RAF A330 Voyagar AirTanker Receives Clearance For Extended Operations

AirTanker, the company that owns and operates the U.K. Royal Air Force’s (RAF) fleet of Airbus A330 Voyager multi-role tanker transport aircraft, has received its 180-min. Extended Operations (Etops) clearance from the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority on June 28, and it means that the company’s civil-registered aircraft can conduct long-range, over-water operations.
The clearance is also part of the company’s preparations to begin operations to the Falkland Islands via Ascension Island starting in fall 2013, ending the RAF’s reliance on third-party charter operators flying the route.
AirTanker is now awaiting a military Etops certification from the U.K. Military Aviation Authority (MAA) that it hopes to receive by the end of the year.
aviationweek