Fokkernews May 2021 (issue 42)

General news

Kenya has banned all commercial flights between Kenya and Somalia until August 2021. Only humanitarian flights are allowed. Reason seems to be the long standing dispute between the two countries regarding import of Kenyan khat, a psychoactive plant, which is prohibited in Somalia without proper permission. A number of Kenyan and Somalian F50 operators that fly khat to Somalia are affected by this measure. 

In Tanzania, W-Cargo Airlines (the trade name of Warnercom Tanzania Ltd.) has obtained its license as the country's first all-cargo airline. Apart from a Boeing 737, there are plans adding a F27 or F50 to the fleet for domestic operations, launching later in 2021.

Fokker F27, Fokker 50 & Fokker 60

c/n type registration new registration
10142 100 PT-LAH Tavaj. The Friendship is a long-term resident at Brasília Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport for at least 15 years. It looks dirty, but seemingly in a reasonable condition. Visible on Google -15.870096, -47.915272.
20123 50 5U-NAA Niger Airlines. Identity now confirmed.
20160 50 VH-FKO Alliance Airlines. Seen at Adelaide 24 April 2021 in storage, withdrawn from use.
20181 50 9S-ABG Gomair. Identity now confirmed.
20184 50 9S-ABK Gomair. The registration has become known. Some other sources report it as 9S-ADJ, but for the time being we adhere to 9S-ABK.
20249 50 5Y-CHM 5Y-FAS Freedom Airline Express. This F50 was recently reregistered and it has kept the original color scheme.
20303 50 VH-FKV Alliance Airlines. Seen at Adelaide 24 April 2021 in storage, withdrawn from use.
20312 50 VH-FKX Alliance Airlines. As we supposed in the previous edition, this F50 is indeed retired. It made its last flight from Olympic Dam to Adelaide on 12 March 2020 as QQ3217. The airline still has two F50s operational.

Fokker F28, Fokker 70 & Fokker 100

c/n type registration new registration comment
11144 4000 EP-ASF Iran Aseman Airlines. In Fokkernews #25 we published a picture of an unknown Fellowship hull that was sunk as a diving object off the Kish Island coast close to the Toranj hotel. Thanks to a message on Instagram it has been identified as EP-ASF.
11369 100 YR-FKB Carpatair. Following up on our prior edition, the aircraft appeared to be in Dinard for maintenance. It was seen active in France, Romania and Italy since.
11416 100 9A-BTE Trade Air. The airline's last F100 is offered for sale. It has completed 43,816 hours and 31,500 landings.
11501 100 VH-VKQ Alliance Airlines. Registration cancelled 20 April 2021 as scrapped, one month after the F100 flew from its desert storage to Brisbane. It was still in full Helvetic Airways livery.
11536 70 5B-DDA TUS Airways. Jet Midwest now offers this F70 for sale. It is stored at Woensdrecht since September 2020 in full TUS livery.
11571 70 VH-QQX Alliance Airlines, flying on behalf of Airnorth. On 28 March 2021 the crew of flight TL-131 from Melbourne to Toowoomba Wellcamp airport stopped the descent to its destination at 6000 feet, stayed in a holding pattern some 8 minutes and and ran a checklist. Then the aircraft climbed back to 10,000 feet. About 9 minutes later the crew indicated that the flaps were not working. The aircraft diverted to Brisbane and made a high-speed, but safe landing, approximately 1 hour after the aborted descent into Toowoomba.
11579 70 PZ-TFC Fly AllWays. Three years after its delivery, this F70 made the first revenue flight from Paramaribo to Aruba and back on 4 May 2021 as EDR705/706.

The single F50 of Air Antwerp was ferried from Antwerp to Malmö for maintenance and storage until relaunch of the flights, probably in August 2021. The picture shows OO-VLS (20109) departing Antwerp airport. (Walter van Brempt; Antwerp, 7 May 2021)

 

Kenyan startup Premier Airlines operates this 5Y-JXK (20233), on lease from Skyward International. The livery is simple, but definitely better than the many all-white F50s flying in East Africa. (Mads Oyen; Juba 28 April 2021)

 

It looks as if the end of the F50 era in Australia has come. Alliance Airlines is in the process of withdrawing their F50 fleet from use. Currently three F50, among which VH-FKV (20303), have been prepared for storage. (Tony Haynes on Flickr; Adelaide, 1 May 2021)

 

Since Bek Air had its certification withdrawn by the local authorities in April 2020, the fleet is awaiting things to come. UP-F1018 (11317) is seen here collecting dirt together with a number of sister ships. (Ercan Karakaş on Flickr; Almaty, 29 April 2021)

 

After two years of inactivity, Fly All Ways has recently started to actively use their third F70 PZ-TFC (11579). (Nito on Jetphotos; Oranjestad, Aruba, 12 May 2021)

 

Credits

All photographers, Aviation24.be, Aviation Herald, Aviator.aero, CH-Aviation, The Citizen, Merv Crowe, FlightAware, Greg Hyde, JetPhotos.net, Planespotters.net, Skyliner, Jacques Vooren, Henk Wadman.