Alliance Airlines (QQ, Brisbane International) has exited the turboprop market with the early retirement and sale of all of its remaining Fokker 50s for AUD4.6 million Australian dollars (USD3.2 million).
"The Company has concluded a review on the Fokker 50 fleet, which included using the turboprop aircraft for existing and potential customers. Overwhelmingly the preference of these customers was for jet aircraft on their charter services. Moreover, the alternative shorter routes with lower passenger requirements were deemed non-core to the Alliance business," the airline said.
Alliance Airlines, which is being acquired by Qantas Group, said its five remaining Fokker Aircraft turboprops have been used exclusively on the Adelaide International-Olympic Dam route under a fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) charter contract with mining company BHP. However, the recent refurbishment of Olympic Dam's runway has since allowed the carrier to replace the F50s with jets, which are preferred by the customer.
The five remaining F50s in Alliance's fleet are 28.6 years old on average, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. The airline has operated the type since 2007. Alliance Airlines said proceeds from the sale, which includes all spare parts and engines, should be recorded in the first quarter of 2023. It did not identify the buyer. In 2022, the airline will record a AUD12.1 million (USD8.4 million) non-cash write-down in 2022 related to the phase-out of the aircraft.
Following its exit from the turboprop market, Alliance Airlines continues to operate twenty E190s, fourteen Fokker 70s, and twenty-five Fokker 100s. It plans to add a further thirteen E190s by the first quarter of 2023.
