V-Flyer

Looks like Virgin's oldest A343 is for sale. Anyone heard about this?

http://www.controller.com/listingsdetai ... 186283.htm

-Matt

Now THAT would be a birthday pressie y)

R-P

I like hows its condition is 'used' and this is 1 of 7 for sale and you have to call for a price!

I assume these are the soon to be ex-Man planes?

Yeah, but the other 6 are A340-200's so they must not be Virgin planes.

Why they have Jetstreamer up for sale by itself is the confusing bit. It was the first A340 delivery, though, making it the oldest A340 in operation. Plane Sailing is the 2nd oldest.

Aren't the MAN-based planes 747's? I know Jetstreamer flies to IAD a lot, so it's not MAN-based.

Looks like VSEA might be following it. Available Q3 2011 according to BAE Systems own website:

http://www.baeam.com/pages/search.asp?p ... ny&acq=Any

Edit: MSN 0006 and 0011 (the 342s) are currently with South African Airways.

Excellent find, Mr. T!


So what is VS's plans to replace 2 LHR-based planes? They won't have LHR-based A330's by then, will they?

Maybe when the first 744s come back from refit? Perhaps they are having them refitted for flexible operation on either LGW or LHR routes?

mattdell wrote:Why they have Jetstreamer up for sale by itself is the confusing bit. It was the first A340 delivery, though, making it the oldest A340 in operation. Plane Sailing is the 2nd oldest.

Not the oldest, see here - there are many A343s built before Jetstreamer and Plane Sailing - and they're not that old by WB airliner standards, BA's earliest still operational 747 was delivered in 1989 whereas Jetstreamer came in 1997. I think First Lady was built before Jetstreamer too.

mattdell wrote:So what is VS's plans to replace 2 LHR-based planes? They won't have LHR-based A330's by then, will they?

Well, I am befuddled ... unless VS has changed its mind about the A333s, again, again ... or just maybe, since there's no LHR expansion in 2011, the two A346s that came home will suffice ...

MrT wrote:Looks like VSEA might be following it. Available Q3 2011 according to BAE Systems own website:

http://www.baeam.com/pages/search.asp?p ... ny&acq=Any

Edit: MSN 0006 and 0011 (the 342s) are currently with South African Airways.

MSN 0002 is G-VHOL (Jetstreamer) so both these look like they are going in Q3 2011.

slinky09 wrote:

mattdell wrote:Why they have Jetstreamer up for sale by itself is the confusing bit. It was the first A340 delivery, though, making it the oldest A340 in operation. Plane Sailing is the 2nd oldest.

Not the oldest, see here - there are many A343s built before Jetstreamer and Plane Sailing - and they're not that old by WB airliner standards, BA's earliest still operational 747 was delivered in 1989 whereas Jetstreamer came in 1997. I think First Lady was built before Jetstreamer too.

I still see Jetstreamer as the oldest A340 delivered to an airline. F-WWAI is MSN 1 and was never sold and still remains in posession of Airbus Industrie. MSN 2 is Jetstreamer. MSN 3 is Plane Sailing.

They were delivered in 1997, but they were built in 1991 and are 19 years old.

slinky09 wrote:

mattdell wrote:Why they have Jetstreamer up for sale by itself is the confusing bit. It was the first A340 delivery, though, making it the oldest A340 in operation. Plane Sailing is the 2nd oldest.

Not the oldest, see here - there are many A343s built before Jetstreamer and Plane Sailing - and they're not that old by WB airliner standards, BA's earliest still operational 747 was delivered in 1989 whereas Jetstreamer came in 1997. I think First Lady was built before Jetstreamer too.

They are the oldest Slinky they operated as test frames for Airbus for a number of years before going to VS. Rather like with G-VGOA and G-VATL, they were always destined for VS but there was an agreement that Airbus would keep them for x years to use as test frames.

No idea what VS plans are now taking this decision into account. Of course if G-VROM returns from Aero Sur that will provide a little bit of extra capacity.


Interestingly I see on the same site that SRB is selling his private jet (G-GALX), can pick it up for a cool 1.5million IIRC.

Maybe rip out the current UCS from two airbii and throw them into a couple of A330s currently lacking them?

Thanks Will and Matt, my error and you're right - I had completely forgotten that they were Airbii test planes!

Unless this is early preparation for a JV/merger of some sort?

Makes good sense to sell while value is moderate rather than thrashing them until they are scrapped.

I'd imagine too, that the A343 is less economic than the A346 when fully loaded...

Concorde RIP wrote:I'd imagine too, that the A343 is less economic than the A346 when fully loaded...

It's the freight capacity that makes the A346 so damned competive in the VS fleet (early birds excepted):
B744 5536 cu ft
A343 5088 cu ft
A346 6678 cu ft

McMaddog wrote:Maybe rip out the current UCS from two airbii and throw them into a couple of A330s currently lacking them?

That can't happen. The A330 cannot take the current version of the UCS.

Tinkerbelle wrote:

McMaddog wrote:Maybe rip out the current UCS from two airbii and throw them into a couple of A330s currently lacking them?

That can't happen. The A330 cannot take the current version of the UCS.

Maybe they can sell the A343's to ANZ. Afterall, the suites are nearly identical :w

Tinkerbelle wrote:

McMaddog wrote:Maybe rip out the current UCS from two airbii and throw them into a couple of A330s currently lacking them?

That can't happen. The A330 cannot take the current version of the UCS.

How come Tinks? There's no size difference (width-wise) between the two.

McMaddog wrote:

Tinkerbelle wrote:

McMaddog wrote:Maybe rip out the current UCS from two airbii and throw them into a couple of A330s currently lacking them?

That can't happen. The A330 cannot take the current version of the UCS.

How come Tinks? There's no size difference (width-wise) between the two.

Nothing to do with size. Am not posting the reason on here.

So where did Virgin get their A343's from if they were built in 91/92 and they took collection of them in 1997?
Where they just with Airbus for that time?

Yes, these were Airbus test aircraft that were transferred to VS once their testing was completed.

Tinkerbelle wrote:
Nothing to do with size. Am not posting the reason on here.

How intriguing! Are we likely to learn the reason for this at sometime in the future?

Perhaps because they will be revealing the new UC soon?!


I can dream, can't I?

Not size but perhaps weight?

Jeffers555 wrote:

Tinkerbelle wrote:

McMaddog wrote:Maybe rip out the current UCS from two airbii and throw them into a couple of A330s currently lacking them?

That can't happen. The A330 cannot take the current version of the UCS.

Maybe they can sell the A343's to ANZ. Afterall, the suites are nearly identical :w

Not for much longer- NZ have now updated their UCS.

mattdell wrote:Perhaps because they will be revealing the new UC soon?!

I can dream, can't I?

Might not be so much of a dream given that 1) NZ have upgraded UC and it would be a shock if VS did not have plans and 2) The first few 330s have no UC, read into it what you will but I would imagine it is because there is a new UCS in the pipes and they have not been able to get certification for it in time to go into the first few 330s (I think that this has been part of VS Strategy- after the 'issues' when the 346 was introduced to the fleet, I think VS would prefer to introduce a new aircraft type first, iron out any problems with that, before introducing a new cabin lay out)

clarkeysntfc wrote:Not size but perhaps weight?

I thought it might be a weight issue as this is the exact reason why NZ cannot fit the business premier mark 1 into their 763s. However I dont think this will be the case because the 330, IIRC, is essentially the exact same fuselage as a 343 (and probably the 346) which as we know can take it. I would imagine my thoughts above are more to the point that being that VS has something planned but that they wished for the 330 introduction to fleet issues to be ironed out first and are awaiting certification.

Note that NZ have had large FAA certification issues with the Business PRemier Mark 2, PE Mark 2 seat and the Skycouch hence why they have arrived but are not flying NZ1/2 until April.