NEWS FLASH
Croatian ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, insurance) specialist Trade Air has taken delivery of its second Airbus A320 aircraft over the weekend. The jet, registered 9A-BTH and named "Cecilia", is eighteen years old and previously operated for the likes of Iberia, Koral Blue, OLT Express and most recently Viva Air Columbia. The 180-seat aircraft is being leased from AerCap and has already entered into service. Trade Air has been in operation since 1994 and currently owns and operates one A320, as well as two Fokker 100s. Furthermore, it wet-leases a Let L-410 Turbolet for public service obligation flights between Croatian cities.
Photos courtesy of Trade Air
Love seeing this colorful bird here in Belgrade. Really nice livery.
ReplyDeleteTrade Air used to operate for ex-Jat Airways during their last years. But it was with Fokker 100 in old Sun Adria livery. It operated Tivat, Stockholm and Rome from BEG if I remember well, on scheduled flights, and also once charter flight for some sports club, Zvezda, to Larnaca, but not so sure about the last one, cannot guarantee
DeleteCongratulations! Love their livery.
ReplyDeleteAny chance for them to start scheduled flights?
ReplyDeleteThat is the plan, but they need to make it work long term. So they're taking it easy.
DeleteThat is not the plan! They don't have any interest in that exempt PSO.
DeletePurger
Very amazing livery :)
ReplyDeleteHate to crash this love-fest, but in my opinion the name is simply dumb and the livery too curvaceous for my liking.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Viva Air Colombia is a rock bottom low-cost operator from Latin America and picking up their leftovers is simply not something I would applaud.
I'd like us in the Balkans to aim higher than this.
The plane does not belong to Viva Air Colombia but Aer Cap. It was leased to Iberia too.
DeleteThis jet actually flew for almost 9 years for Iberia less than 2 for KoralBlue Airlines Egypt, 5 months for OLT Express Polska and 7 years for Viva Air Colombia.
DeleteSeems to be a regional star...
Speaking the truth, both planes are pretty crappy. They have constant issues with the first one which came from Azores, with lot of corrosion, and it took months to make it airworthy. And the second one, after being maintained in Egypt and Colombia, not so sure about its condition as well. From outside, it's really nice, livery, colours, but I would rather stay at looking it from outside instead of entering and getting up there.
DeleteViva Colombia is the company owned by Ryan family getting A320neos nowadays and expanding heavily alongside with VivaAerobus (Mexico), Viva Air Peru, Viva Air Panama and startup Viva Airlines Kyrgyzstan. Wish any of our regional airlines was like VVC, financially strong with young fleet expanding in the different regions. Stating that Viva Colombia is the rock bottom company states that the comment is rock bottom stupid. Not to say sth else.
DeleteAlso, I guess according to you any aircraft maintained outside EASA environment should get cut into pieces. Fortunately, there are rules how to reintroduce such planes back into EASA by lessors and airlines, so such stupid opinions of the wannabes like you don't matter to administrations.
Somebody very angry? LOL!!! Wonder why? Maybe Tzar does not want to hear is naked?
DeleteCecilia is Marko Cvijin mother, and late wife of Trade Air founder Mihailo.
DeleteThose A320 are ACMI planes. And they are doing more than well for lot of companies they fly for. All of those have no problem at all with those. Planes are in the air most of the year. Earning lot of money. It would be stupid to buy new planes for ACMI. Can not earn money as companies would not pay much more for renting if plane is brand new. In same time that cost company 25-20 time more to buy them.
Of course. They are as perfect as the third F100 which went for scrapping after several million usd "invested" in it, after it had flown for 6 months only and btw not in Europe but in Libya and after CCAA refused to allow it to operate further. I know very well Cecilia and I knew Mihailo and they are excellent folks who took good care of both the company and the employees. Unfortunately their son turned out to be not the manager but the "Tzar"
DeleteSo not true. Third F100 was never bought for reason to fly, but to be scraped for spare parts. When plane came, they find that for small amount of money they can make it fly for several months. And plane was put on short lease for season. As it was rent for several months they made investment. In first place they new they will have it on flying just for several months till resources will run out. When that happen they went to original plan to scrap plane for spare parts. And they did so.
DeleteWhen Marko just think about to buy that plane (much earlier than he did so), he told me he will buy it just for spare parts. New plan was present to me when I call him and ask him how comes that plane flies.
Purger
Under that "Tzar" company grew to two A320s.... Guess you are just a jealous ex-employee..
DeleteYes, I am ex-employee. And not only employee. And at the moment, I work for the company 6 times larger than TDR, I earn double of what I had in TDR, I have great great great contract conditions, and I am RESPECTED, which is unfortunately not the case with the employees serving under His Highness. And which was not the case while Mihailo was in charge. And just one more small detail : I was not fired, I left TDR . Whether I have any reason to be jealous, you make your own conclusion. But yes, I am sad, because TDR is for long long time now not anymore the company in which "is not easy but is nice to work", as Mihailo used to say, and yes, I am sorry about it.. And the Tzar can grow the company not to 2 but to 20 crappy A320's but it will not make me change my opinion. Cheers!
DeleteBit of trivia, about 15 years ago Trade Air was hired by the Australian government to fly the media around the country during the 2004 Federal election campaign. They sent one or two F100s and I remember reading some interesting newspaper articles because the press was wondering why there were no planes in Australia to do the job. Turns out the Australian mining boom was in full swing and all available planes where booked to fly miners in and out of remote mining towns. Interesting how a small Croatian company managed to get the job.
ReplyDeleteVeramente bravissimi,tanti complimenti
ReplyDeleteTheir colourful A320 was frequent visitor at Belgrade airport some years ago. They did operate Tel Aviv - Belgrade for Israir.
ReplyDelete