3 Links I Love: Awful Data Points, Parking Airplanes on Opposite Sides of the World

Apr 10, 2020

More Reading on This Topic: Hawaiian, KLM, Links I Love

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This week’s featured link

Impact of COVID-19: Data Updates – A4A
The relatively mundane title belies the true ugliness you’ll find in this report. This is 15 slides of pure airline carnage. Might want to grab a stiff whisky before you crack this open.

Image of the Week: Where do old ERJs go to die? Apparently Knoxville. Both Expressjet and the now-defunct Trans States have parked ERJ-145s at maintenance bases out there with this gloomy weather providing an appropriate background. (via Metro Knoxville Airport Authority)

Two for the road

Keeping our Parked Planes in Flying Shape – Hawaiian Airlines Mana’o
We’ll start our tour of parked aircraft in Honolulu where Hawaiian has more than 50 airplanes parked anywhere it can find a spot, including on the now closed runway 8L/26R. I found the little tidbit about fixing airflow on the A321neos while they sit on the ground interesting.

This is how we park the majority of our aircraft – KLM Blog
And now to the other side of the world in Amsterdam where KLM is parking its much larger fleet. Five of the seven terminal piers are non-operational and just being used to park aircraft. The Aalsmeer runway is also being used. (Side Note: I love that they name their runways in Amsterdam.)

Brett

8 responses to “3 Links I Love: Awful Data Points, Parking Airplanes on Opposite Sides of the World”

Dave Starr

Apr 10, 2020 at 4:27 am

Great subject matter today, Brett. After many years on the flight line I’m very interested in the whys and hw=wherefores of laying up aircraft … especially when the expected length of idleness is so “iffy” at this time. Keep safe and keep writing.

Reply
Alex

Apr 10, 2020 at 8:59 am

It’s completely insane that ERJ-145s are stuck parked on the tarmac while airlines are continuing to run routes on empty A320s and 737s.

Mainline carriers should be hustling their pilots and crews through refresher courses for regional jets – get those back in the air, and ground the big jets that you can’t fill up for the foreseeable future anyway.

Reply
1. Kevin
  
  Apr 10, 2020 at 2:16 pm
  
  Mainline scope clauses have likely caused many of these RJ’s to be parked.
  
  Reply
  1. Alex
    
    Apr 13, 2020 at 8:00 am
    
    Yeah, that’s why I’m saying they should get the mainline pilots re-qualified to start flying them. Scope clause not a problem if you use mainline staff.
    
    Reply
    1. Michael
      
      Apr 14, 2020 at 5:20 am
      
      It’s not that simple. You’re talking about 1.5-2 months of training for each pilot in order to get them qualified on a new aircraft. And at my airline, the pilot training center is closed the next few weeks for a deep cleaning.
      
      Reply
Teiemka

Apr 10, 2020 at 9:09 am

Extract from KLM article

“The runways themselves must also be protected with special covers placed over the asphalt.”

Does this actually happen, haven’t seen this in the many photos with aircraft parked on runways.

Reply
1. Teiemka
  
  Apr 10, 2020 at 9:16 am
  
  Some more insight from SN
  https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/brussels-shields-its-dormant-fleet-from-nesting-birds-and-fading-seats/137843.article
  
  Reply
2. CF
  
  Apr 10, 2020 at 10:25 am
  
  Teiemka – I don’t have proof of it happening, but maybe they’re clear? I don’t really know.
  
  Reply