Article from BTNews 12 JUNE 2017
Monarch launches B737-800
In an early start to converting its fleet, Luton-based Monarch Airlines has taken delivery of a Boeing B737-800 NG. The ex-Pegasus Airlines aircraft will be based at Birmingham Airport and is scheduled to enter service later this month.
Monarch said the aircraft will be operated commercially, but will also be “used extensively” for training ahead of the delivery of the airline’s first B737 MAX 8 aircraft next year.
The airline announced at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2014 and later confirmed an order for 30 B737 MAX 8s worth more than $32bn at list price with options for an additional 15 aircraft and deliveries from the second quarter of 2018.
The announcement was heralded as marking the beginning of Monarch’s transition to an all-Boeing single-aisle fleet. The aircraft just arrived is scheduled to be deployed into service from 21 June
Destinations on its roster include Menorca, Dalaman, Rome Fiumcino, Alicante, Lisdon, Madrid Barajas, Tenerife Sur, Malaga, Faro and Palma Son Sant Joan.
Other destinations that will eventually roll out as the summer season progresses include Barcelona El Prat, Stockholm Arlanda and Lanzarote, with flights to Fuerteventura, Larnaca and Las Palmas expected to begin from November.
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