West Atlantic
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| Founded | 2011 | ||||||
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| Hubs | |||||||
| Fleet size | 22 | ||||||
| Parent company | LUSAT Air S.L. | ||||||
| Headquarters | Malmö Airport, Sweden | ||||||
| Key people | Lars Jordahn (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
West Atlantic is a holding company for two European cargo airlines, West Air Sweden and West Atlantic UK, with its head office in Malmö, Sweden. West Atlantic employ some 650 staff and operate a fleet of 22 aircraft. The airline specializes in the transport of mail, dangerous goods and general cargo.
History
Air Transport Services Group, Inc. announced on 9 December 2013 an agreement to acquire a 25 percent equity interest in West Atlantic. This investment meant the Boeing 767-200 being added into West Atlantic's fleet.[1] The 767-200 with registration SE-RLA made its first flight on 26 March 2015 and its first commercial flight on the night between 6 and 7 April, with two further 767-200s joining the fleet later in 2015.
On 20 June 2017, West Atlantic announced it will take delivery of four leased Boeing 737-800(BCF) from GE Capital Aviation Services, with the aircraft being delivered between 2017 and 2019.[2]
On 10 April 2019, LUSAT Air S.L. signed an agreement with West Atlantic to become the new majority shareholder in return for a €20 million cash injection.[3]
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Fleet
As of October 2022, the West Atlantic group fleet includes the following aircraft:[4]
| Aircraft | In Service |
|---|---|
| BAe ATP-F | 4 |
| Boeing 737-300F | 4 |
| Boeing 737-400F | 7 |
| Boeing 737-800BCF | 6 |
| Bombardier CRJ200PF | 1 |
| Total | 22 |
Accidents and incidents
- On 8 January 2016, a West Atlantic CRJ200 operating as SWN294 from Oslo to Tromsø crashed close to the Norwegian border, by Lake Akkajaure in the Swedish Lapplandsfjällen. The two pilots, a Captain aged 42 and First Officer aged 34, the only persons on board the aircraft at the time, both died in the accident.[5]
- On 22 May 2020, a West Atlantic BAe ATP-F landing at Birmingham Airport in high winds failed to maintain appropriate aileron control resulting in a runway excursion. The aircraft left the runway for 450m on the landing roll but suffered no damage.[6]
- On 19 January 2021, a West Atlantic 737-400 freighter suffered a very hard landing at Exeter Airport, causing many creases in the fuselage. The aircraft was written off and scrapped on-site.[7]
References
- ^ "ATSG Acquires Equity Interest in West Atlantic AB".
- ^ "West Atlantic to lease four 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters from GECAS, becoming the first operator worldwide of the type".
- ^ "Spain's Lusat is West Atlantic's new majority shareholder". The Loadstar. 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
- ^ westatlantic.eu - Fleet
- ^ (in French)http://www.air-journal.fr/2016-01-09-crash-dun-avion-cargo-en-suede-un-francais-et-un-espagnol-decedes-5156299.html
- ^ "AAIB investigation to BAe ATP, SE-MAO". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
- ^ "Very hard landing of a Boeing 737-4Q8 in Exeter | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 2021-01-21.