Fokkernews November 2023 (issue 71)

General news

Alliance Airlines has opened a brand new maintenance facility at Rockhampton airport, Queensland. This will enable the airline to maintain their fleet (F70, F100 and ERJ-190) in-house instead of sending the aircraft overseas. 

For replacing their ageing Fokker fleet, Air Niugini has now signed a firm order with Airbus for six A220s. Five more aircraft (three A220-300 and two A220-100) will be acquired from lessors. 

Fokker Next Gen (Netherlands) is investigating the location of an assembly factory at Groningen Airport Eelde, as the company is aiming for a market introduction of a new hydrogen aircraft in 2035. 

Kenyan Silverstone Air Services appears to have ceased operations. Part of the activities and fleet was taken over by newcomer Advantage Air Travel, which is also based at Wilson airport in Nairobi. This airline claims to operate four F50 in cargo configuration, of which three have been identified (see fleet details below).

Fokker F27, Fokker 50 & Fokker 60

c/n type registration new registration comment
10378 500 5Y-GMD Astral Aviation. This freighter is currently undergoing maintenance and is expected to re-enter service in January 2024.
10475 600 5-8802 Iran Air Force. Seen at Tehran-Mehrabad on 8 October 2023 without propellers.
10485 600 5-8809 Iran Air Force. Seen at Tehran-Mehrabad on 8 October 2023 looking complete.
10686 500 AP-BHZ In July 2023 some parts of this former ASSL Friendship were noted at the Krausz Logistik company in Bad Wildungen, not far from Kassel, Germany. So most likely this is also the new home of the fuselage after it left the PS Aero collection in Baarlo last August.
20103 50E 5Y-DDI Advantage Air Travel. According to their website this new operator has four F50 in service, amongst which the oldest F50 still flying.
20109 50 SE-MFY Amapola Flyg. Arrived 21 November 2023 in Lelystad, as APF9711 from Malmö for repainting into the new PopulAir color scheme.
20149 50F 5Y-ELY Advantage Air Travel. The second F50 operating for this new airline identified.
20180 50E 5Y-IZZ Advantage Air Travel. The third F50 identified operating for this new airline.
20198 50 HK-5303 YV2948 Avior Regional. The aircraft was delivered in 2018 to Gran Colombia de Aviación and became HK-5303. However, it never entered service and as far as we know did not carry its HK-registration, despite it was official. After the demise of GCA it returned to parent airline Avior Regional on 2 November 2023 from Cali to Barcelona (Venezuela) and the old registration was restored.

Fokker F28, Fokker 70 & Fokker 100

c/n type registration new registration comment
11334 100 VH-FNC Virgin Airlines. Sold to Alliance Airlines. Early December 2023, once withdrawn from use, it will fly to Alliance's new technical center at Rockhampton to be parted out.
11340 100 YR-FKA 2-RFKA Carpatair has sold two of their remaining F100s. This one is planned for a ferry flight from Arad to Woensdrecht in the last week of November. A single F100, YR-FKB (11369), is still active for the Romanian airline.
11391 100 VH-FSW Virgin Airlines. Also sold to Alliance Airlines for parts. The aircraft is now stored at Singapore-Seletar in all-white.
11395 100 YR-FZA 2-RFZA Carpatair. Sold this F100, reportedly to an Asian company, and had it ferried from Arad to Woensdrecht 24 November 2023 as SXI2382, titles and logo overtaped.
11461 100 VH-FNT Virgina Australia. Operated its last commercial flight on 2 November 2023, a mining charter from Geraldton via Busselton to Perth as VA9216. Subsequently it flew as VA9945 from Perth via Port Hedland (night stop) to Singapore-Seletar where it arrived 4 November for parting out.
11489 100 VH-FNJ Virgin Airlines. Also sold to Alliance Airlines for parts and currently also stored at Singapore-Seletar in all-white.
11490 100 VH-NHA Network Airlines. After one year of storage, the F100 made a successful test flight at Perth on 10 November 2023. On 16 November, it departed Perth with final destination Singapore-Seletar, with a night stop in Broome. Fokker Services at Seletar will overhaul the aircraft.

NAFT Airlines was renamed Karun Airlines back in 2018, so it took five years to find a picture of EP-NFT (20220) carrying Karun titles. It appears to be still in service. (Hasam_hsnzde; Ahwaz. 10 November 2023)

 

The first of the two F100s that Carpatair recently sold, arrived in an anonymized livery on Woensdrecht. The aircraft, 2-RFZA (11395) will be stored until sold. (Werner Verbogt on Flickr; Woensdrecht, 24 November 2023)

 

Credits

All photographers named above, ADTB Newsletter, Advantage Air, André Alders, Aviator.aero, Merv Crowe, Frank Ellemers, Jan Homma, Greg Hyde, Jetphotos.net, Luchtvaartnieuws, Scramble, Skyliner, Henk Wadman, WoensdrechtAS forum.