Fokkernews April 2025 (issue 88)
General news
Kenyan operator Skyward Express has rebranded as Skyward Airlines. According to our database Skyward Airlines currently has 12 Fokkers in their fleet: four F100s (one leased out), three F70s and five F50s (one leased out).
Fokker F27, Fokker 50 & Fokker 60
| c/n | type | new registration | registration | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10168 | 100 | RP-C5888 | In Fokkernews 82 we discussed two unidentified F27 Friendships in the inventory of DPR Aviation College in Plaridel, Bulacan, Philippines. A recent video shows that the F27 kept outdoors has registration RP-C5888 on top of the wings, which makes it c/n 10168 of Laoag Airlines. This creates a bit of a mystery as this airframe was reportedly broken up in Phnom Penh in 2007 as XU-881 and the remains were trucked to Vietnam. So, what has happened here? | |
| 20131 | 50 | ST-ARH | Blue Bird Aviation Sudan. Aircraft was completely destroyed during shooting and bombing of Khartoum International airport in March 2025. | |
| 20243 | 50 | 5Y-WFB | Minair has leased this F50 from Buff Air, probably already from 2024. Minair Ltd is based in Bangui, Central African Republic, and specializes in cargo logistics. |
Fokker F28, Fokker 70 & Fokker 100
| c/n | type | new registration | registration | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11373 | 100 | VH-FNU | Virgin Australia. Offered for sale for delivery 1 July 2025. The aircraft has currently flown 57,131 hours and 43,581 cycles. | |
| 11399 | 100 | VH-NHP | Network (QantasLink). When flying from Exmouth to Perth on 11 February 2025 as NWK1603 sustained some fuselage damage. The aircraft is being repaired and will return to service soon. | |
| 11450 | 100 | VH-FSQ | Virgin Australia. The F100 flew from Perth to Singapore-Seletar on 9 March 2025 for maintenance. It is now offered for sale for delivery 15 February 2026. The aircraft has collected 50,804 flying hours and 34,679 landings. | |
| 11465 | 100 | VH-NHK | Network (QantasLink). Performed its last flight on 1 July 2024 and is now used as a source for spare parts at Perth. | |
| 11487 | 100 | EP-SUS | Karun Airlines. A picture from January 2025 shows this aircraft in Ahwaz, without titles and missing many parts. We can safely regard it as broken up. | |
| 11488 | 100 | VH-FNR | Virgin Australia. Offered for sale for delivery 15 February 2026. The F100 has flown 57,047 hours and made 42,574 landings. | |
| 11497 | 100 | EP-AWZ | Karun Airlines. After its landing incident at Tehran-Mehrabad in January, the F100 returned to service on 20 February 2025. |
One of the two F27 Friendships in the inventory of DPR Aviation College in Plaridel, Bulacan, Philippines has registration RP-C5888 on top of the wings, which would make it c/n 10168, having flown for Laoag Airlines. See table above for more details. By the way, the F50 hull visible next to it is F50 SE-MHR (20113), formerly Leading Edge RP-C7636 that always kept its Skywest livery. (DPR Aviation College, still from video; Plaridel, April 2025)
For many years the fire brigade at Daytona Beach airport uses the hull of ex-Scenic Airlines Friendship N278MA (10280) for training purposes. After wearing an orange livery with and without Ciro titles (see Fokkernews 59 and 63), it recently was freshly repainted in blue with large ACE Airlines titles. (William Musculus; Daytona Beach, 22 March 2025)
Currently the Philippines Air Force has two F27 Friendships still in active service. This picture shows that 10620 (10620) still looks immaculate despite its age of over 40 years. (FlyEdmund; Manilla, 18 April 2025)
During hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces and rebel militias some 30 aircraft parked at Khartoum International airport were damaged or even destroyed. Among the latter is Blue Bird Aviation F50 ST-ARH (20131), which obviously is a complete wreck. (Sudanese Echo, still from video; Khartoum, 27 March 2025)
Further to the news item in Fokkernews 86 we now can show a picture of the nocturnal transport of former MAS Wings F50 fuselage 9M-MGG (20170) from the Kuala Lumpur Institute of Aviation College to a new location (JCN Logistics; Kuala Lumpur, 23 April 2024). The hull looks weathered and dirty; the KLIA titles have been overpainted, but still are faintly visible. The entire wing section was loaded on a second truck and at the destination, a private field in Perlis, North Malaysia, the parts were reassembled. (Riezal Dzohari; Perlis, 25 April 2024)
Karun Airlines had a second F50 painted in their new color scheme: EP-OIL (20222). (Hesam_hsnzde on Jetphotos.net; Ahwaz, 4 April 2025)
As a supplement to the picture in Fokkernews 86 we can now show Aviation Australia instructional airframe F28 VH-XNG (11038) in its entirety in the new color scheme. (Bert van Drunick; Brisbane, 23 July 2024)
At least one of the two Myanmar Air Force F70s operating for government officials and high-ranking military staff, serial 002 (11576) has received revised titles (no longer ‘Air Force’) and also carries the national flag in the tail. (Airlines Week; Bangkok, 3 April 2025)
Credits
All photographers named above, Air-Britain News, André Alders, ATDBNews, Aviator.aero, Bradley Bygrave, Merv Crowe, DPR Aviation College, Frank Ellemers, Jan Homma, MyAirTrade, Jacques Vooren, Henk Wadman.
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