| Fokker 70 | |
|---|---|
 KLM Cityhopper Fokker 70 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Regional jet |
| National origin | Netherlands |
| Manufacturer | Fokker |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users | Alliance Airlines |
| Number built | 47 (+1 prototype) |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1992-1997 |
| Introduction date | October 1994 withFord Motor Company (private) 1995 withSempati Air (commercial) |
| First flight | 4 April 1993 |
| Developed from | Fokker 100 |
TheFokker 70 is anarrow-body,twin-engined, medium-range,turbofanregional airliner designed and produced by the now defunctDutch aircraft manufacturerFokker.
It was developed during the early 1990s as a smaller version of the newly-developedFokker 100. Both the Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 were preceded by the first jet airliner manufactured by the company, theFokker F28 Fellowship. On 4 April 1993, the type performed itsmaiden flight, while it was introduced to service during the following year. The Fokker 70 was in production for only a relatively short period, between 1992 and 1997, during which 47 aircraft, as well as a single prototype, were completed. Its production had been terminated as a result of the bankruptcy of Fokker in 1996. There had been persistent efforts to restart production of the Fokker 70 byRekkof. As of June 2022, 34 aircraft of the original production run are reportedly still in active service with variousairlines and governments around the world.
During November 1992, theFokker company of theNetherlands commenced development of a new airliner intended to replace the agingFokker F28 airliner with a more modern andfuel efficient aircraft. The specification for the Fokker 70 was shaped by requirements outlined by several airlines, which had determined that both theFokker 50 andATR 42 were too small, while theBoeing 737 andMD-80 were deemed to be too large. By aiming for this sector of the market, Fokker had opted to compete for the highly competitive top end of theregional airliner market.[1]
To ease its development of such an airliner, Fokker opted to use the newly-developedFokker 100 as a basis, shrinking it by the elimination of various sections of the fuselage to reduce the plane's total length by 4.62 metres (15.2 ft), while features such as the wings and tail unit were relatively untouched. In line with these specifications, the aircraft had a maximum capacity for 80 passengers; however, this was reduced to a maximum of 70 passenger for airliners sold within the U.S. market in order to comply with "scope clause" requirements rather than anyFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates relating to itscertification.
On 4 April 1993, the Fokker 70 performed itsmaiden flight from the company's manufacturing base atWoensdrecht in southern Netherlands, which had a duration of three hours. During the test flight programme, trials were carried out atGranada in Spain in support of steep approach certification.[2] During July 1994, the first production standard aircraft made its first flight. On 14 October 1994, type certification was granted for the Fokker 70 (as Fokker 28 Mk. 0070), while the first delivery to a customer (made to theFord Motor Company in an "Executive Jet" configuration) occurred later that same month.[3]
As had been announced at theParis Air Show in June 1993, the launch customer for the Fokker 70 was the now-defunct Indonesian airline,Sempati Air[4] andPelita Air.[5] During March 1995, Sempati became the first airline to receive a Fokker 70. In November 1993, it was announced thatBritish Midland International (BMI) had agreed terms for the long-termlease of five Fokker 70s, and had thus become the first European airline to order the Fokker 70. The first US customer wasMesa Airlines, which ordered a pair of airliners in December 1993. By August 1995, 10 Fokker 70s had reportedly been delivered, while orders for 42 more were reportedly held by the company.[6]
During April 1997, the final Fokker 70 was delivered, at which point the production line was closed down as a result of Fokker's bankruptcy during the previous year.[7] A total of 47 Fokker 70s were completed during its relatively short production life. Despite the original production run of the Fokker 70 having been brought to an end, efforts to restore the company and its products have been made byRekkof ("Fokker" spelt backwards). Since 1999, it has made protracted efforts to negotiate the re-opening of both the Fokker 100 and Fokker 70 lines.[8][1][9]
The Fokker 70 is anarrow-body,twin-engined, medium-rangeregional airliner. It is powered by a pair ofRolls-Royce Tay 620turbofan engines, positioned at either side of the aircraft and mounted on the rear fuselage; each engine is capable of providing up to 61.6 kN (13,849 lb) of thrust. The weight varies from 22,673 kilograms (49,985 lb) when empty to 41,730 kilograms (92,000 lb) atmaximum takeoff weight (MTOW).[10] The Fokker 70 is equipped with anairbrake fitted upon its tail section, in a somewhat similar arrangement to that found on the competingBritish Aerospace 146, which allows it to conform with the 5.5° glide slope to perform steep descents, as required atLondon City Airport. It is outfitted with a similaravionics suite to that of the Fokker 100.
During the first two decades of operations, there were multiple incidents of ice having formed on theleading edge of the wing; during January 2009, theEuropean Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a mandate that all Fokker 70s and Fokker 100s operated in Europe would be required to be outfitted with on-groundheating apparatus to counteract ice formation.[11] Early on, safety-critical issues with the aircraft'sthrust reversers were uncovered; in December 1996, Fokker instructed all operators to conduct inspections.[12]
The vast majority of Fokker 70s were delivered to various operators in the European market. One early customer for the Fokker 70 was the Dutch flag carrierKLM, who opted to replace its remaining Fokker F28s with the type.[13] The company's regional airline subsidiaryKLM Cityhopper operated the Fokker 70 for numerous years; on 28 October 2017, the final flight of a KLM Fokker 70 was conducted.[14] The Italian flag carrierAlitalia at one point had 15 Fokker 70s on order via leasing agreements for its subsidiaryAvianova; on 20 December 1995, the first example was put into revenue service.[15] However, its operations of the type would be relatively brief; by February 1997, the company had decided to return its fleet.[16] On 30 October 1995, the French flag carrierAir France introduced its first Fokker 70, typically using it as a replacement for its ATR 42s.[17]
During 1995, a pair of aircraft were delivered toDesert Sun Airlines, a subsidiary ofMesa Airlines, and were operated asAmerica West Express flights as part of a promotional effort in support of the Fokker 70 within the United States; the purchase agreement permitted the operator to return the aircraft within 12 to 18 months.[18] Although the earlier Fokker 100 had been able to achieve moderate sales within the United States, securing orders fromAmerican Airlines,[19] andUSAir (which subsequently merged withAmerican Airlines), only two aircraft of the Fokker 70 variant were delivered for service in the United States.[citation needed] During March 1996, Fokker enteredbankruptcy, which brought an abrupt end to its sales campaign in the U.S. market. Accordingly, the twoAmerica West Express aircraft operated by a subsidiary of Mesa Airlines became an expensive subfleet and were returned to Europe in 1997, ending the relatively short tenure of Fokker 70 operation in the United States.[20]
As an individual aircraft's original operator opted to withdraw it, they did not typically mark the end of its useful life. Instead, companies such asFokker Services would often acquire such aircraft, refurbish them, and secure new secondhand operators for the type.[21][22] Fokker Services would also provide long term support to operators of the Fokker 70, such asAustrian Airlines, which was operating a fleet of 24 airliners by January 2010.[23][24]
As early as the late 1990s, some operators opted to replace their often small Fokker 70 fleets with alternative, and often more modern, airliners. During 1998, it was reported thatSilkAir was replacing both its Boeing 737s and Fokker 70s with new-buildAirbus A320s.[25] In 1999, BMI was evaluating potential replacements for its Fokker 70s and Fokker 100s.[26] During 2015, Austrian Airlines received approval for its purchase of 17 usedEmbraer 195s to replace its Fokker 70s and Fokker 100s;[27] the complete introduction of this new fleet was achieved over the following two years.[28]
As of October 2022, 32 aircraft remain in service with seven airlines and two governments:[29][30][31][needs update]
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Data from airliners.net,[10] aer.ita.br,[3] flyfokker.com,[36]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
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