LN-RKP ferried from Chile to Toulouse [merged non-retrofitted A340 thread]
Oct 26, 2018, 5:07 pm
#436
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 57
My wife and I had United business award tickets CPH to EWR @70,000 miles each. When checking in, I noticed our seats had changed which lead me to believe we were now on LN-RKP. Long story short, SAS refunded 30,000 of the 70,000 miles. For an OK business class experience at 40,000 miles – I’ll take that any day.
Jan 28, 2019, 3:27 pm
#438
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: CPH
Programs: SK-EBD
Posts: 1,273
Ferry flight til HKG. Is this the end for LN-RKP?
DATE FROM TO FLIGHT FLIGHT TIME STD ATD STA
28 Jan 2019Copenhagen (CPH)Hong Kong (HKG)
SK9135—13:4016:3707:30
EDIT: Found this in another thread from today. Not sure about the implications for LN-RKP. But maybe not a retirement right now?
SK 997 - Cancelled
DATE FROM TO FLIGHT FLIGHT TIME STD ATD STA
28 Jan 2019Copenhagen (CPH)Hong Kong (HKG)
SK9135—13:4016:3707:30
EDIT: Found this in another thread from today. Not sure about the implications for LN-RKP. But maybe not a retirement right now?
SK 997 - Cancelled
Last edited by Tango Alpha; Jan 28, 2019 at 3:36 pm
Jan 29, 2019, 3:16 pm
#441
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,090
It seems a reasonable assumption. Why would they pay for a C check and scrap it basically by the time the check is done? Fair enough if they do, but then they should also put a bit of investment in to the cabins.
Jan 30, 2019, 1:25 am
#443
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,090
Since there is little market for an A340 that old, it would be a good guess that if they scrap it, they wold keep the engines.
Jan 30, 2019, 3:57 am
#444
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Preferable @30.000 feet
Programs: More than one
Posts: 1,673
I doubt the engines are worth much. First of all because, as other states, there are many A340 stored around the world, so spare engines are probably plenty available.
Second because an aircraft engine need major overhaul between 15.000-25.000 flight hours. Normally this mean replacing the engine with a refurbished engine. If we take the old lady and assume she had new engines when SK procured her and give the engines the full life of 25.000 hours. It means she would have been able to fly to New York and back around 1500 times. If we say she did that 150 times a year, it will mean the engines can last for 10 years max. SK procured the lady in November 2013 meaning the engines is now 5,5 year into their maximum life.
In reality
The engines were probably a couple of years old when SK procured the bird.
The engines are an older design, so they are probably closer to 15.000 hours than 25.000 hours between major overhaul.
The old lady has been used a lot on CPH-ORD, CPH-SFO and CPH-NRT which is between 2-4 hours longer each way.
The trip to HKG could be preparation for scrapping. The B737's which are being scrapped currently are all spending about a month in Oslo before they are ferried to Shannon etc. for scrapping. Currently LN-RRX has been in OSL for 2 weeks. https://uk.flightaware.com/live/flight/LNRRX.
But SK hasn't announced anything, and as we saw in the recent weeks. They need the old lady as an spare bird when another bird is down for maintenance.
Second because an aircraft engine need major overhaul between 15.000-25.000 flight hours. Normally this mean replacing the engine with a refurbished engine. If we take the old lady and assume she had new engines when SK procured her and give the engines the full life of 25.000 hours. It means she would have been able to fly to New York and back around 1500 times. If we say she did that 150 times a year, it will mean the engines can last for 10 years max. SK procured the lady in November 2013 meaning the engines is now 5,5 year into their maximum life.
In reality
The engines were probably a couple of years old when SK procured the bird.
The engines are an older design, so they are probably closer to 15.000 hours than 25.000 hours between major overhaul.
The old lady has been used a lot on CPH-ORD, CPH-SFO and CPH-NRT which is between 2-4 hours longer each way.
The trip to HKG could be preparation for scrapping. The B737's which are being scrapped currently are all spending about a month in Oslo before they are ferried to Shannon etc. for scrapping. Currently LN-RRX has been in OSL for 2 weeks. https://uk.flightaware.com/live/flight/LNRRX.
But SK hasn't announced anything, and as we saw in the recent weeks. They need the old lady as an spare bird when another bird is down for maintenance.
Last edited by highupinthesky; Jan 30, 2019 at 8:42 am
Feb 7, 2019, 8:27 am
#446
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: CPH
Posts: 7
The engines are worth a lot. They are the newest A340-engines in the SAS fleet and with several A340 still in the fleet for years they will have good use of them. It was basicly because of the engines SAS decided to buy the aircraft a couple of years ago.
Feb 7, 2019, 3:10 pm
#447
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Preferable @30.000 feet
Programs: More than one
Posts: 1,673
The engines might have been the newest in the SK fleet when SK purchased the old lady, and you are correct it was one of the reasons why she was chosen over some of the other available A330/340, but if you read my post from January 30 again, you will see that those engines are either close to end of life, or they have been completely refurbished at least once since the bird was purchased. Engines on a plane are worn down just like engines on a car and at some point in time they need to be replaced or refurbished.
Feb 9, 2019, 1:16 pm
#448
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: YVR/YUL/LHR/HKG
Programs: TK Gold
Posts: 576
Feb 9, 2019, 3:34 pm
#449
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,090
LN-RKG operated the flight to Hong Kong, so I guess that is now visiting the maintenance facility in Hong Kong?
Feb 11, 2019, 2:32 am
#450
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Preferable @30.000 feet
Programs: More than one
Posts: 1,673
But I agree. The stay was to short for a full C or D check. Just a little more than 2 weeks.
