On Sunday, May 1, 2022, AirTanker resumed damp lease operations (wet-lease with pilots, but without cabin crew) after closing a deal with Jet2.com for the northern summer season after two years.
Jet2 operated an AirTanker Airbus A330-200, registration G-VYGL, from Manchester to Tenerife as «Channex 917» with 305 passengers on board. In command on this first flight were Captain Richard Evans and AirTanker First Officer Andy Nolan, supported by nine Jet2 cabin crew and two lessor cabin crew trainers.
See Also: White A330 MRTT, a subtle message from Airbus to countries in the region.
«Summer 22 is our largest summer program ever, demonstrating the strong demand we continue to experience for our flights and vacation packages. The addition of AirTanker’s widebody Airbus A330 to our operation at Manchester Airport will help us increase capacity and meet this continued demand,» said Ian Doubtfire, Director of Sustainability and Business Development for Jet2.com and Jet2holidays.
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A second Airbus A330-200, registration G-VYGM, will join this operation and begin flying on May 26, 2022. Both aircraft will operate twice-daily flights from Manchester to destinations including; Faro in Portugal; Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife in Spain, Antalya and Dalaman in Turkey, and will operate until the end of October 2022.
«We are delighted to be operating again on behalf of Jet2.com with two aircraft for the summer season, and look forward to providing a high level of service to Jet2.com and its customers. It is fantastic to have two aircraft placed on stable damp leases after two challenging years in the commercial market, and we look forward to a successful summer ahead,» said Tony Carder, AirTanker’s director of sales.
See also: Jet2 sees increase in bookings to Spain
Airtanker and Jet2
In addition to supporting Royal Air Force (RAF) Voyager operations, AirTanker operates as a civilian airline. They have been responsible for the South Atlantic Islands Airlift since 2013 between the UK and Falklands.
See also: Argentine Air Force T-99 to operate flights for Flybondi.
In May 2015, it obtained its first ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) commercial aircraft leasing contract, with Thomas Cook Airlines. Since 2017, they have been Jet2 customers every summer season with flights to Greece, Turkey, Portugal and Spain.
The Airbus A330-200s operated by Jet2 feature a 327-passenger configuration, playing an important role in high-demand summer destinations.
