Aircraft
Fokker’s latest program to stretch lives, provide lift
This week here in Dubai, Fokker Services (Stand E556) is set to launch plans to stretch the service lives of short- to medium-range regional aircraft.

This week here in Dubai, Fokker Services (Stand E556) is set to launch plans to stretch the service lives of short- to medium-range regional aircraft. The company, part of the Fokker Aircraft Group that is owned by Stork Aerospace, supports a global fleet of some 700 operational Fokker turboprop and jet airliners.

In the first step toward what it calls a total lifetime-extension program for out-of-production aircraft to be formally unveiled here, the company has aligned with Amsterdam-based charter operator Denim Air to assist start-up regional airlines planning to use older Fokker 50 or Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8 regional turboprops or Fokker 100 regional jets. The program has been driven by the need to stimulate business during the recession, and echoes previous Fokker initiatives that followed the former airframe manufacturer’s cessation of aircraft production in the 1990s and during the 2001-02 downturn.