A330-243 / F-KASQ

2019 was a record year for international aviation. Never before had so many people travelled by air as in this year. It was an incredible summer, and the outlook for the years ahead was promising.
This year, the French charter airline, based at Nice airport, was faced with ever-increasing demand, and the figures announced for 2020 were even higher. This has prompted the company to acquire a new aircraft. Wishing to remain with the same range of aircraft already in their fleet, comprising up to now 1 A330-200 / 3 A330-300 and 3 A340-300, the French airline naturally chose the Airbus A330-200. At the time, Egypt's national airline was disposing of some of its A330-200s, so the Nice-based company saw this as an opportunity for a quick purchase, while retaining the same engine characteristics with the Rolls Royce Trent 700s already fitted on the rest of their A330 fleet.
After several weeks of discussions and several trips by the fleet manager to Egypt, the purchase agreement was signed on November 18, 2019. Before finally concluding the purchase, the French company required certain points to be reviewed in the cabin. Even if this is a used aircraft with several years' service under its belt, and the parts are necessarily no longer new, everything must be perfect, given the commercial and financial stakes involved in this purchase.

On February 02, 2020, the SU-DPM officially becomes the property of the French company. The final documents are signed at the company's offices in Cairo. The next day, the F-KASQ, still registered SU-DPM at the time, takes off from Cairo international airport ( CAI / HECA ) at 9.10 a.m. for Nice airport, where the aircraft is eagerly awaited. The aircraft landed on runway 04L 3 hours 37 minutes later.
Initially, commissioning was scheduled for the end of the month, with a flight between Paris (CDG) and Libreville (LBV). Painting was scheduled to take place after the summer season.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis brought operations on planet earth to an abrupt halt. Initially hopeful that all would soon be back on track, the news came suddenly and despair set in.
Seeing their business in free fall and their planes grounded, the French charter airline decided to send some of its planes into storage. Some flew to Châteauroux, while the F-KASQs went to Tarmac Aérosave's Teruel desert in Spain, keeping only a few aircraft available for special missions.
The F-KASQ was flown to Spain on June 15, 2020, where it remained for 34 months.

Roused from its long sleep in April 2023, Tarmac Aérosave technicians carried out several tests and checks to ensure that the aircraft was in good working order.
On April 19, 2023, a crew was dispatched to recover the aircraft and ferry it to Nice on the 21st. In the cabin, the windows are opened, the huge plastic covers protecting the seats are removed... The interior has been perfectly preserved, and it's as if no time has passed since it landed here. The various operations carried out by technicians and pilots bring this incredible A330 back to life.
The pilots check the condition of the wings and winglets, as well as a number of weather-related components.
On the morning of departure, the crew is greeted at the airport by bad news. The aircraft had been damaged during a technical inspection of the mechanical flap system under the wings. The aircraft's aerodynamic skin has been touched by the lifting platform, compromising the flight scheduled for early afternoon. A plane can't fly in these conditions. Although there are no passengers on board, the pilots are not taking any ill-considered risks. The crew immediately inform their dispatchers, as well as their maintenance department. Photos are sent to Nice to help assess the damage.
While waiting for an answer from the French side, the Spanish technicians are checking to see if they can replace the damaged parts, and what the best timescale is for this operation. The mechanical system has not been affected, only the aerodynamic trim is damaged.
After evaluation, the Nice technicians propose that the part be dismantled and the aircraft returned to its original state. Only the aerodynamic performance will be affected during the flight, which will increase air resistance and thus fuel consumption, but the operation is not dangerous.
Despite the recommendations of the technical teams, the sole decision-maker remains the pilot-in-command. He alone decides whether or not to fly the aircraft. After consultation, the captain gives the go-ahead.
The part was dismantled and loaded into the cargo hold, as it was the company's profit. It will be analyzed and surely repaired.


But one last problem remains. The mechanics in Nice have been informed by their logistics team that they have no spare parts. Ordering a part would take too long, and the aircraft needed to be operational as soon as possible. The maintenance manager present that day contacted Air France to ask if they had the part available. After a long wait, Air France was able to send the part the same day on the last commercial flight out of Paris (CDG) at 9.10pm.
The plane finally left the Spanish desert five hours late, where it was taken care of by the technical teams as soon as it arrived. The F-KASQ landed safely 01 hour and 25 minutes later, with an additional 3% fuel consumption. Once the parts had been received, the work took place overnight. After a few tests, everything was back in order and the aircraft was ready to welcome passengers again.
It made its first commercial flight the following day between Nice and NewYork Newark.

For operational reasons, the aircraft is not painted immediately. It will operate with this stripped paint ( former STAR ALLIANCE ) until September 2023, and should enter the paint shop at the beginning of this month.
The cab, meanwhile, should be completely changed by early 2025.

( Photo taken by a spotter while driving in Teruel . Note: we could see the captain greeting the photographer )