The Dassault Mercure 100 only had one operator, which flew just 11 units of the type. The narrowbody began flying from Paris Orly to the likes of Toulouse and Lyon in 1974 and would stop service just two decades later. What happened to these aircraft following the type’s retirement?

An ambitious but small program

Performing its first flight on May 28th, 1971, and entering service with Air Inter on June 4th, 1991, the Dassault Mercure 100 was the result of collaboration between many European and even North American manufacturing powerhouses. Dassault (France), Fiat (Italy), CASA (Spain), ADAP (Belgium), Emmen (Switzerland), and Canadair (Canada) launched the program in the late 1960s to rival the Boeing 737 with an upmarket solution.

Dassault states.

“In 1968, the research team initially worked on a 110 to 120-seater version driven by two rear-mounted Rolls-Royce Spey jet engines, before adopting specifications for a 150-seat aircraft with a 1000-km range (540 NM),”

“The new aircraft’s wing was developed using calculation tools that were very modern at the time, and even though it was larger than the Boeing 737, the new aircraft could fly faster. Powered by two wing-mounted Pratt&Whitney JT 8 D 15 double flow engines, it was baptized “Mercure” by Marcel Dassault:’” wanted to name it for a mythological figure and I could only think of one who had wings on his helmet and ailerons on his feet – hence the name Mercure (Mercury).’”

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The remaining models

Despite the promising efforts of those behind the program, only 12 units of the aircraft were ever built. On 29 April 1995, the last two Mercure 100s in service flew their last commercial flights.

Five of the 12 Mercure 100s produced were scrapped. Another unit is deemed derelict. The plane hasn’t flown commercially since April 29th, 1995, but six units remain on display across Europe.

According to ch-aviation.com, five aircraft are in France and one is on show in Germany.

  • F-BTTB (CN 2) first flew on May 2nd, 1974, and is currently on display at Speyer (EDRY).
  • F-BTTD (CN 4) initially hit the air on July 22nd, 1974, and can be seen at Paris Le Bourget (LBG).
  • F-BTTE (CN 5) first flew on September 11th, 1974, and is on display at Montpellier Frejorgues (MPL).
  • F-BTTG (CN 7) performed its first flight on December 31st, 1974, and can now be seen at Morlaix Ploujean (MXN).
  • F-BTTH (CN 8) first flew on February 11th, 1975, and went on to be displayed at Marseille Provence (MRS). It has also been used as a trainer aircraft for airport staff recently.
  • F-BTTI (CN 9) first flew on March 17th, 1975, and is on display at Bordeaux Mérignac (BOD).

A series of challenges

Last week, the Mercure celebrated 52 years since it first flew. There were high hopes for the aircraft, but it struggled to fully get the ball rolling. It was targeted to succeed the DC-9. Yet, the plane couldn't gain a foot in the North American sector. After all, the likes of Douglas and Boeing had a firm grip on the market.

Several conditions of the period contributed to the poor sales figures of the type. Notably, the aircraft was introduced during a critical time in aviation amid the oil crises of the 1970s.

The plane entered service the year after the first of these crises, which occurred in 1973. Importantly, jet fuel prices skyrocketed following an Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries embargo on numerous western countries.

As a result, airlines had to be careful with their spending. Matched with the devaluation of the US dollar, carriers essentially made fewer risks due to the economic conditions.

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Additionally, there was a higher rate of inflation in Europe than in the US. So, those looking for new aircraft had another reason to keep their faith in existing powerhouses. Altogether, the likes of the 737 and the DC series continued to prove popular. Still, another European aviation project in the form of Airbus managed to break the trend with its A300 widebody.

While Douglas has since merged with Boeing, the latter still dominates the market with Airbus. However, Embraer has managed to offer an alternative option for short and medium-haul carriers in recent decades.

What are your thoughts about the Dassault Mercure? What do you make of the aircraft’s operational history? Let us know what you think of the plane and its services in the comment section.

Source: ch-aviation.com