FLEET / HYBRIDS C/S - Garuda Indonesia Expands Fleet for Hajj Operations with New Wet-Leased Aircraft

Garuda Indonesia bolstered its wide-body aircraft fleet to enhance its operations during the Hajj. The Indonesian airline added seven aircraft of different models and from various companies under wet leasing contracts.

Leased Aircraft:

Airbus A330-300 (T7-MMM), leased from San Marino Executive Aviation
Airbus A330-300 (CS-WFP), leased from World2Fly
Airbus A330-300 (HS-XTG), leased from Thai AirAsia X
Airbus A340-300 (YR-LRD), leased from Legend Airlines
Boeing 747-400 (ER-BOS and ER-TRV), leased from Terra Avia
Ezoic
Boeing 777-200 (N771KW), leased from Eastern Airlines
The incorporated aircraft operate from Indonesian airports in Surakarta (SOC), Medan (KNO), Banjarmasin (BDJ), Jakarta (CGK), and Makassar (UPG). From these locations, they depart for Medina Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport (MED) in Saudi Arabia.

Photo:Muhammad Aria Alauddin

Boeing 777-200 (N771KW), leased from Eastern Airlines

US's Eastern Airlines inducts first B777-200(ER)

 Following a lengthy certification process, Eastern Airlines (2D, Miami Int'l) has now completed the induction of its first passenger-configured B777-200(ER).

N771KW (msn 28530) was acquired by the airline during the peak of COVID-related aircraft groundings in May 2020. However, the 20.9-year-old jet subsequently remained in storage at Victorville and Kansas City Int'l through November 2022, when it began proving flights.

The airline currently operates an all-B767 fleet comprising one B767-200, three B767-200(ER)s, and seven B767-300(ER)s which are deployed mainly on charter services after Eastern Airlines curtailed its once more extensive point-to-point Latin American network to a single return route - Miami Int'l to Santo Domingo Las Américas. The airline is also trying to secure rights to fly to China.

Chief Executive Steve Harfst told ch-aviation that the aircraft would be used on a mix of charter, ACMI, and scheduled operations on the existing route.

Eastern plans to pivot to a B777-dominated fleet. In 2021, it announced plans to acquire a total of thirty-five B777s, spread across four variants (B777-200, B777-200(ER), B777-300, and B777-300(ER)) amid plans to eventually convert these aircraft into freighters under its proprietary Class E Supplemental Type Certificate. The first freighters were due to go into service in the first quarter of 2022. The airline later deferred this to the second half of last year. Harfst said that the current expectation is to obtain the STC in the first quarter of 2023.

Harfst told ch-aviation last year that as Eastern proceeds with its freighter certification, some B777s will operate as passenger aircraft. The current plan is to operate at least two as passenger aircraft, with more contingent on demand.

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Eastern Airlines takes first B777-300(ER)

 

Eastern Airlines (2D, Miami Int'l) has taken delivery of its first B777-300(ER) in the form of N776KW (msn 32650), ch-aviation research has revealed.

The 15.3-year-old Boeing aircraft was ordered and operated by ANA - All Nippon Airways through March 2021. In April 2021, it was ferried for storage to Mojave. It was re-registered in the United States by Eastern Airlines on February 3, 2022, although it remains parked in California.

The airline is currently at an early stage of its planned expansion into the B777 market. Hitherto a B767 operator, Eastern Airlines announced in September 2021 that it had acquired a total of thirty-five B777s to convert them into freighters under its own Supplemental Type Certificate (STC). Chief Executive Steve Harfst later clarified later to ch-aviation that the pool comprised eleven B777-200s, fifteen B777-200(ER)s, seven B777-300s, and two B777-300(ER)s. Eastern plans to gradually induct them in line with demand and will deploy some as passenger aircraft on charter routes prior to conversion.

Besides the B777s, Eastern Airlines operates one B767-200, four B767-200(ER)s, and six B767-300(ER)s, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows.

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Eastern Airlines launches Eastern Air Cargo

Eastern Airlines has launched Eastern Air Cargo, following-up on the airline's expansion plans as announced in February of this year. According to the airline's press-release, it has secured the feedstock for 35 B777s that will be converted into "Class e-cargo aircraft".

These Class e-cargo aircraft will be converted passenger to "phreighter" aircraft but with more permanent fixtures. Therefore, Eastern is pursuing a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the FAA for these new variants of the B777. According to the airline's website, it will add B777-200EFs (EF stands for Express Freighter), B777-200EREFs and B777-300EFs to the fleet that will be converted to fully utilize "the entire volume of the main deck cabin to hold low-density, express freight cargo". Eastern hopes to receive the STC by the end of this year and operate its first Express Freighter in the first quarter of next year. The airline will offer general cargo sales, cargo charters, ACMI/wet-leasing and dry leasing.

Currently, Eastern has three B777-200ERs in its fleet, all of them parked. Next to these it also has three B767-200s, one B767-200ER and five B767-300ERs.

Photo by Eastern Airlines.

EASTERN AIRLINES PLANS FLEET EXPANSION

 

Kansas City (MS) where they are being prepared for service. Next to this, Eastern Airlines is planning business as well and plans to add two B777-200 freighters. However, in an interview with the mentioned the B777-300ERSF as an interesting option.

With the new aircraft, the airline wants to expand its flights and plans to offer/increase flights from (CA), Miami (FL), New York-JFK (NY) and Philapelphia (PA) to destinations in Canada, Brazil, Dominican Guyana and Paraguay.

The current Eastern Airlines is the third company carrying the famous brand. The first (original one) 1991. The second one, a charter-airline operated between 2015 and 2017. The airline that's running as Dynamic Airways in 2010 and rebranded to Eastern Airlines in 2018 after a Chapter 11 reorganisation. fourteen registered aircraft, consisting of five B767-200(ER)s (one parked), six B767-300(ER)s (one 200ERs.

Curiously, in January of this year, a B747-400F has been registered with a registration ending with "Eastern Airlines-aircraft have been registered. The aircraft, N251KW (25152) is registered to Alta Holdings, at Kansas City (MS) just like the airline's three B777-200ERs. The press-release of Eastern Airlines outlining however, doesn't mention the Jumbo at all.

Photo: Eastern Airlines.

Florida's Eastern Airlines adds maiden B777

Eastern Airlines (2D, Miami Int'l) is in the process of adding its first B777-200(ER) in the form of N771KW (msn 28530), an 18.3-year-old unit currently parked at Victorville airport.

The Floridian airline registered the ex-flyGlobal Charter (FGG, Kuala Lumpur Int'l) jet on May 29, 2020, but has yet to ferry it out of storage or deploy it into service. The aircraft will join Eastern Airlines' existing fleet of eight B767s consisting of one B767-200, three -200(ER)s, and four B767-300(ER)s.

Eastern Airlines had been planning network and fleet expansion before the COVID-19 crisis. Having previously operated as a charter specialist, the airline launched its first scheduled route - from New York JFK to Guayaquil - in early January 2020. Plans to add services to Georgetown Cheddi Jagan and San José Cabo were interrupted by the pandemic. The airline still operates charter flights besides the currently suspended scheduled routes.

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Eastern Airlines / 767-266(ER) / N605KW

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