Gabon Airlines YYC?

[modi13]

I just saw an A330 in Calgary painted all white with a small "Gabon Airlines" on the side. Does anyone know what they were doing here? As far as I can find, they don't have an A330 either, so is this perhaps a purchase from, say, Air Canada?

[skyismine]

What you saw was a HiFly A340-300 (not a A330) operating a troop charter from YYC.The airplane is on wet lease to Gabon Airlines and as such is wearing the airlines titles until the wet lease is up.HiFly has been using the jet into YYC on occasion for the charters.

[yycflyguy]

How well do you think it would play out in the media that the Canadian government uses foreign registered, foreign trained air crew to move our troops? Last year at Christmas time I sat behind a Delta 747 in YOW de-ice that was part of a military contract to move Canadian troops. WTF. over? Tax dollars going to support other airlines because they lowball a bid. Imagine if there was ever an accident with one of these lease operations?

[skyismine]

Well looks like Air Transat got some of the deal aswell,there is a A330-200 and a A310-300 ''trooping'' out of YEG today aswell.

Even with the C-17's entering service its still common use for the DND to charter IL-76's and AN-124's.I can understand the AN-124's for oversize or very large loads.But the IL-76's seem a little odd considering that we now have C-17's.

You will also occasionally see a 767-300 of Air Italy (Italian charter airline and not Alitalia) operating some troop charters from YYC and YEG.

[Intentional Left Bank]

Uh, yycflyguy, before you git yer knickers in a knot, is this particular A340 in fact moving Canadian troops? There's a whole lot of other flag troops coming into YYC on a regular basis, could be one of them?

[Panama Jack]

So much for the theory about the inauguration of Calgary-Libreville scheduled services.

Tax dollars going to support other airlines because they lowball a bid.

What nerve! Imagine!!! The Federal Government scrutinizing costs and trying to spend less of your money by going with those who offer the best value for money!

Imagine if there was ever an accident with one of these lease operations?

Indeed. Where on Earth would they bury the survivors?

Please yycflyguy (you can even PM me), do tell me that your are not serious!

[bmc]

How well do you think it would play out in the media that the Canadian government uses foreign registered, foreign trained air crew to move our troops? Last year at Christmas time I sat behind a Delta 747 in YOW de-ice that was part of a military contract to move Canadian troops. WTF. over? Tax dollars going to support other airlines because they lowball a bid. Imagine if there was ever an accident with one of these lease operations?

How do you know where the crews are from?

How do you know where they where they're trained? It could very well be some substandard outfit like Airbus or Flight Safety. But, their instructors could have been black or French, so I see your point.

Word of advice: don't fly on British Airways, KLM or Lufthansa. They're crews are foreigners trained in foreign countries.

[amraam]

Before everyone gets their knickers in a BIG knot, these are BRITISH RAF charters. They move a lot of troops in and out of CFB Suffield on a regular basis during the spring, summer and fall months for training their troops for service in Afghanistan.

The RAF has a lack of their own airlift for these operations due to them supporting their own operations in Afghanistan so they charter commercial carriers on a regular basis for the training flights.

amraam

[yycflyguy]

Canadian troops should be moved by the RCAF first, failing that, it should be either charter work to a Canadian airline or in conjunction with the RAF. You might even convince me it is ok to use the USAF in troop movements, but NOT Delta and NOT Gabon Airlines. My knickers aint in a knot but I know for sure it was Canadian troops onboard the Delta 747 and not equipment. Troops only.

If you are interpreting my post that foreign trained crews are inferior, you have misread my point. Canadian military operations should be conducted by the Canadian Forces, not some lowball bid.

What nerve! Imagine!!! The Federal Government scrutinizing costs and trying to spend less of your money by going with those who offer the best value for money!

Good one! The Federal Government scrutinizing costs! Good one.

[bmc]

Fun gettin piled on, isn't it?

[skydrolboy]

When the Canadian Military needs an Airlift that has to be outsourced they use Skylink Aviation, A CANADIAN company who then sub-contracts out the work, using whoever they can find with appropriately sized and available aircraft. There are only two companies in Canada that have aircraft bigger than a 737 available for pax charters. Do you really expect them to have an aicraft on hot standby just in case the military calls. I'm sure it makes good buisness sense for AT to strand 250 paying passengers in Mexico just because the military needs a lift. When Skylink can use 737 sized a/c they do use Canadian Companies to fly the pax around.

[yycflyguy]

That explains the charter process, not that it is ideal. I don't buy the idea that this is some ad-hoc charter process that is needed on demand within 24 hours. Mass scale troop movements is not something that materializes overnight. Afghanistan and our global peace missions are established operations where movements are known. Perhaps more C-130's, C-17s and Airbus 310s are needed so it can be accomplished within the RCAF.

Why isn't the UN providing the lift out of Canada for Canadian troops?

As was pointed out. This might be foreign (Commonwealth?) military lift into Canada for training purposes in Suffield. I gots no problem wit dat.

[oates76]

It might be... it is. The D concourse is always full of Brit troops, and these all white A340's (Austrian reg I think?) are in all the time taking bringing squaddies in and out for Suffield.

[skyismine]

^Portuguese if its HiFly's A340's.

[Moose47]

First off, the Royal Canadian Air Force ceased to exist effective the 1st of February 1968 thanks to the ruling Liberal party's Defence Minister Paul Hellyer.

Secondly, the troops were British Army being rotated back home after training at B.A.T.U.S. (British Army Training Unit Suffield). The Royal Air Force maintains an Air Movements Detachment at Calgary Airport. The R.A.F. still fly Tristars into Calgary with the occasional VC-10.

There is a small reg force A.S.U. (Area Support Unit) at the former site of Currie Barracks that looks after Canadian Army reserve units in the region.

[Westbeach]

//Personal attack removed by Sulako

Smarten up.

That's strike 1.

[bmc]

Westbeach....tight underwear went out of fashion long ago.

Go easy on the guy. Sure he had strong opinions, but he doesn't know how it works. Better to explain it than shit all over him.

[yycflyguy]

First off, the Royal Canadian Air Force ceased to exist effective the 1st of February 1968 thanks to the ruling Liberal party's Defence Minister Paul Hellyer.

Secondly, the troops were British Army being rotated back home after training at B.A.T.U.S. (British Army Training Unit Suffield). The Royal Air Force maintains an Air Movements Detachment at Calgary Airport. The R.A.F. still fly Tristars into Calgary with the occasional VC-10.

There is a small reg force A.S.U. (Area Support Unit) at the former site of Currie Barracks that looks after Canadian Army reserve units in the region.

Thanks Moose. Can you comment on the Delta 747s that were chartered last Christmas time to move troops out of YOW (Petawawa?) and how often troop movements go out to tender?

[Darkwing Duck]

Even with the C-17's entering service its still common use for the DND to charter IL-76's and AN-124's.I can understand the AN-124's for oversize or very large loads.But the IL-76's seem a little odd considering that we now have C-17's.

Have you ever thought of the time constraints to get material and equipment over to Asia and Afghanistan. Our C-17s and Hercs probably cannot keep up. Hence the Russian iron being used.

Also how many Canadian companies can accommodate a few hundred troops and equipment to go train somewhere else. Is is probably cheaper and easier to get a larger foreign carrier in then to do 2 or three runs with a Canadian Charter outfit. And like someone said, don't think Transat will pull a A330 off a Sunny vacation run to accommodate the military.

[skyismine]

^TS has been doing some work with the DND, a A310 and A330 have been flying YEG-YQB a few times recently for the DND.But agreed during the winter it is less likely...

[Moose47]

<<<Thanks Moose. Can you comment on the Delta 747s that were chartered last Christmas time to move troops out of YOW (Petawawa?) and how often troop movements go out to tender?>>>

I'll be in Pet this week and will see what I can find for you.

Cheers...Chris