Maastricht Airlines (Masstricht) has delayed its launch from the previously projected date of March 25, 2013 now to May 1 due to the late arrival of its first aircraft and the delay in obtaining its AOC.
The airline issued this statement (translated from Dutch):
Maastricht Airlines was forced to postpone the start of its operation until May 1. The cause is the late delivery of our first Fokker 50 aircraft, which will allow us to obtain our Airline Operator Certificate (AOC).
Hamid Kerboua (Maastricht Airlines CEO) explains: “Obtaining an AOC is a complicated process. And the on time of the first plane is an important aspect. Because this is now over 4 weeks late, other processes are delayed. We have looked at alternatives, but these were not optimal in order to guarantee a good service for our guests. Therefore during a board meeting we selected the most secure solution and we are now starting on May 1.”
The new airline will operate from Maastricht to Amsterdam, Berlin (Tegel) and Munich.
The initial planned schedule:
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