The Dutch aviation company Denim Air festively added a Fokker 100 to its fleet at Rotterdam Airport on Thursday, 29 October 2009. This aircraft will in particular be deployed for the so-called wet lease and will considerably increase the market share of the company. 

Denim Air was founded in 1996 and is the European market leader in Wet Lease (ACMI), a service provision whereby airline companies can lease aircraft, as desired, complete with cockpit and cabin crew, maintenance and insurance. Denim Air also leases aircraft for charter flights.

The company not only leases aircraft but also provides trainings for the crew of other airline companies and it has its own maintenance company to carry out maintenance, repairs and checks on wheels, tires and brakes in particular; both for its own aircraft as well as those of other airlines. 

Denim Air and Fokker Services recently signed an alliance strategy.

This alliance provides Denim Air with logistics and technical support from Fokker Services; not only for the Fokker 50 and 100, but also for the Dash 8. This includes logistic programmes such as Abacus, with which Fokker Services will support an optimum deployment of the aircraft through an engineering support and documentation. An AOG-service ensures 24/7 worldwide availability of spare parts.

The jet engine powered Fokker 100, with a capacity of approximately 100 passengers, is an important addition to the fleet, which up to now consisted of 50-seat Fokker 50 and Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. The additional seats of the Fokker 100 are not the only asset that makes it attractive for a new target group, its greater range of 3,000 kilometers is also a major plus point. 

“This aircraft not only allows us to compete with the larger propeller aircraft with a capacity of 70 passengers, we can now also accommodate comfortable jet flights for the somewhat longer distances”, comments a spokesperson for the company. “We will therefore be targeting the smaller tour operators that cannot fill 180 seats, but which have insufficient aircraft capacity during the vacation periods. The Fokker 100 is particularly ideal for summer destination flights.” 

With the arrival of the Fokker 100, the Denim Air fleet now totals 17 aircrafts. Denim Air handles over 35,000 flights within and outside Europe each year and its workforce of 225 pilots and cabin crew was instructed and trained by the company itself. Other airline companies also regularly have their personnel instructed by or attend further training at Denim Air.

Source: Denim Air