ATR 42-500s in storage at LMML

Some could jump to the conclusion and think that the pictures illustrating this short article might have been taken at Dinard, France but nothing could be further from the truth. Dinard is famous as the place that gives ATR aircraft past their prime a new lease of life before moving on to pastures new. Interestingly, the two ATR aircraft currently in open storage at Safi Aviation Park, are awaiting their next owner in Malta. Both have a varied history. One is an ex- CSA example that ended in Malta during the past weeks after the Czech carrier took the decision to stop domestic flights in Slovakia as from early in 2019.

The second example is a Blue Islands machine, in full FlyBe livery. Blue Islands is a franchise partner of FlyBe. In the past weeks, it emerged that despite several reassurances all is not well in the State of Denmark. FlyBe has put itself up for sale just weeks after issuing a profit warning in November. The airline’s shares have fallen by almost 75% since September. EasyJet, Stobart Air and even Virgin have expressed their interest in acquiring FlyBe, with the latter appearing to be in pole position for the takeover.