Pionair Australia (Sydney Bankstown) has appointed C&L Aviation Group to remarket its only E190 as it plans to focus on BAe Systems operations going forward.
ERJ 190-100LR VH-SEF (msn 1900435) is a 2011 build jet currently in storage at Sydney Bankstown, the ch-aviation fleets module shows, and has had its Pionair's livery removed already. It has logged 19,467 hours and 18,675 flight cycles and It is due for its next maintenance inspection in September 2024.
Pionair added the ex-Niki (Austria), LGW - Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter, and Helvetic Airways Embraer jet in January 2021 but never operated the aircraft. It planned to use it and a further three units of the type to expand its passenger ACMI business and benefit from the low capital costs of adding new aircraft during the COVID-19 crisis. However, it has since told Smart Aviation Asia Pacific that it has abandoned its E190 plans and deemed the only acquired aircraft "surplus to requirements".
The ch-aviation fleets module shows that Pionair's core BAe fleet comprises two BAe 146-200s, two BAe 146-200(QC)s, three BAe 146-200(QT)s, and two BAe 146-300(QT)s.
The airline was also due to operate two E190-E2s owned by the Kiribati government on behalf of Air Kiribati. While the first aircraft was delivered to Australia in December 2019, it was never deployed into revenue service and remains in storage at Bankstown airport. The second E190-E2 was originally due in April 2020 but was never delivered to Australia or Kiribati.
While the Pacific carrier is currently focusing on the domestic market, using DHC-6s, Pionair said that the E2 plans were still in place.
"We are keeping the aircraft in an airworthy condition for when the Kiribati government requires its use," General Manager Michael Lee told ch-aviation.
Lee underlined that the induction of the E2 will depend on the lifting of COVID-related travel restrictions but said that as of now, it seemed as if it would happen in the second quarter of 2022.
