Today I stumbled across messages in several aviation forums that Airbus A318-111 (msn 3038), which was built in 2007 and after just only two years of services, is going to be dismantled for spare parts. This is almost unbelievable as the aircraft is in excellent shape and in normal airworthy condition. Especially as I saw it in Los Angeles last February myself.

The aircraft was delivered to Frontier Airlines as N808FR on the 14^th of February 2007 and was painted with deer pictured in the tail, called Glover, a whitetail deer fawn. The registration was cancelled from the US aviation register on the 4^th of June 2009 and according to several sources the aircraft was ferried to Greenwood, Mississippi where it is going to meet the axe.

Republic Airways Holdings Inc, who also owns Chautauqua Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America and Lynx Aviation, bought Frontier Airlines in August 2009, Apparently they want to get rid of their fleet of 11 A318’s, and it seems that they can get more money this way. Prices for second-hand aircraft have dropped considerably since the beginning of the financial crises and the sum of the individual spare parts seem to be way more than the aircraft as a whole. It is bad news but, that’s the way it is now….

Today (7 september 2009), the first of three Air Austral Boeing 777-200ER (F-OMAY) arrived at Amsterdam as REU9304 from Paris Charles de Gaulle for repaint in the latest colours. The paintjobs are being done by KLM in hangar 14. The others will also be repainted later this month.

The photo galleries of the airports of Paris Le Bourget and Orly are now online. See the trips-and-visits galleries...

According to reuters and other newsagencies Greece is inviting would-be investors to bid for a concession to build and manage a 1 billion euro airport on the resort island of Crete.

The Greek government will contribute 220 million euros ($315.9 million) towards construction of the new facility at Kastelli, which will replace the existing airport at Heraklion, Crete's biggest city, Environment Minister George Souflias said in a statement.The government will hold a 55 percent stake in the new airport's operating company. The winning bidder, which will provide the bulk of the funding, will have the remaining 45 percent and operate the airport for 35 years.

The new airport will have a capacity to handle between 5.5 and 10 million passengers per year and is projected to start operations in 2015, Souflias said. Greece, one of Europe's biggest tourism destinations, is seeking private investment to help improve its infrastructure and attract more visitors. Crete is one of the country's biggest resort islands.

Concession contracts have financed infrastructure projects in Greece, as the government is faced with chronic budget shortfalls and a high public debt. Athens airport, the country's biggest, is managed under a concession held by German engineering firm Hochtief. Investors must submit bids for Kastelli airport by Feb. 9, 2010. The government expects to pick the winning bid in the first half of next year, Souflias said.

With plans for a new airport build on the grounds of the now-military airfield of Kastelli, I hope the Greek Goverment will also provide for some pro-aviation enthousiasts possibilities and ban the anti-photography laws. If not, then there is no use in going to Crete....