AirTanker Services

[9] The airframe with the manufacturers' construction number 1555 is a notable example: when first delivered to the Royal Air Force after its military conversion to an MRTT in 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.[12] 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 (A330-243, currently G-VYGJ) with a single-class cabin of 291 premium economy seats between RAF Brize Norton in the United Kingdom and RAF Mount Pleasant (IATA: MPN, ICAO: EGYP) on 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,[4] though fare-paying civilian passengers are also allowed to travel.[4][21] During the COVID-19 pandemic, this refuelling stop was moved to Blaise Diagne International Airport (IATA: DSS, ICAO: GOBD) in Dakar, west Africa, from April to September 2020.[21] However, in early June 2020, an AirTanker A330-243 civilian registration: G-VYGM, the thirteenth and penultimate Voyager[22] (MSN: 1601) set a new record by flying non-stop direct from Brize Norton to Mount Pleasant without refuelling.[26] They are tasked for tanker sorties supplying AAR fuel to Typhoon FGR4s and F-35Bs of the Royal Air Force, AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18 Hornets of the US Marine Corps, along with other probe-equipped coalition receiver aircraft.[27] In May 2015, AirTanker Holdings Limited leased one demodified demilitarised A330-243 aircraft (civilian registration: G-VYGK, MSN: 1498) to Thomas Cook Airlines[4][22][28] to be deployed on holiday routes.Whilst still retaining its original core military function of aerial refuelling tanker and military transport, ZZ336's passenger cabin was reconfigured to include fifty-eight business class seats up front in a dual-aisle one-two-one configuration, retaining one-hundred premium economy standard-class seats in the standard two-four-two configuration rear cabin.During mid-2020, as part of its programmed mid-life upgrades and major servicing, ZZ336 was repainted in gloss-white 'Global Britain' livery, which includes a stylised Union Jack on its tail fin and winglets, gold United Kingdom lettering, but retaining its Royal Air Force name, RAF roundels, and prominent military aircraft registration.For Royal Air Force operations (identified by its ICAO airline designator: RAF), this latter includes military pilots and engineers who are classed as 'Sponsored Reservists'.The AirTanker Holdings Limited-owned fleet of fourteen aircraft are known by the following official nomenclature, as defined by their primary operator (identified by its ICAO airline designator code): Primarily operated by Royal Air Force (RAF) military Sponsored Reservist pilots and cabin crew of 10 Squadron and 101 Squadron, along with 1312 Flight of the RAF by AirTanker Services Limited.With the call sign ISF 63JW, operated by a crew of nine, and carrying 189 passengers, ZZ333 departed BZZ at 12:00 UTC for an estimated flight duration of eight hours twenty minutes.