Air International 2000-02
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M.Kilian - Tempelhof Express Airline /Commercial aviation/
Berliner Spezialflug and Saxonia were merged in 1996 to farm TAL Thuringia in order to create a flag carrier for the federal state of Thuringia. Before the merger, Berliner Spezialflug had operated a number of regional routes from Tempelhof without economic success. Let 410UVP D-COXA was one of six of the type operated by BSF, all being formerly flown by the former East German national carrier Interflug. All had been disposed of by 1995, four of them being passed on to Latin American carriers.
Seen with pre-delivery test registration SE-F21, this Saab 340A was delivered on July 12, 1988 as N109TA to Tempelhof Airways USA, which operated three of the type before the airline fell by the wayside in 1990. Tempelhof Airways USA pioneered the idea to use Tempelhof airport as the alternative to Berlin’s then main airport Tegel, with a fleet of Saab 340s and Nord 262s.
Seen on the apron at Berlin Templehof, with a Eurowings ATR 42 in the background, the crew of D-CATS prepare for another sortie during a rare lull in a day’s busy schedule.
Among the benefits of the Dornier 328-100 are that it is claimed to offer the highest comfort of all regional turboprop aircraft, the quietest cabin and the fastest cruising speed (335kts). A measure of its reliability and speed are that on some days the airline's 328-100 operates ten sectors in 15 hours.
By shutting down the port engine while taxiing to the stand, the ground power unit can be connected to the aircraft within ten seconds of the aircraft reaching its parking position. This reduces the time on the ground by 10%.
D-CATS appears to be 'running on rails' as it comes in to land al Berlin Templehof Airport.
Dornier 328-100 D-CATS, c/n 3009, in the markings of its former operator Eastwest Airlines, prior to being leased to Templehof Express in January 2000.