VLM Airlines news 2017

[jan_olieslagers]

Good news indeed! Many more!

[saratoga]

Finally something positive and hoping for more.

Grts

[DIBO]

Again today at least a dozen VLM arrivals and departures (mainly for training).
Thanks again to the Slovenian CAA.

[saratoga]

One thing i dont understand: how can you operate a oo-registred aircraft on a slovanian AOC? I thought that the registration had to be changed as well to an slovanian one?

It is a bit like driving a taxi in slovenia with a belgian registrated car, no??

Somebody can explain?

[koninckske]

Other airlines do it as well: an example is Alitalia; flying many Irish registered planes... so doesn't seem to be an issue.

[jan_olieslagers]

And Aeroflot operate many VP-registered planes. They call it "globalisation".
For one example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot# ... 740981.jpg

[saratoga]

Ok then why applying for a belgian AOC??

[Shengenzone]

Ok then why applying for a belgian AOC??

Because Belgium has much more traffic rights globally than Slovenia.

[Didymus]

Other airlines do it as well: an example is Alitalia; flying many Irish registered planes... so doesn't seem to be an issue.

In the case of Alitalia, this is limited to their leased fleet as Italian law makes it very difficult to a lessor to repossess their planes when (no longer if imo) AZ folds.

[Boeing767copilot]

From an ex-colleague: "Today there is a mandatory meeting with some exciting news"

[Boeing767copilot]

SHS Aviation, the new owner of VLM, will take over parts of the activities from HQ.

[Boeing767copilot]

SHS Aviation (‘VLM Airlines’) Acquires the Remaining Part of Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium

Antwerp, Brussels (Belgium) – 31st May, 2017 • SHS Aviation B.V. has reached an agreement to acquire all shares of Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium N.V. (TCAB). Through the acquisition, SHS Aviation will take over certain contractual obligations as well as 40 ground staff employees of TCAB. SHS Aviation also expects to be using TCAB’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and Operating Licence. SHS Aviation B.V. is the Dutch holding company which will develop activities through its Belgian subsidiary SHS Antwerp Aviation N.V. under the brand name ‘VLM Airlines’.

Thomas Cook announced in March this year the initiation of a consultation process for 40 remaining ground staff employees of TCAB as part of an intended partnership between the tour operator Thomas Cook Belgium and Brussels Airlines where all crew and two aircraft are to be transferred to Brussels Airlines. The successful resolution to mitigate any ground staff redundancies is confirmed today in the acquisition of TCAB by SHS Aviation. Today, TCAB informed its employee representation of its intention to stop the collective consultation process.

Jean-Christophe Degen, Managing Director of Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium, said: “Today’s announcement is great news for our colleagues at TCAB. I’m very pleased that thanks to the agreement with SHS Aviation, we are able to safeguard the roles of all our ground staff employees.”

Harm Prins, CEO of SHS Aviation: “We are delighted to be able to acquire TCAB and to start working with its experienced staff members. Together we will write a new, exciting chapter in Belgian aviation. Although the acquisition of TCAB is bringing us closer to the implementation of our business plan, the application procedure with the Belgian Ministry of Mobility for a Belgian Fokker 50 AOC remains ongoing.”

SHS Antwerp Aviation and VLM Airlines d.d. will commence joint scheduled flights later this year under the common trading name ‘VLM Airlines’. Details regarding the number of aircraft to be used, planned routes and timetables will be announced at a later stage.

The acquisition deal will be closed upon completion of the extended partnership agreement between tour operator Thomas Cook Belgium and Brussels Airlines, which is planned end of October, 2017.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/vlm-air ... s-belgium/

[Passenger]

I know it's quite off topic, but I guess most Fokker guys follow this topic. Hence: does someone recognizes this aircraft? F27/F50? Airline/operator? Reg?

http://avherald.com/h?article=4a9d90cb&opt=0

[Ev.VH]

http://www.exyuaviation.com/2017/06/vlm ... aunch.html

VLM Airlines plans autumn launch


The Slovenian registered VLM Airlines plans to commence services this autumn after it secures an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) for its Belgian unit. SHS Aviation, the parent company of the Maribor-based VLM Airlines, said that despite receiving a Slovenian permit from the Ministry of Infrastructure on May 10, it is also seeking a license from Belgian authorities for its subsidiary SHS Antwerp Aviation, which together with Slovenia's VLM Airlines will commence joint scheduled flights under the common trading name "VLM Airlines". In a statement, the company said, "The delivery of the AOC for the Slovenian subsidiary does not mean that the Belgian AOC has become obsolete. The procedure for the Belgian permit remains ongoing despite the delivery of the Slovenian AOC, because both are essential for the implementation of our business plan. We hope to receive the AOC for SHS Antwerp Aviation as soon as possible".

According to local media, the carrier will commence flights from Maribor later this year with a handful of Fokker 50 aircraft. It is yet to be decided how many of the six turboprops will be divided between Maribor and Antwerp. Furthermore, the number of Airbus A319 jets to be stationed in Slovenia is yet to be determined. According to its initial plans, the airline intended to launch flights from Slovenia's second largest city to Belgrade, Berlin, Hamburg, London, Podgorica, Split, Zurich, Xi'an, Chongqing and Nanchang this summer. However, the company now says that details regarding the number of aircraft to be used, planned routes and schedules will be announced at a later stage. Meanwhile, SHS Aviation acquired a stake in leisure carrier Thomas Cook Airways Belgium (TCAB) last month. It will take over certain contractual obligations, as well as forty of TCAB's ground staff employees.

SHS Aviation purchased the "Aerodrom Maribor" operator for seven million euros in December 2016. The operator recently announced its results for last year, showing that its revenues dropped from 876.000 euros in 2015 to 700.000 euros in 2016. Nevertheless, it managed to reduce its losses to 36.000 euros from 280.000 over the previous year. The Mayor of Maribor, Andrej Fištravec, believes the city will become a global player and specialist for Asian travellers as a result of SHS's ambitions to launch operations from Edvard Rusjan Airport. The company has also committed itself to investing millions into the airport.

[sn26567]

StandardAero (US) has been contracted to provide PW125B engine maintenance and field services support for VLM Airlines' fleet of six F50s, to take place at the former’s Tilburg and Winnipeg facilities.

[Boeing767copilot]

There are quite a few rumors that SHS Aviation (VLM Airlines) will replace the five F50's by F70's (jets). Two or three of them will come over from AUA.

[Ev.VH]

They are looking for pilots for the Fokker 70.
http://flyvlm.com/index.php/careers

I am curious when there will be some (operational) news.

[DIBO]

Published 8 months ago without any details. Only F50 pilots, cabin crew and dispatcher job ads contain a requirements description.
By the way, today was another F50 pilot training day on OO-VLN

[convair]

Maybe not the right topic, but I just saw on Airfleets.com that former OO-VLM (ex-Denim Air?) has joined Air Panama on June 1,2017 as HP-...

[Ev.VH]

Antwerp - Leipzig
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airc ... ln#db418a0