The number of airlines in Europe that still fly the Dutch aircraft type Fokker 100 is getting smaller. Today, on June 14, 2019, the Swiss airline Helvetic Airways waved out the popular type.
The phasing out of the type did not go by without any interest. The company flew with its last aircraft a farewell flight over the country and to the Slovakian capital Bratislava where it will be stored for a while. At Helvetic, they are very familiar with the type as they have been using it since 2003 to perform their short-haul flights.
The phasing out is of course associated with the purchase of new aircraft. In addition to the Fokker 100, the Swiss company also flies other regional aircraft such as the Embraer ERJ-190. Of these, she has 11 in her fleet. At the end of last year Helvetic signed a contract for the order of Embraer’s flagship, the Embraer E190-E2. They would receive no less than 12 of these E190-E2s, which would replace the Fokker 100s. The deliveries are planned to start at the end of this year and should be completed in 2021. Not only the Fokkers will be replaced, also the older ERJ190’s will be phased out and replaced by the new type of the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer.
The new E190-E2s are not the only ones that will be added to the fleet. They will also hire extra capacity for the busy summer. This would include additional Embraer ERJ190s.
Helvetic is not really a well-known airline in Europe. It is just a small regional company with its headquarters at Zurich Airport, Switzerland. In total they fly with a fleet of 12 aircraft to about 34 destinations in Europe. Most flights are operated in the name of Swiss International Airlines, the national airline of Switzerland. It is also part of the Lufthansa Group and occasionally operates flights for Lufthansa.
