Our new ATP pilots enjoyed a traditional Swedish barbecue (i.e hotdogs whilst dodging occasional massive rain showers) as part of their welcome to West Atlantic.
Left to right, Douglas Hauxwell (captain), Sian Richards (F/O), Jordy Bogaard (F/O), Gianmassimo Marcato (captain).
Welcome aboard!
Our fleet is flexible enough to handle extra capacity whatever the season.
Our aircraft play a key role in delivering letters, cards and parcels for many of Europe’s largest national mail carriers, linking postal services in southern Europe with those in the very north.
So when a child in Spain, Switzerland or Sheffield writes to Father Christmas it can travel aboard our aircraft all the way to the North Pole. (Well, very close to!)
This film shows one of our CRJ200PFs flown by Captain Jan-Anders Tingström on approach and landing at Svalbard Airport, on a Norwegian Island far into the Arctic Circle, a trip we make every day Monday to Friday.
We have the specialist training, licences and adaptable aircraft to deliver whatever you need, wherever in the world.
Every so often West Atlantic is trusted to move a very special cargo, racehorses. A transport like this of high value, delicate live animals requires specialist training, experience and knowledge.
We use specially adapted aircraft for work like this and our pilots are trained for the unique take-off and landing techniques that are needed when transporting horses.
Our experienced ground staff are fully focused on animal welfare and ensuring that the horses remain calm during a potentially stressful experience. A typical flight begins on the ground in Dublin where the horses pass through a special security process. They board the 737 aircraft with trained handlers via a modified ramp and are secured safely aboard, each standing in a custom built box.
The horses have enough room to be comfortable, but not so much as to mean there are safety issues. Horses are used to travelling in horseboxes on the ground and an aircraft isn’t much different. A team of grooms travel with the horses and help keep them calm throughout the process, the horses are fed and watered at regular intervals throughout the flight to keep them hydrated and avoid any chance of colic, a risk when travelling by air.
The horses receive first class treatment with consideration for their comfort even going so far as to change the way the aircraft is flown, pilots must perform shallow take-offs and landings as this minimizes braking and reduces the stress on the horses.
Once on the ground again the horses are given a chance to stretch their legs and relax before travelling to the local stables and on to the racetrack.
On November 2, 2015 a notice to bondholders’ meeting by way of procedure in writing was sent to the bondholders in West Atlantic AB (publ) (the “Company”) bond issue with ISIN SE0005133360 (the “Bonds”). The time for replies expired on November 16, 2015 and a sufficient number of votes were obtained to form a quorum and the proposed resolution obtained 100% of the votes. The terms and conditions of the Bonds will therefore be amended as set out in the notice to the written procedure; accordingly the Bonds may be redeemed by the Company at any time, in exchange for full interest compensation (make-whole provision) adjusted to net present value calculations, up to and including the previous first call date, May 9 2016.
West Atlantic are pleased to announce that a second B767 has successfully entered service under a multi-year agreement with a Global Integrator. The aircraft is the second to have been supplied to West Atlantic by Cargo Aircraft Management, a division of strategic partner, Air Transport Services Group.
Operated by West Air Sweden the aircraft (SE-RLB) joins its sister ship (SE-RLA) which entered service in April this year.
West Atlantic has further secured commercial terms for a third B767 aircraft which is scheduled to be deployed in Q1, 2016.
“We have been delighted with the performance of our first 767 and, with the arrival of the second, we’re further delivering on our commitment to ensure that West Atlantic continues to meet a growing demand for efficient outsourced medium widebody freighters in our core EU market” – says Gustaf Thureborn, CEO and President.
On 2 November 2015 a notice to bondholders’ meeting by way of procedure in writing has been sent to the bondholders in West Atlantic AB (publ) (the “Company”) bond issue with ISIN SE0005133360 (the “Bonds”).
The Company is currently conducting a strategic overview of the Company’s financing structure and is reviewing a possible refinancing of the Bonds. As a mean of increasing the flexibility of the financing structure, the Company requests that the bondholders agree to amend the terms and conditions of the Bonds to the effect that the Bonds may be redeemed by the Company at any time in exchange for full interest compensation (make-whole provision). Currently, the Bonds are not early redeemable by the Company until after 8 May 2016.
The Company is contemplating to use capital raised to finance the acquisition of further aircraft and three such acquisitions have been negotiated on with an aggregated price of approximately SEK 150 million. These three aircraft are already contracted with existing clients of the Company.
As a part of the overview of the Company’s financing structure, also other potential structural changes of the Company are evaluated, which may involve equity transactions.
The Company has retained Pareto Securities as financial advisor and sole book runner in the potential refinancing.
Amapola has announced that they will not extend the subcontractor agreement of PostNord with West Atlantic when it expires at the end of this year. West Atlantic has been a subcontractor to Amapola since 2005. The agreement with Amapola involves five BAe ATP-F aircraft and accounted for roughly 10 percent of the revenue in 2014, but has decreased in importance during 2015 as a result of the new Boeing 737-routes that were introduced during the first half of 2015.
It is unfortunate that we were unable to reach an agreement with Amapola. We now look at alternatives for the five aircraft currently deployed by Amapola, such as engaging these aircraft on new routes in our continued expansion or using them to cover the Company’s ongoing need for spare parts, says Gustaf Thureborn, CEO and President of West Atlantic.At the same time, the efforts of adding new Boeing 737 routes to the network have progressed very well and we will launch two new routes during the second half of 2015 and we have already signed two new contracts for the first half of 2016.