CS-TMP ferried for C-check

Today, CS-TMP from Luzair was ferried to Aqaba (AQJ) in Jordan where the aircraft will be waiting for a maintenance slot before going to Amman / JorAMCo in order to perform a C-check there.

Portuguese TriStar fleet status 11/08

euroAtlantic CS-TEB - active in Hajj operation for Med-View Airline (op start 9th Nov 2008)
euroAtlantic CS-TMX - scrapped at Lisbon (LIS)

Luzair CS-TMP - active to be ferried to Amman (AMM) for C-check
Luzair CS-TMR - stored at Victorville (VCV)

Royal Air Force to keep TriStars until 2015

Marshall Aerospace is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a £97m contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to sustain the Royal Air Force’s Tristar fleet. Under Tristar Integrated Operational Support (TRIOS), the UK MOD and Industry will provide integrated maintenance, engineering and supply support to the RAF’s fleet until 2015.

• Marshall Aerospace: Website

HS-AXF back on the road as S2-AET

MSN 193A-1012: This old boy delivered in 1972 to Eastern Airlines and converted in 1987 to a freighter plane (-1F) , left Bangkok (DMK) last 11th August towards Dhaka to start a cargo operation between Dhaka and Dubai.

The aircraft was previously operated by Thai Sky Airlines and now it seems it will be flying for RAK Aviation (UAE) under Zoom Airways' (Bangladesh) AOC. HS-AXF was recently re-registered S2-AET.

Portuguese TriStar fleet status 08/08

The Airworthiness Certificate of CS-TEB was finally issued this month and the aircraft recently operated a flight for Aer Lingus between DUB and JFK. CS-TEB was stored in LIS since its arrival from AUH, in April of this year.

euroAtlantic CS-TEB - active
euroAtlantic CS-TMX - scrapped
Luzair CS-TMP - active
Luzair CS-TMR - stored at Victorville

CS-TEB active again

After long term storage at Abu Dhabi due to waiting for some important structural repairs, CS-TEB finally landed today at Lisbon!

A short and successful test-flight was accomplished previously last 12th of April, in Abu Dhabi.

Here is a photo of this beauty after landing in Lisbon under the pouring rain. Welcome home again CS-TEB!

CS-TMX the end has come

Last 10th of April CS-TMX msn 1206 was scrapped for good! After being cannibalized of all its reusable parts, the cutting machines left this once great machine in thousands of pieces.

The last owner of the aircraft was euroAtlantic airways and some of the parts were saved to keep their L-1011 CS-TEB flying.

The last flight of CS-TMX was done in June of 2006 and since then it was stored at LIS airport.

Photos of scrapping sent by Manuel Morais:

Fleet Updates

Fleet status:

• CS-TMX, msn 193H-1206, euroAtlantic airways

Still waiting for the axe in front of TAP's Hangar5 (photos taken on 1st February 2008)

• OD-ZEE, msn 293B-1239, Globejet Airlines

Spotted still parked at VVI (Santa Cruz Bolivia) on January 8, 2008

Factfile updated

• CS-TEB, msn 293B-1240, euroAtlantic airways

Still stored at Abu Dhabi. To return soon.

• CS-TMR, msn 293B-1241, Luzair

Finishing C-check works at Victorville

• TL-ADW, msn 293B-1242, Privilege Jet

Seen at Jeddah during last January, doing Hajj flights; new name "Farah"

Suffered a tire burst during take-off: Africa-Bound Pilgrim Plane Aborts Takeoff

Factfile updated, including a photo taken on 6th January 2008

• XT-BRK, msn 293B-1243, Kallat Elsaker

Seen at Jeddah during last January, doing Hajj flights; new name "Mabruk"

Factfile updated, including a photo taken on 1st January 2008

• CS-TMP, msn 193H-1248, Luzair

Leased to Meridian Airlines (Nigeria) from 24th November until 14th December 2007

Operated Hajj flights between cities of Abuja, Minna, Kaduna and Kano (in Nigeria) and Jeddah

In December also operated some flights for TAAG and Blue Panorama

Leased again to Meridian Airlines from 1st January until 22th January 2008 for Hajj outbound phase

Factfile updated. The number of flying hours and cycles of this aircraft was also updated

Aircraft is now at Amman for maintenance

List of all L-1011s spotted by me at Jeddah during Hajj:

• CS-TMP, Luzair
• 9G-BSM, Air Charter Express
• TL-ADW, Privilege Jet
• XT-BRK, Kallat Elsaker
• N194AT, Med-View

Boeing 707 record was broken: 25 years of L-1011 in Portugal!

15th January 1983

CS-TEA

25 years ago, arrived in Lisbon the first L-1011-500 for TAP Air Portugal. Since then, the type has been continuously in operation in Portugal. Until today 8 L-1011s were registered in Portugal and 7 of them belonged to TAP. TAP phased-out the type in 1997, but some charter airlines kept the TriStar flying in Portugal until today. These days, only CS-TMP from Luzair is flying (old CS-TEG at TAP) but the fleet will hopefully grow up again with the return in service of CS-TMR and CS-TEB.

With 25 years of operation in Portugal, the TriStar is now the longest time jetliner in this country after the Boeing 727 which operated from 1967 until 1993 (TAP + Air Columbus).