The low-cost operator likes the size of the 717 and would probably not go smaller, AirTran senior director of strategic planning and scheduling John Kirby said at Boyd Group International's Aviation Forecast Summit in Lexington, Kentucky earlier this week. He adds that the carrier is interested in a seating range between 100 and 120.
The Bombardier CSeries is under consideration and the Embraer E-190/E-195 is "logical", but Kirby says the carrier is not ruling out the possibility that Boeing might introduce another aircraft. Boeing ended 717 production in 2006.
AirTran, the 717 launch customer, currently operates 86 of the type, according to Flightglobal's ACAS database. Kirby says the airline has roughly 18 to 20 717s that are either 9- or 10-years old. The average 717 in AirTran's fleet is 6-years old, he adds.
Orlando-headquartered AirTran would like to replace its oldest aircraft five years from now,
which would result in the carrier placing an order in about three years, Kirby says.
AirTran is also contemplating converting some of its outstanding 737-700s deliveries to 737-800s.
The carrier'scontract with Boeing allows for conversions to be made with some notice and the -800's cockpit commonality with the -700 is appealing, Kirby says. The carrier has looked at seating ranges between 160 and 170 but would likely settle on roughly 164 seats, he says.
AirTran has not determined how many -700s might be converted to -800s though Kirby says 20 to 25 conversions might make sense if there is enough demand.
AirTran has deferred a total of 36737 deliveries, with the earliest deliveries scheduled for spring 2011, Kirby says. The airline has a total of 53 737-700s on order and currently operates50 of the 130-seat aircraft, the ACAS database shows.
(Meghan Kuhn - FlightGlobal.com)
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