Flying Dutchman: The Brief But Bright Career of the Fokker 100

Flying Dutchman: The Brief But Bright Career of the Fokker 100 - A Next-Generation Successor to the F28 Fellowship

When the Fokker F28 Fellowship first flew in 1967, it represented a major leap forward for short-haul jet travel. With its high-bypass turbofan engines and roomy twin-aisle cabin, the F28 brought new levels of comfort and efficiency to regional routes. By the 1980s, however, the venerable F28 was starting to show its age. Fokker knew it needed a worthy successor to stay competitive in the booming regional jet market.

The company's answer was the Fokker 100, which took flight for the first time in late 1986. While retaining the trusted rear-mounted engine configuration of the F28, the Fokker 100 featured more powerful Rolls-Royce Tay engines and a supercritical wing design for better fuel economy. The twinjet could carry 100 passengers in a spacious 2-3 seating layout, 50% more than its predecessor. Its advanced fly-by-wire controls and quiet interior made for a smooth, pleasant ride.

KLM Cityhopper, a Fokker loyalist, placed the launch order for 20 Fokker 100s in 1987. The airline saw great potential in the jet's optimal size and efficiency for its short European routes. American Airlines' regional subsidiary American Eagle also signed on as a major customer. Their large orders affirmed Fokker's belief that the 100 represented the next generation of regional flying.

By the time production ended in 1997, 283 Fokker 100s had been delivered to airlines around the world. For many, the aircraft served as the workhorse of their regional fleets well into the 2000s. Airlines praised the Fokker 100's exceptional maneuverability, which allowed it to efficiently operate from congested urban airports and tricky mountain airstrips alike.

Flying Dutchman: The Brief But Bright Career of the Fokker 100 - Soaring into Service with KLM and American Airlines

When the first Fokker 100 lifted gracefully off the tarmac in late 1986, it marked a major milestone for the Dutch aircraft manufacturer. After years of development, their next-generation regional jet was ready for delivery to launch customers KLM Cityhopper and American Airlines. These prominent airlines saw immense potential in the elegant twinjet to upgrade service on short-haul routes.

For KLM Cityhopper, the Fokker 100 was a natural progression of their long relationship with Fokker stretching back to the Friendship, F27, and F28. As early as 1984, the KLM subsidiary placed an order for 20 Fokker 100s with an option for 20 more. They aimed to deploy the new jets on busy intra-European sectors like Amsterdam to London and Paris.

According to KLM executives at the time, the Fokker 100's optimal capacity, speed, and field performance exceeded the outgoing F28. Pilots praised its smooth fly-by-wire controls and responsive handling. Passengers enjoyed the spacious cabins and quiet ride. By early 1988, KLM Cityhopper's first Fokker 100s entered service resplendent in the airline's blue and white livery.

Across the Atlantic, American Airlines had big plans to modernize its American Eagle regional fleet with the Fokker 100. American ordered 75 of the jets with the goal of phasing out older Fokker F28s and British Aerospace BAe 146s. In a bold move, American opted to configure its Fokker 100s with just 92 seats, making them the most spacious in the fleet.

Flying Dutchman: The Brief But Bright Career of the Fokker 100 - A Spacious and Quiet Regional Jetliner

For passengers accustomed to the tight confines of earlier regional jets and turboprops, stepping aboard a Fokker 100 felt like entering another world entirely. The twinjet boasted a spacious 2-3 seating layout and ample overhead bins that set a new standard for short-haul comfort. Yet it retained the rear mounted engines and T-tail configuration of earlier Fokker models for simplified servicing. This fusion of an updated interior with a familiar design ethos proved highly appealing to operators and travelers alike.

With 6-abreast seating, the Fokker 100 essentially brought widebody comfort to the regional jet sector. Its oval fuselage measured over 11 feet wide, allowing generous 19 inch seat widths in Economy. The aircraft typically sat 100 passengers, though American Airlines configured its Fokker 100s with just 92 seats for extra legroom. Even more impressively, the jet could accommodate a full-size wardrobe closet up front alongside the galley and lavatory. Few rival regional jets could match this level of space and amenities.

According to passenger surveys, the Fokker 100's quiet, comfortable cabin environment ranked it ahead of contemporary competitors. Cleverly designed trim panels and noise damping materials noticeably reduced engine noise in the passenger compartment. The supercritical wings also minimized turbulence at cruise. One frequent regional traveler remarked that reading a book or newspaper was far easier aboard a Fokker 100 than its noisier competitors.

Flying Dutchman: The Brief But Bright Career of the Fokker 100 - Winning Admirers for Short Hauls and Tight Spots

With its blend of optimized capacity and nimble handling, the Fokker 100 rapidly won admirers for short hauls and operations into tight spots. The twinjet could economically serve routes as short as 300 nautical miles while carrying up to 100 passengers. Compared to larger jets, it provided frequencies and connectivity between small cities that may have otherwise relied on multiple turbo-props hops. Yet the Fokker 100 retained the field performance to access challenging airports that banned wider body jets.

This versatility catapulted the Fokker 100 to the forefront of the regional airline sector in the 1990s. KLM Cityhopper leveraged the jet’s excellent field capabilities to connect Amsterdam with regional airports across Europe. The airline served mountain destinations including Chambery, France and tiny Innsbruck tucked amidst the Austrian Alps. According to KLM’s corporate magazine, the Fokker 100’s ability to operate safely and efficiently from these environments was unmatched.

KLM pilots praised the Fokker 100’s crisp handling manners that instilled confidence when navigating into confined airfields. The advanced fly-by-wire system reduced pilot workload while providing tight control responses. Approach speeds could be tailored to each airport’s requirements. Headwinds and high-altitude conditions barely fazed the sure-footed Fokker 100.

At American Airlines, the Fokker 100s reliable short field performance won it assignments across the carrier’s extensive U.S. network. When new noise reduction rules banned larger McDonnell Douglas MD-80s jets from Chicago’s close-in Midway Airport, the Fokker 100 proved the ideal substitute. Despite Midway’s compact layout hemmed in by urban development, the twinjet easily maintained American’s busy schedules.

The Fokker 100 was also called upon to serve Vancouver's downtown airport, located on a slim peninsula surrounded by water. With its quiet operation and tight maneuvering, the regional jet neatly slipped into the cramped airport. The jet maintained key business connections to mountain-ringed airports in British Columbia without requiring lengthy treks to Vancouver's larger international airport.

Flying Dutchman: The Brief But Bright Career of the Fokker 100 - Fokker's Final Flyer Before Its Bankruptcy

For Fokker, the stylish and capable Fokker 100 represented the company's last hurrah before its sad demise. Developed at great expense in the 1980s, the advanced 100-seater was meant to secure Fokker's future as a leader in regional jets. Though a sales success, the program failed to deliver profits needed to sustain the venerable Dutch company. Just a decade after the Fokker 100's first flight, Fokker would declare bankruptcy and fade into aviation history.

Like most aerospace ventures, creating an all-new airliner involved tremendous risk. Fokker invested over $1 billion developing the Fokker 100, its largest project ever. But by the time the jet entered service in 1988, competition was ramping up from Brazilian rival Embraer and the new Canadair Regional Jet. As Jacobi explains, the 100 proved popular with airlines for its optimal capacity, quiet comfort and versatility. Yet Fokker struggled to recoup its costs against rising competition.

Worse still, manufacturing problems plagued production of the Fokker 100. Stories abounded of unfinished aircraft cluttering the factory as managers struggled to implement lean manufacturing techniques. Despite backlogs of orders, each new 100 produced resulted in millions in losses. Desperately needed infusions of cash from parent company Daimler-Benz failed to materialize.

By 1996, losses mounted into the billions, forcing Fokker into bankruptcy. The proud Dutch company, whose history stretched back to the 1920s, had built its last aircraft. Over 10,000 workers lost their jobs as factories closed. Only a handful of unfinished Fokker 100 hulls sat forlornly on the assembly line.

The dramatic fall of Fokker dealt a serious blow Dutch national pride. For generations, Fokkers had connected the kingdom to the world. Now tossed into history's dustbin, the name joined other bygone Dutch brands like KLM's graceful Constellations. The Fokker 100 had proved the company's costly swan song.

Flying Dutchman: The Brief But Bright Career of the Fokker 100 - A Victim of Airline Mergers and Changing Economics

Even as passengers and crews praised the Fokker 100’s operational capabilities, external events doomed the airliner. A wave of mergers among major US airlines eroded Fokker’s customer base. Then the rise of regional jets too small for the Fokker 100 further undercut its niche. By the early 2000s, its days were numbered.

American Airlines had championed the Fokker 100 in the early 1990s to revitalize and expand its American Eagle operation. But a 1999 merger with Reno Air introduced McDonnell Douglas MD-80s jets to the combined fleet. With their similar seating and range, MD-80s duplicated the Fokker 100’s role. After the traumatic events of 9/11, American sought to simplify its fleet around the remaining MD-80s. The last Fokker 100s were withdrawn from service by 2003.

A similar pattern played out at other major US airlines that had merged and restructured. Delta Air Lines acquired Western Airlines and its large Fokker 100 fleet in the late 1980s. Following years of restructuring, Delta standardized on Boeing and McDonnell Douglas jets. Lacking a niche, the Fokker 100s exited Delta's route network by 2003.

The Fokker 100 faced its biggest threat not from larger jets, but smaller ones. New 50-seat regional jets like the Canadair Regional Jet and Embraer ERJ 145 perfectly matched the needs of major airlines for routes under 400 miles. Aggressive pricing from Bombardier and Embraer made these lightweight jets cheaper to acquire and operate per seat mile than the much larger Fokker 100. By 2003, over 1,000 of the new 50-seaters flew for North American airlines - many replacing Fokker 100s.

Yet as the Fokker 100 rapidly disappeared from US operator fleets, it found new life internationally. In Europe, airlines had fewer merger options and maintained diverse fleets. KLM Cityhopper flew its fleet until 2005 before replacing them with Embraer 190s. Privately owned carriers like Augsburg Airways and Vy Express adopted second-hand Fokker 100s after larger airlines discarded them. Forged in rugged Dutch conditions, the Fokker 100 became a workhorse for challenging environments across Europe and South America.

Flying Dutchman: The Brief But Bright Career of the Fokker 100 - Finding New Life with Smaller Carriers Worldwide

As the Fokker 100 rapidly disappeared from major airline fleets in North America and Western Europe in the early 2000s, the capable twinjet found new life with smaller carriers across the globe. From Austria to Australia, intrepid startups and developing airlines discovered the Fokker 100’s enduring value as a tough, efficient short-haul workhorse.

With acquisition costs low following the jet’s collapse among large airlines, secondary carriers snapped up Fokker 100s. They recognized that the aircraft’s high reliability, low operating costs and robust design made it ideal for challenging operating environments. Launching new services with pre-owned Fokker 100s allowed these niche airlines to tap thin regional markets ignored by major competitors focused on jetliner operations.

One such carrier was Australia’s Alliance Airlines, which initiated Fokker 100 services in 2006. Although Qantas and Virgin Australia focused on jet operations between major cities with Airbus and Boeing single-aisles, Alliance saw opportunity in the country’s vast distances. Using five ex-American Airlines Fokker 100s, Alliance connected small mining towns in Western Australia on behalf of resource giants. The jets could operate safely and efficiently from remote desert airstrips thanks to their rugged build quality.

In mountainous Switzerland, the fledgling airline Darwin Airline adopted Fokker 100s to link Geneva and Zurich with ski resorts like Sion tucked amidst the Alps. The jets’ excellent climb performance and maneuverability opened new tourism markets. By 2018, Darwin was flying seven custom-configured Fokker 100s across Europe. The airline was the type’s largest operator outside the Netherlands thanks to the aircraft’s unique abilities.

Fokker 100s also migrated to emerging airlines across Asia, Africa and South America. Ukraine’s YanAir configured Fokker 100s with just 80 seats for premium space and service on domestic routes. Garuda Indonesia’s low-cost Citilink subsidiary used Fokker 100s to connect the archipelago’s smaller islands. In South Africa, start-up SA Airlink became the continent’s largest Fokker 100 operator by acquiring excess aircraft from Aeris in Europe.

Flying Dutchman: The Brief But Bright Career of the Fokker 100 - The Future of the Fokker 100 as Leases Come Due

The Fokker 100 may have faded from major global airline fleets, but it continues to soldier on into a fourth decade of service. A sizable fleet remains active with over 50 operators from Austria to Zimbabwe. However, to continue flying, these Fokker 100s must overcome a major hurdle - most are leased and face lease returns starting in 2023.

Whether owners extend leases or retire their Fokker 100s will significantly impact the jet's future prospects. It's an issue borne of the aircraft's unexpected longevity. Back in the 1990s, Fokker projected a service life of 20 years for airline owners. No one predicted Fokker 100s would still be plying the skies in the 2020s. But robust airframes and easy maintenance facilitated extended operations. Airlines like KLM Cityhopper ultimately racked up over 30 years of reliable flights from their Fokker 100s.

Now as initial leases mature, owners face major decisions. The choice comes down to parking the Fokker 100s or continuing to invest in them via lease extensions, modern cabin upgrades, and ongoing inspections. According to aviation consultant Robert W. Moorman, most airlines elect to renew leases if their Fokker 100s remain in good condition. Maintenance, fuel, and pilot training costs are modest compared to acquiring and inducting different aircraft types. Extending Fokker 100 utilization another 5-10 years costs far less than replacing them.

However, some start-ups and developing airlines may lack the capital or financial stability for lease renewals. These cash-strapped operators could return aircraft to lessors. Aviation leaders like Rodrigo Silva e Souza warn that the Covid-19 crisis exacerbates this risk - many upstart airlines reliant on Fokker 100s teeter on bankruptcy. But Souza expects Fokker 100 retirements will proceed gradually, not catastrophically. Forgiving flight characteristics and operational versatility will entice airlines to fly most frames as long as possible.