Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
AirTanker Services
AirTanker Services Limited, incorporated in England and Wales on 14 June 2007 with the company registration number 06279646, is a private limited company in the United Kingdom (UK), which operates a British airline known as AirTanker (IATA: 9L, ICAO: TOW, call sign: TOWLINE), and is also an aircraft leasing and operating company.
Under contract to the Government of the United Kingdom, AirTanker Holdings Limited (company registration number 06279650, incorporated on 14 June 2007), owns a fleet of fourteen Airbus A330 MRTT multi-role tanker transport aircraft (based upon existing civilian A330-243 wide-body passenger airliner (type code A332), retro-converted to military specification by Airbus Military, now part of Airbus Defence and Space) primarily for military operations by the Royal Air Force (RAF). In turn, AirTanker Services Limited operate those fourteen aircraft for the Royal Air Force, known by the British military service name Voyager, as the RAF's now sole type of tanker aircraft for aerial refuelling, whilst simultaneously being able to operate as military troop and cargo transport, and also configurable for military aeromedical roles. For additional revenue, AirTanker Services Limited is able to operate as a civilian airline named AirTanker (identified by ICAO code: TOW), using any reserve aircraft on short-term air charter, or longer-term damp-lease or wet lease arrangements to other civilian airlines for commercial gain.
In March 2008, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed the finalised Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) contract with AirTanker Holdings Limited (ATH) (the legal owner of the aircraft) to provide the Royal Air Force (RAF) with an air transport and air-to-air refuelling capability. The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft contract stipulated the supply of fourteen Airbus A330 MRTT (A330-243), with all fourteen airframes being converted to the full Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) tanker specification. This new capability was to provide a modern replacement for the RAF's then ageing fleet of aerial refuelling tankers; namely the Vickers VC10 and Lockheed TriStar. In addition to its primary role of supporting the Royal Air Force, AirTanker Services Limited (ATS) (the legal operator of the civilian AirTanker airline) also holds a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Global operating licence, permitting it to operate as revenue-generating civilian airline; capable of carrying fare-paying passengers, cargo, and mail, on aircraft with twenty or more seats.
Prior to the delivery of the aircraft to the Royal Air Force, new facilities were constructed RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, the RAF's largest airbase. Known as AirTanker Hub, these facilities are owned by industry, and act as headquarters and registered office for both ATH and ATS, and contain all support services for operation and maintenance of the AirTanker fleet. In accordance with the dual military and civilian roles, all fourteen aircraft in the fleet must be able to switch between the UK's Civil Aircraft Register, and its Military Aircraft Register. They are thus dual registered, and individually identified by a UK civilian aircraft registration mark (starting at G-VYGA, as an abbreviated homage to its Voyager military service name, through to G-VYGN), and a UK military aircraft registration (starting in series with ZZ330, as a nod to its Airbus A330 type, through to ZZ343); although only one type of registration mark is displayed, dependent on its operator. The airframe with the manufacturers' construction number 1555 is a notable example: when first delivered to the RAF after its military conversion to an MRTT on 26 June 2015, it was military registered ZZ341, and was displayed as such at the 2015 Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT); by June 2017, it had been 'demilitarised' (removal of its aerial refuelling external hardware, its external CCTV cameras, and its internal tanker mission operators station; and extra passenger seats installed), and leased to a commercial operator with the civilian registration G-VYGL.
On 12 May 2012, Sponsored Reservists (members of the RAF, but salaried by commercial companies) of No. 10 Squadron for AirTanker Services began RAF operations of its Airbus A330 MRTT (role-specific militarised conversion of the civilian A330-243 airliner by Airbus Military at its Getafe facility near Madrid in Spain), known by the RAF as the Voyager, by operating a military air transport sortie to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus from its home airbase of RAF Brize Norton.
Following the issue of an air operating licence by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the airline flew its first charter flight to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus for the UK Ministry of Defence in January 2013. After delays in certification due to issues with its refuelling drogue baskets, its first operational aerial refuelling flight took place on 20 May 2013. Following subsequent successful Voyager tanker aerial fuel delivery operations to all operational Royal Air Force, and allied receiver aircraft, in late 2013, No. 101 Squadron RAF retired all their remaining Vickers VC10s and became the second RAF flying squadron alongside 10 Squadron to operate the Voyager.
From October 2013, AirTanker's civilian pilots and flight crews started to provide the twice-weekly scheduled passenger flights using a demodified unmilitarised Voyager aircraft with a single-class cabin of 291 premium economy seats between RAF Brize Norton and RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands, known as the South Atlantic Air Bridge, a distance of more than 7,900 miles (6,900 nautical miles; 12,700 kilometres); mainly for the movement of military personnel and contractors, military cargo, and civilian freight, though fare-paying civilian passengers are also allowed to travel. These air bridge flights originally stopped mid-journey for ground refuelling at RAF Ascension Island in the Southern Atlantic Ocean; but due to the deteriorating condition of its runway, the refuelling stop was transferred to Cape Verde[which?] (from October 2019 to March 2020). During the COVID-19 pandemic, this refuelling stop was moved to Blaise Diagne International Airport in Dakar, west Africa, from April to September 2020. However, in early June 2020, an AirTanker A330-243 set a new record by flying non-stop direct from Brize Norton to Mount Pleasant without refuelling. Captained by RAF pilot Dave Hall, a former Vickers VC10 pilot, now a No. 10 Squadron sponsored reservist pilot, departing on 2 June, it completed the non-stop total distance of 12,657 kilometres (6,834 nautical miles; 7,865 miles) to Mount Pleasant in fifteen hours nine minutes; breaking the previous record by thirty-six minutes, set in 1987 by an RAF Vickers VC10. Its return journey, departing the Falklands on 5 June was also completed non-stop. Following major repairs to the runway at RAF Ascension Island by US contractors, ground refuelling stops resumed at the island in May 2023. More recent non-stop flights from Brize Norton to Mount Pleasant and return have been made by the civilian-crews on 19 November 2023 in 19 hours 14 minutes, 6 December 2023 in 18:57, 6 June 2024 in 18:30, 20 June 2024 in 18:27, 29 July 2024 in 18:43, 6 October 2024 in 18:50, and 4 November 2024 in 18:23.
From late 2014, up to two AirTanker Holdings RAF Voyager KC3 aircraft operated by the RAF have been involved in combat missions in support of Operation Shader. They are tasked for tanker sorties supplying fuel to RAF Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s and Lockheed Martin F-35Bs, AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18 Hornets of the US Marine Corps, along with other probe-equipped coalition receiver aircraft. These Voyagers are assigned to No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing based at RAF Akrotiri in the Sovereign Base Area on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Hub AI
AirTanker Services AI simulator
(@AirTanker Services_simulator)
AirTanker Services
AirTanker Services Limited, incorporated in England and Wales on 14 June 2007 with the company registration number 06279646, is a private limited company in the United Kingdom (UK), which operates a British airline known as AirTanker (IATA: 9L, ICAO: TOW, call sign: TOWLINE), and is also an aircraft leasing and operating company.
Under contract to the Government of the United Kingdom, AirTanker Holdings Limited (company registration number 06279650, incorporated on 14 June 2007), owns a fleet of fourteen Airbus A330 MRTT multi-role tanker transport aircraft (based upon existing civilian A330-243 wide-body passenger airliner (type code A332), retro-converted to military specification by Airbus Military, now part of Airbus Defence and Space) primarily for military operations by the Royal Air Force (RAF). In turn, AirTanker Services Limited operate those fourteen aircraft for the Royal Air Force, known by the British military service name Voyager, as the RAF's now sole type of tanker aircraft for aerial refuelling, whilst simultaneously being able to operate as military troop and cargo transport, and also configurable for military aeromedical roles. For additional revenue, AirTanker Services Limited is able to operate as a civilian airline named AirTanker (identified by ICAO code: TOW), using any reserve aircraft on short-term air charter, or longer-term damp-lease or wet lease arrangements to other civilian airlines for commercial gain.
In March 2008, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed the finalised Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) contract with AirTanker Holdings Limited (ATH) (the legal owner of the aircraft) to provide the Royal Air Force (RAF) with an air transport and air-to-air refuelling capability. The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft contract stipulated the supply of fourteen Airbus A330 MRTT (A330-243), with all fourteen airframes being converted to the full Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) tanker specification. This new capability was to provide a modern replacement for the RAF's then ageing fleet of aerial refuelling tankers; namely the Vickers VC10 and Lockheed TriStar. In addition to its primary role of supporting the Royal Air Force, AirTanker Services Limited (ATS) (the legal operator of the civilian AirTanker airline) also holds a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Global operating licence, permitting it to operate as revenue-generating civilian airline; capable of carrying fare-paying passengers, cargo, and mail, on aircraft with twenty or more seats.
Prior to the delivery of the aircraft to the Royal Air Force, new facilities were constructed RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, the RAF's largest airbase. Known as AirTanker Hub, these facilities are owned by industry, and act as headquarters and registered office for both ATH and ATS, and contain all support services for operation and maintenance of the AirTanker fleet. In accordance with the dual military and civilian roles, all fourteen aircraft in the fleet must be able to switch between the UK's Civil Aircraft Register, and its Military Aircraft Register. They are thus dual registered, and individually identified by a UK civilian aircraft registration mark (starting at G-VYGA, as an abbreviated homage to its Voyager military service name, through to G-VYGN), and a UK military aircraft registration (starting in series with ZZ330, as a nod to its Airbus A330 type, through to ZZ343); although only one type of registration mark is displayed, dependent on its operator. The airframe with the manufacturers' construction number 1555 is a notable example: when first delivered to the RAF after its military conversion to an MRTT on 26 June 2015, it was military registered ZZ341, and was displayed as such at the 2015 Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT); by June 2017, it had been 'demilitarised' (removal of its aerial refuelling external hardware, its external CCTV cameras, and its internal tanker mission operators station; and extra passenger seats installed), and leased to a commercial operator with the civilian registration G-VYGL.
On 12 May 2012, Sponsored Reservists (members of the RAF, but salaried by commercial companies) of No. 10 Squadron for AirTanker Services began RAF operations of its Airbus A330 MRTT (role-specific militarised conversion of the civilian A330-243 airliner by Airbus Military at its Getafe facility near Madrid in Spain), known by the RAF as the Voyager, by operating a military air transport sortie to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus from its home airbase of RAF Brize Norton.
Following the issue of an air operating licence by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the airline flew its first charter flight to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus for the UK Ministry of Defence in January 2013. After delays in certification due to issues with its refuelling drogue baskets, its first operational aerial refuelling flight took place on 20 May 2013. Following subsequent successful Voyager tanker aerial fuel delivery operations to all operational Royal Air Force, and allied receiver aircraft, in late 2013, No. 101 Squadron RAF retired all their remaining Vickers VC10s and became the second RAF flying squadron alongside 10 Squadron to operate the Voyager.
From October 2013, AirTanker's civilian pilots and flight crews started to provide the twice-weekly scheduled passenger flights using a demodified unmilitarised Voyager aircraft with a single-class cabin of 291 premium economy seats between RAF Brize Norton and RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands, known as the South Atlantic Air Bridge, a distance of more than 7,900 miles (6,900 nautical miles; 12,700 kilometres); mainly for the movement of military personnel and contractors, military cargo, and civilian freight, though fare-paying civilian passengers are also allowed to travel. These air bridge flights originally stopped mid-journey for ground refuelling at RAF Ascension Island in the Southern Atlantic Ocean; but due to the deteriorating condition of its runway, the refuelling stop was transferred to Cape Verde[which?] (from October 2019 to March 2020). During the COVID-19 pandemic, this refuelling stop was moved to Blaise Diagne International Airport in Dakar, west Africa, from April to September 2020. However, in early June 2020, an AirTanker A330-243 set a new record by flying non-stop direct from Brize Norton to Mount Pleasant without refuelling. Captained by RAF pilot Dave Hall, a former Vickers VC10 pilot, now a No. 10 Squadron sponsored reservist pilot, departing on 2 June, it completed the non-stop total distance of 12,657 kilometres (6,834 nautical miles; 7,865 miles) to Mount Pleasant in fifteen hours nine minutes; breaking the previous record by thirty-six minutes, set in 1987 by an RAF Vickers VC10. Its return journey, departing the Falklands on 5 June was also completed non-stop. Following major repairs to the runway at RAF Ascension Island by US contractors, ground refuelling stops resumed at the island in May 2023. More recent non-stop flights from Brize Norton to Mount Pleasant and return have been made by the civilian-crews on 19 November 2023 in 19 hours 14 minutes, 6 December 2023 in 18:57, 6 June 2024 in 18:30, 20 June 2024 in 18:27, 29 July 2024 in 18:43, 6 October 2024 in 18:50, and 4 November 2024 in 18:23.
From late 2014, up to two AirTanker Holdings RAF Voyager KC3 aircraft operated by the RAF have been involved in combat missions in support of Operation Shader. They are tasked for tanker sorties supplying fuel to RAF Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s and Lockheed Martin F-35Bs, AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18 Hornets of the US Marine Corps, along with other probe-equipped coalition receiver aircraft. These Voyagers are assigned to No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing based at RAF Akrotiri in the Sovereign Base Area on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.