Tyumen denies report of flight being stopped due to lack of TCAS (308 words)

Published: 4/4/2001

308 The spokesman from Tyumen Airlines has said earlier reports that one its aircraft had been refused entry into German due to lack of TCAS equipment after the Eurocontrol deadline of the 1st of April is incorrect. He said that the airline was aware that its flights to Hanover would have to stop without the equipment and had halted its regular flight while negotiating with Eurocontrol about TCAS installation. He said the airline was willing to install the $180,000 equipment, but the queue of Russian airline ordering equipment had resulted in a backlog despite Eurocontrols extension of the deadline until the 1st of April 2001. Tymen Airline approached Eurocontrol and received permission to extend their flights until the 30th of August without TCAS and plan to install equipment by this time. The airline's spokesman says that they propose to equip a Tu-154 and Tu-134 with the equipment, but as has been recently reported for a number of Russian airlines including Aeroflot according to Tyumen Airlines, they plan to fit equipment that can be switched from aircraft to aircraft as required for flights within Europe. Aeroflot for their part say they have no intention on using sets on multiple aircraft, but have not equipped all their aircraft given that low season demand means they are not all required. Despite running the TCAS requirement to the wire and fitting TCAS to the TU-134, which is very unlikely to be able to fly after April next year because of noise restrictions. Tyumen appears confident that they will get an easing of the noise and emission regulations next year to allow its aircraft in. Aeroflot however, says that it will not be using the noisy Il-62 and Tu-134 in Europe next year and have no plans to do a TCAS installation given the short time frame open to the aircraft in Europe.

Article ID: 2461