Rekkof in the press.

Got this article in the mail from the DSML mailing list. Maybe there is some life left in the F70?I sure hope so, but want to see it before I believe it. It is surprising perhaps that this statement has not been mentioned in Dutch newspapers. Not that I have heard from anyway.

>[url]http://www.handelsblatt.com[/img]
>
> REKKOF TO LAUNCH NEW VERSION OF F-70
>
> 8 July 2004 / Handelsblatt
>
> Dutch aircraft maker Rekkof Aircraft plans to launch a new version of
> the 70-seat Fokker 70 passenger jet.
>
> We only need an OK on the part of our partners, Rekkof’s CEO Ruud
> Kleinendorst told German media on July 8, 2004. Talks with investors,
> which will have to bring at least 150 mln euro ($185.3 mln), are in
> their crucial stage, he added.
>
> Rekkof plans to re-start production of Fokker 70 in the running
> quarter at its plant Lelystad, near Dutch Amsterdam. UK engines maker
> Rolls Royce is closely involved in the project, sources close to
> Rekkof’s suppliers said.
>
> The purchases of more than 50 jets by two airlines have already been
> agreed, Kleinendorst said, declining to name the first client for the
> new Fokker 70. Sector sources expect it to be Dutch KLM Cityhopper,
> the regional airline unit of flag carrier KLM. At present, KLM
> Cityhopper is the biggest Fokker 70 user, having 20 machines.
>
> Rekkof will seek to win the current users of the Fokker 70 jets by
> introducing new engines and and up-to-date on-board electronics.
> Since there are no high development costs for the aircraft, it will
> be offered cheaper than comparable models by the market leaders
> Bombardier and Embraer. Rekkof plans to manufacture 45 jets annually
> and, if the venture proves successful, to start production of the
> bigger Fokker 100 as well.
>
> The maker of aircraft for the regional carriers Fokker lost the
> support of its parent group, German DaimlerChrysler, in 1996 and
> faced insolvency. By May 1997, the company made 318 machines, most of
> which are still in use.
>
> * * * * * *
>
> Russ.
>
>