Fokkernews August 2025 (issue 92)

General news

Quite surprisingly four former Avior F50s will soon be ferried to Curaçao. For details see below; information on their future operators is currently lacking.

Fokker F27, Fokker 50 & Fokker 60

c/n type new registration registration comment
10168 100 XU-881 Recent indications confirm that former Laoag Airlines RP-C5888 went indeed to Cambodia in 1998 for service with President Airlines and that it was scrapped in 2007 at Phnom Penh. None of the two Friendships preserved in the DPR Aviation College in Plaridel, the Philippines, seems to be connected to this airframe.
10169 100 RP-C6888 Based on information provided by the DPR Aviation College in Plaridel, the Philippines, this former Laoag Airlines F27 is the fuselage preserved in a hangar of the college; it is painted in a phantasy scheme with yellow and blue cheatlines. For a picture see Fokkernews #82.
10185 100 RP-C8889 Further to the photo of this Friendship in Fokkernews #88 it has now become evident that the registration RP-C5888 is only on top of the wings of the all-white F27 outside the DPR College in Plaridel, the Philippines. Underneath the left wing it says RP-C8889, which is presumed to be the correct registration of this instructional airframe.
10199 100 CX-BHV Former Uruguay Air Force T-560. Adding to the picture in Fokkernews 90, the new owner has announced his plans to turn the Friendship into a luxury hotel.
10295 400 5Y-SEP Safari Express Cargo. Seen in service 5 August 2025 on a cargo flight from Mogadishu to Jalalaqsi airstrip and back.
10318 600 5Y-FMM Safari Express Cargo. On 5 August 2025 the wreck of this Friendship was noted to still lay next to the runway at Garbaharey after its accident in June 2017.
10369 500 5Y-GMC Aerospace Consortium. This F27 that was noted over the past 3 years in the storage area of Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta, was no longer present on 3 August 2025. Fate?
10370 500 5Y-CCE After its mishap in Juba in 2022, Transafrican Cargo seems to have acquired this Friendship and they plan to operate it soon in Somalia for cargo flights.
10378 500 5Y-GMD Aerospace Consortium. Noted at Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta 3 August 2025 in a hangar being worked on. It is going to be back in service soon.
10448 500 5Y-JUU Astral Aviation. Seen 3 August 2025 at Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta. This F27 is used as supplier of spare parts.
10550 500CRF 5Y-SEC Safari Express Cargo. Noted in the storage area at Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta on 3 August 2025, looking complete.
20143 50 SU-YAI Air Kasaï. Is reportedly operating their third F50 now on lease from Aerojet Aviation Kenya, who bought it from Palestinian Airlines. The F50 was ferried from Cairo to Nairobi-Wilson early July 2025 and then onward to DR Congo.
20162 50 HP-1793PST Air Panama. During flight 7P681 from Bocas del Toro to Panama City the crew had to shut down the right-hand engine after a fire engine warning and diverted to Rio Hato, Panama for a safe landing. The cause of the engine failure is under investigation.
20187 50 HK-5302 Gran Colombia de Aviación. After a testflight the F50 will reportedly be ferried to Curaçao shortly; it was stored at Cali since 2019. Ex Avior YV2977.
20188 50 YV2976 Avior. Reportedly made a testflight on August 8th and is to be ferried shortly from Barinas to Curaçao after nine years of storage.
20193 50 YV2917 Avior. Reportedly made a testflight on August 8th 2025 and will be ferried shortly to Curaçao; it was in storage at Barcelona, Venezuela since 2023.
20197 50F 5Y-JWB Renegade Air. Seen Mogadishu 4 August 2025, active in the full United Nations colors.
20198 50 YV2948 Avior. Just like sister YV2917 above slated to be ferried from Barcelona to Curaçao soon.
20203 50 5Y-IFY Maandeeq Air. Noted active at Mogadishu 4 August 2025.
20208 50 5Y-JWZ Skyward Airlines. Seen active at Mogadishu on 4 August 2025.
20249 50 5Y-FAS Freedom Airline Express. Apparently no longer operating for Blue Sky as it was noted without additional sticker at Nairobi-Wilson on 8 August 2025.
20258 50 5Y-GMI Fajr Airlines. Arrived on the airline's inaugural flight at Mogadishu on 16 August 2025, in basic Leading Edge colors with titles. The F50 is operated by Jetways.
20261 50 6O-JAF Jubba Airways. Noted in the storage area of Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta, complete. Presumably parked.
20307 50 5Y-NWA Star Airline. Noted in service 4 August 2025 at Mogadishu.
20331 50 ET-AKT Unknown. This all-white F50 without registration or titles was seen at Addis Ababa airport 8 August 2025 in the dump area (identity not confirmed).
unknown 50 7Q-SSK Unknown operator. Seen in the storage area of Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta, complete. Still all white.
unknown 50 5Y-SKI Aerojet Aviation Limited. Seen parked in the storage area at Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta, complete and in full livery.

Fokker F28, Fokker 70 & Fokker 100

c/n type new registration registration comment
11020 1000 TC-53 Argentina Air Force (LADE). On 4 August 2025 flew passengers for LADE from Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires via Mar del Plata and Bahia Blanca to San Carlos De Bariloche. On 10 August it participated in the air force's anniversary air parade at Morón Air Base.
11162 3000C FAC1041 Colombia Air Force flew from Bogota to Palmira 13 August 2025, so also this F28 is still alive and kicking.
11229 4000 5Y-EEE Safari Air Xpress-SAX. Noted 3 August 2025 in storage area at Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta. It is there almost seven years now.
11334 100 VH-FNC Alliance Airlines. This F100 is being stripped at Brisbane. It last flight was on 24 March this year (see Fokkernews #89)
11365 100 VH-FKF Alliance Airlines. On 29 April 2025 flight QQ3811 from West Musgrave Mine airstrip to Perth made an unstable approach with too high speed due to incorrect altimeter setting. The aircraft landed safely; there were 4 crew and 15 passengers on board.
11373 100 VH-FNU Alliance Airlines bought this F100 from Virgin Australia. It was ferried from Perth to Brisbane on 14 August 2025, for parting out. Officially registered to Alliance on 26 August 2025.
11394 100 EP-CFM Iran Air. From the final report by the Iran Civil Aviation Organization it became clear that this F100 had experienced an incident on 24 May 2024. Flight IR455 from Tehran to Tabriz lost AC power supply, perceived due to lightning, some 100nm before Tabriz. As a consequence several systems like weather radar, transponder, TCAS, captain side controls and automatic cabin pressure control were lost. The copilot took over and the crew decided to return to Tehran due to poor weather conditions at the destination. They switched to manual cabin pressure control but this could not be maintained and therefore the flight crew made an emergency descent into Ardabil. Because that airport was not operational at the time, the Fokker had hold until airport staff opened for the emergency. Eventually the F100 made a safe landing. There were no injuries among the 9 crew and 101 passengers. Later investigations showed the AC Essential Bus to be outside specifications; there were no signs of lightning strike on the aircraft.
11449 100 VH-NHM Network (QantasLink). Flew from Perth to Singapore-Seletar via Broome on 17 and 18 July 2025 for maintenance.
11557 70ER KAF308 Kenya Government. Arrived on 18 August 2025 at Woensdrecht, from Nairobi via Cairo for maintenance, using callsign KAF308. On 22 August it flew Woensdrecht-Eindhoven-Woensdrecht with the same callsign for testing the ILS.
11585 70 2-PJAB Airline Technical Support Caribe (still in full JetAir Caribbean livery) ferry flight to Nassau and Hamilton had to return to Curaçao on 7 August. A new attempt the next day was more successful, it flew via Nassau, Hamilton, Goose Bay and Keflavik and arrived in Woensdrecht on 11 August 2025. One week later, 18 August, it continued its journey, flying from Woensdrecht via Luxembourg, Sofia, Hurghada, Al Ain, Ahmadabad, Chittagong to arrive at Kuala Lumpur 21 August. The future operator is unknown as yet.

This photo is of the same Friendship as shown in the aerial photo in Fokkernews 88 in the outdoors collection of the DPR Aviation College in Plaridel, the Philippines. On that picture it shows RP-C5888 on top of both wings, whereas under the left wing it says RP-C8889. Quite odd that there are conflicting registrations on a single aircraft, but we believe that RP-C8889 is the correct one, making this airframe c/n 10185. The marks on top of the wings seem to have been applied later and are presumably a painting error. (Tom Singfield; DPR College, Plaridel, 24 September 2024)

 

Again a new Fokker operator in Somalia: Fajr Airlines, a local tour operator acting as a virtual airline, has taken Jetways F50 5Y-GMI (20258) under contract. The aircraft still shows the basic Leascor livery with colorful Fajr titles. (undisclosed photographer; Mogadishu 27 August 2025)

 

About one year after the bankruptcy administrator of Montenegro Airlines did sell F100 4O-AOP (11332) to a Serbian company for parting out, the aircraft was still looking intact, but engineless. (TOGTrains/Aviation Photography; Podgorica, 1 December 2024)

 

During its maintenance by Fokker Services Woensdrecht the Kenya Government F70 KAF308 (11557) made a short testflight to Eindhoven. On return it made a nice turn for the final approach (Ralph Hamaker; Woensdrecht, 22 August 2025)

 

Credits

All photographers named above, Habib Alaqad, André Alders, Aviation Herald, Jose Angel Blanco, Roy Blewitt, Gonzalo Carballo, Merv Crowe, Frank Ellemers, EWAS Forum, Flightradar24, Jan Homma, Greg Hyde, Kevin Junior, Mads Oyen, Tom Singfield, Skyliner, Up in the Sky, Jacques Vooren, Henk Wadman, WoensdrechtAS Forum.