In a week of aircraft retirements, we sadly report of another on Friday 1 August, with former Our Airline (Air Nauru) Boeing B737-300 VH-INU flying out of Brisbane to the recently established Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage (APAS) facility at Alice Springs Airport.
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VH-INU was a frequent visitor to Gladstone Airport operating regular Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) charter flights into the industrial city. It also made the occasional visit to Rockhampton Airport on troop charter duties for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
VH-INU was initially delivered to Corsair in 1987 as EI-BTF, with the aircraft also seeing service with Air Europa and America West Airlines, before finally being acquired by Our Airline (Air Nauru) in 2006.
Information suggests that fellow B737-300 VH-NLK should be the next to leave, with former (and younger) Air New Zealand B737-300s ZK-NGD and ZK-NGE rumoured to be joining the Nauru Airlines fleet.
Another airframe that will be missed...
Meanwhile, Nauru Airlines - the re-branded name of Our Airline - also officially commenced operations on Friday 1 August and thus flights reported on this Blog will be reported as such.
Of note, Nauru Airlines' recently delivered Boeing B737-3H6(SF) Freighter VH-VLI entered service also on Friday 1 August, operating a return flight to Nauru and back to Brisbane.
File photos taken by Jamie C and Lloyd Fox ©
What will happen to VH-INU and VH-NLK now that they are retired?
ReplyDeleteVH-INU and VH-NLK are still stored at Alice Springs. Reports are that at least one will never fly again. :(
ReplyDelete