People’s is temporarily transferring scheduled operations to Helvetic Airways as its sole airframe enters scheduled maintenance. The Austrian regional carrier operates a single 15-year-old Embraer E170, registered OE-LMK, based at St. Gallen-Altenrhein Airport.
At the end of October, the regional jet will ferry to Düsseldorf for extensive inspections primarily focusing on the landing gear and airframe structure, according to airline managing director Thomas Krutzler. The duration of the downtime remains open, as required inspections could uncover additional defects requiring unscheduled rectification.
To secure its year-round Altenrhein to Vienna link, Swiss wet-lease specialist Helvetic Airways will deploy an Embraer E190 starting 27 October. While the replacement aircraft accommodates 112 passengers compared to the 76-seat cabin of People's E170, operational performance limitations will restrict its payload. Runway and weight restrictions on the Altenrhein sector prevent the wet-leased E190 from operating at full capacity.
Embraer previously showcased the newer Embraer E190-E2 at Altenrhein in autumn 2018 as a potential candidate for eventual fleet replacement.
Why it matters for your training
Single-aircraft operations present severe operational continuity challenges, forcing carriers to manage wet-lease substitutions under strict airfield performance limits.
