more time to adequately train ThCAA inspectors to ICAO specifications an official statement said.
In June last year, the ICAO formally instated a Significant Safety Concern (SSC) against Thailand after the country's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) failed to adequately address regulatory oversight shortcomings identified during a Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) inspection in January 2015.
At the time, Thailand reportedly only satisfied 21 out the 100 USOAP criteria with problem areas said to have included: personnel licensing and training, airworthiness assessment and certification, airline operations oversight and the granting of Air Operator Certificates (AOC) to airlines.
As part of its remedies, Bangkok said it would establish two new organisations - the ThCAA and the Air Transport Department - to oversee the Thailand's aviation sector and its airports and infrastructure respectively. In addition, existing aviation laws have been tightened...
14.02.2016 - 15:07 UTC
A renewed, muscular Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has sanctioned Asian Air (Thailand) (Bangkok Don Mueang), City Airways (Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) and tightened existing measures taken against Business Air (Thailand) (Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) for violating the country's civil aviation regulations.
The Bangkok Post reports that last week, the CAAT grounded Asian Air after the Central Bankruptcy Court in Bangkok ordered the airline's assets frozen at the behest of an undisclosed creditor, said to be an MRO firm owed outstanding dues. The full-service airline said it was exploring all avenues to 'resume its operations as soon as possible' with co-founder David Srichai-udom stating that it had recently reduced outstanding debt from THB100 million (USD2.81 million)to THB10 million (USD280,800).
Concerning City Airways, the CAAT said continued doubts about the airline's safety culture had forced it to ground its only active aircraft - B737-400 HS-GTG (msn 27191) - ahead of Sunday's flight to Hong Kong International. City Airways may resume operations once the CAAT's concerns have been fully addressed, the watchdog...
14.12.2015 - 22:53 UTC
Kalitta Air (K4, Detroit Willow Run) is set to begin B767 freighter operations following the recent acquisition of two B767-300(ER)s for P2F conversion in Israel.
CargoFacts reports the US cargo specialist, which until now has operated B747 freighters exclusively, bought two B767-300(ER)s - msn 24752 and 24753 - from the now defunct Business Air (Thailand) (Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) alongside two ex-JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda) airframes which it will use for spare parts.
The aircraft are currently at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion undergoing conversion with Bedek Aviation Group.
Commenting on the move, airline CEO Conrad Kalitta said the B767 freighters may be deployed into service for, among others, integrator DHL, though this is subject to official confirmation.
Kalitta Air currently operates five B747-200(F)s and ten B747-400(F)s on international scheduled and ad-hoc cargo charter flights.
