Archive News - 2012
February 27th 2012;
Maybe not the best of starts to the year. Cargoitalia ceasing flying late 2011 and World Airways into Chaper 11 in February. Martinairs fleet replacement of the MD11's had begun with athe airline looking at an all B747-400 fleet and the first KLM MD11's will leave the fleet this year too.
I took the pictures below last week in Miami from our room at the Comfort Inn&Suites of Sky Lease MD11 N954AR having some work done on it.
The last remaining scheduled passenger operator will see its first aircraft leave the fleet this year. 2 MD11's, expected to be PH-KCH and KCI will leave the fleet this year as the carrier get's new Airbus 330's. Summer services begin in around a month's time. KL620/621 to Atlanta goes to an MD11 for the Summer and a new thrice weekly serivce to Los Angeles operates June-September.
Martinair MD-11F PH-MCY has placed into storage at Amsterdam. Martinair's fleet will be concentrated on the B747-400F with those from KLM cargo and some from Air France making up the fleet eventually.
Global Aviation Holdings, the parent company of World Airways and North Amercian filed for Chapter 11 on Febraury 6th citing a large mixed fleet and high labour costs. Alongwith the 14 MD11's World operates, there also B747, B757 and B767 within the group. Some of the MD11's operate for other customers such as Etihad and Alied Cargo but i believe some of the fleet is parked. On my recent visit to the USA, at Tampa there were 5 North American aircraft and N271WA MD11. N277WA was at Miami.
March 1st 2012;
It seems over half of the World Airways is currently parked up, (it could be more), exact status unknown. Hopefuly the airline can sort out thier financial woes soon and get these fine aircraft back in the air!
N269WA at Victorville, CA
N270/273/274WA at Goodyear, AZ
N271WA at Tampa, FL
N277WA at Miami, FL
N278WA at Singapore on freigter conversion?
N383WA at Victorville, CA
N384WA unknown?
(with Thanks to Lee Marrow for telling me about this.)
March 9th 2012;
Former CargoItalia MD11's EI-UPE/UPI were ferried from Singapore to the USA last week (i think to Mohave) for onward storage. No customer has yet had them so they could be there a while.
I believe the other MD11 in the fleet EI-EMS is still at Frankfurt.
May 1st 2012;
PH-KCF touches down in Vancouver on 29th April. This is the last MD11 flight to Vancouver this Summer season as the flight now downgrades to 777 equipment. Thanks to Rex Pak for the picture.
June 5th 2012;
Sad news from KLM is that they are expected to take their first MD11 out of service at the beginning of July. PH-KCH will leave the fleet first, followed by PH-KCI sometime in September and PH-KCF later in the year. More on this when i get it.
I just spent 10 days in the USA. Whilst at Baltimore airport on May 20th i was fortunate to see World MD11 N272WA. It departed later that evening to Ramstein, Germany, presumably on a military charter.
World Airways has been reorganising the company and fleet and several MD11's will be displaced. This is the current situation;
N269WA - lease return
N270WA - lease return
N271WA - staying with WOA
N272WA - staying with WOA
N273WA - staying with WOA
N274WA - lease return
N275WA - lease return
N276WA - lease return
N277WA - lease return, on freighter conversion
N278WA - lease return, on freighter conversion
N279WA - lease return
N380WA - staying with WOA
N381WA - staying with WOA
N382WA - staying with WOA
N383WA - staying with WOA (currently on a 'c' check)
N384WA - lease return
So World will be left with 3 PAX MD11's (271/272/273) and 4 freighters (380-383), plus 2 B747 freighters. Quite a drop in fleet size but hopefully the reorganisation will leave the company more stable and able to continue successfully. As yet i do not know what will happen to the MD11's returned off lease. Hopefully they'll get snapped up but with new 330 and 777 freighters on the market maybe no one will want them.
July 4th 2012;
PH-KCH 'Anna Pavlova' has performed its last flights for KLM. The arrived back into Amsterdam on July 2nd from New Delhi on KL 872 and will now be taken out of service before being ferried to Victorville, CA where it will be parted out and scrapped. The aircraft was delivered to KLM in August 1995 so completed 17 years of service with the airline.
PH-KCI will be withdrawn around mid-September and PH-KCF at the end of October. Both are also expected to be scrapped. The aircraft is pictured above this week at Amsterdam in the hangers as it gets prepared for teardown. It wil have all branding removed before its ferry flight to the USA.
July 6th 2012;
Noridc Global Airlines (NGA) have acquired a third MD11F in thier fleet. OH-NGA is cn 48542 and ex B-16101 of EVA Air. The airline have been operating flights recently out of Ostend airport, Belgium and fly still with Finnair flight numbers.
July 12th 2012;
PH-KCH stands in the KLM hangers at Amsterdam now devoid of any titles/markings in preparation for its ferry flight to the USA for part out and scrap.
August 2nd 2012;
PH-KCH has now been ferried from Amsterdam to Victorville, CA for part out and scrap. It departed Amsterdam on 30th July as KL 7431 at 0945 . Another 2 of the KLM fleet are likely to go the same way later this year too.
Pictures show PH-KCH departing Amsterdam on the 30th July. Many Thanks go to Cornelis Boersma for being able to get these pics of it departing AMS for the last time.
August 30th 2012;
As well as KLM's PH-KCH going to Victorville for parting out recently, 3 World MD11's are also to be scrapped. N269/270/277WA are to be part out and scrapped. Things are starting to look a bit grim on the MD11 front. Currently around 17 aircraft are stored and of these, the 4 above will be parted out and scrapped. I guess they are worth more as spare parts than airframes now! Heres the list;
455/48449 N270WA World Airways - for part out and scrap at Goodyear
460/48445 PH-MCY Martinair - stored at Amsterdam (could return to service later this year)
471/48427 EI-UPE CargoItalia - stored, at Mohave?
474/48428 EI-UPI CargoItalia - stored, at Mohave?
476/48434 N988AR Centurion - stored at Miami?
478/48435 N384WA World Airways - stored at Goodyear
479/48450 N269WA World Airways - for part out and scrap at Victorville
546/48470 N579FE Federal Express - stored at Victorville?
563/48633 N274WA World Airways - stored at Goodyear
576/48415 N304MS (Shanghai Airlines) - stored at Taipei
579/48631 N275WA World Airways - stored at Goodyear
582/48632 N276WA World Airways - stored at Goodyear
590/48743 N277WA World Airways - for part out and scrap at Goodyear
591/48562 PH-KCH KLM - for part out and scrap at Victorville
597/48746 N278WA World Airways - stored at Goodyear
600/48766 EI-EMS CargoItalia - stored at Victorville
623/48756 N279WA World Airways - stored at Goodyear
I believe the 2 Saudi VIP MD-11's are also stored at present too.
August 31st 2012;
I've been sent Some pictures from Victorville that i can share with you. There are some showing the arrival of PH-KCH from Amsterdam - note the writing on the nose wheel door from the crew - very touching! Another shows 'KCH' with her engines removed, and then World MD11 N269WA looking rather sad being stripped down in a hanger.
September 19th 2012;
More news from KLM. First bad news;
PH-KCI cn 48563/593 was retired from service on the 17th September. Its last flight was KL 622 from Atlanta, GA on the 15th, arriving at Amsterdam at 1221 on the 16th September. It will now follow sister ship PH-KCH to Victorville, CA for part out and scrap. Some seats will be removed at Amsterdam, titles and markings painted out before its ferry flight to the USA, expected to be on the 15th October.
Winter 2012/13 time table news and the following routes are to be MD-11 operated this Winter ( i will update the operators pages with times and frequencies later) - Dubai, Havana, Kilimanjaro, Montreal, San Francisco & Tehran.
The next MD11 to leave the fleet is expected to be PH-KCF around the end of October this year. I was fortunate enough to fly on PH-KCF recently from Amsterdam to Atlanta so i have now flown on all KLM MD-11's.
After that PH-KCG is expected to be withdrawn at the end of November 2012. That will leave PH-KCA/B/C/D/E/K in service until late 2013 when PH-KCK is expected to be withdrawn.
I took the photo's below at Amsterdam on September 6th before flying to Atlanta on PH-KCF. They show PH-KCA/B/F/I.
September 27th 2012;
World Airways restructuring is hopefully proving successful. The airline is currently operating 2 B747's and 7 MD11's (N271/272/273/380/381/382/383WA) with some on work from Ostend in Belgium to various African destinations. 3 of them are pictured together on the ramp at Ostend recently. (with thanks to Michael Rairden for the picture)
October 2nd 2012;
Former Cargoitalia MD-11F EI-EMS cn 48766/600 has been re-registered N460BC. Its still stored at Victorville as far as i know.
October 15th 2012;
Centurion MD11F N988AR has suffered damage landing at Viracopos (VCP) airport near Sao Paolo, Brazil. The left main landing gear has apparently collapsed. This is the same aircraft that suffered a similar accident in Montevideo in 2009 when it was registered N701GC.
World MD11's N274 & 276WA have been ferried from Goodyear to Victorville to join many of their stablemates in the California desert. Hopefully they may escape or soon they'll end up looking like ship '269' below. Thanks to Andre for the picture.
PH-KCI has left Amsterdam for the final time today, being ferried to Victorville, CA to join sister ship KCH in the desert. 'KCI' left Amsterdam around 9 am today on flight KL 7431. She is pictured below at Amsterdam last week devoid of markings, decals etc.
October 23rd 2012;
PH-KCC is pictured at Curacao recently. KLM MD11's will no longer fly to Dutch Caribbean destinations after the time table change on 28th October.(thanks to Cornelis Boerma for the picture)
Good news in that 2 World Airways MD11's are to be spared the axe as Fedex are to acquire 2 that are currently stored at Victorville. They are N274WA cn 48633 and N276WA cn 48632.
November 1st 2012;
Nordic Global Airlines (NGA) have taken delivery of a fourth MD11F. OH-NGB cn 48456 was aquired from EVA Air, ex B-16107.
November 12th 2012;
KLM's third MD11 has now been retired from service. PH-KCF arrived in Amsterdam on 28th October at 0920 on KL 761 from Curacao and Bonaire. She will have logo's/branding etc removed before heading to Victorville,CA on November 26th to join PH-KCH/KCI for part out and scrap.
PH-KCG will be the fourth MD11 to leave the fleet, around the 19th November 2012.
November 20th 2012;
KLM's fourth MD11 has been withdrawn from use. PH-KCG arrived into Amsterdam on KL 434 from Tehran at 0434 on the 15th. It will be parked at AMS for a while as its future is as yet undecided.
The 2 MD11's recently acquired from World airways are to be registered;
N68092 (ex N276WA)
N68093 (ex N274WA)
Centurion have taken another MD11 freighter. N987AR was ex EI-UPE, previously one of the former stored CargoItalia machines.
December 20th 2012;
Former CargoItalia MD11F EI-UPI c/n 48428 has been reregistered N216AW and is currently stored at Marana.
KLM MD11 PH-KCF flew to Victorville for part out and scrap at the end of November to join sister ships PH-KCH and KCI.
Here are some pictures of N988AR, being assessed in Brazil. (thanks to Michael Kutner for the pictures)
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