Air Malta has just sold another BAe Avroliner RJ85, bringing up to three the number of RJ aircraft it has sold since the aircraft were returned from service with AzzurraAir. The aircraft was sold to Amiri Flight, an Abu Dhabi company, which had already purchased one RJ70 from Air Malta a year ago.

The agreement for the sale of the RJ85 was concluded last May, however the aircraft was delivered to the new owner on 2 August, after undergoing maintenance and modifications. The aircraft was previously operated by Club Air of Italy, the airline said in a statement.

It is understood that the aircraft will join the fleet of Abu Dhabi-based Royal Jet, to whom it has been leased by Amiri, for use on commercial flights. The first RJ purchased by Amiri is currently being converted into a luxurious VIP configuration.

Mr Joe Cappello, Air Malta’s Chief Executive Officer, described the sale as another success in Air Malta’s efforts to dispose of the RJ fleet. He added, “This is good news for us as the airline’s remarketing efforts for the RJ fleet are slowly paying off. Though Air Malta still has four other RJs (three RJ70s and one RJ85), all of them are on lease to three different European operators.”

Air Malta currently has two aircraft leased to Club Air of Verona, which specialises in flights to East Europe, one leased to Euromanx Airways, and one leased to Transwede Airways which is operated on SAS flights between Stockholm and London City.