Corsair International has announced that it will retire its Boeing 747-400 fleet due to the effects of the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. The 747 jumbos were originally scheduled to be retired in April 2021.
The Paris Orly-based airline was the last French operator of the 747 passenger jet. According to the carrier, its three 747 aircraft will be stored and sold. From now on, Corsair operates an all-Airbus fleet of A330 jets. Furthermore, it has additional Airbus A330-900neo aircraft on order, which were supposed to replace the 747s. The first A330neo is reportedly set to be delivered in August this year.
Last month, Corsair suspended all flights to the French Caribbean, Indian Ocean, North America and West Africa. The airline hopes for a gradual service resumption in mid-June, subject to new developments. Whether a normal restart of operations will be possible is currently unclear, as Corsair’s home airport, Paris Orly (IATA: ORY), is temporarily closed. Since April 1, only Paris Charles De Gaulle (IATA: CDG) is open until further notice, amid the ongoing crisis that is having a severe effect on the aviation and travel industry.
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Nick Wenzel founded International Flight Network in 2016. He is the Social Media Manager and an Editor for IFN.news.