Taken from an e-mail from Monarch Airlines...November 2013
"Dear Enthusiast,
I’m sure you are already very much aware, that Monarch Airlines will be retiring our A300-605R fleet in early 2014. The aircraft came in to service with Monarch in 1990, was our first widebody aircraft, and has served both the airline and the travelling public for well over two decades.
Monarch are the last European passenger operator of Airbus’ first entry in to the commercial airline sector. The aircraft’s retirement in April 2014 will be a sad occasion at Monarch as we wave goodbye to an aircraft that has flown in our colours for longer than most of our crews have. It will also mark a turning point for the company, as we re-fleet and introduce more modern aircraft.
To mark the occasion of the aircraft’s retirement from service, Monarch are considering our options with regards a farewell flight which we would open up to Enthusiasts, with the intention of hosting a VIP reception in Monarch Aircraft Engineering Ltd’s new Birmingham hangar, a milestone achievement for our sister company.
The proposed event would feature a short flight, departing from and arriving back in to Birmingham International Airport (BHX), hopefully with passengers disembarking directly in to the new, three-bay hangar for a farewell celebration.
I must stress that no event is confirmed, and at this stage, I have been tasked simply with gauging the interest of the Enthusiast Community in attending this proposed event. If you would be interested in attending our Birmingham-based event in very late March, or very early April 2014, I would love to hear back from you with an idea on the numbers that you may be attending with. An idea on pricing would follow in due course, if the event is confirmed and we have finalised all of the appropriate arrangements.
I look forward to your responses, and thank you for your patience while we try to get something arranged. If you have friends that may be interested in the event, but may not be on my mailing list, I would appreciate you forwarding this e-mail to them, or sharing the proposal on any aviation forums you may use.
Please can you send all responses toenthusiastdays@monarch.co.uk?"
Image courtesy of RHL Images of flickr using creative commons license
Monarch A300 G-OJMR 27-08-12 at Manchester Airport
