VH-HYX. Airbus A320-211. c/n 288.


Ordered new by GATX Capital Corporation

First flown as F-WWBV - December 19, 1991

Accepted by GATX Capital Corp at Toulouse, France - April 27, 1992

Leased to Onur Air, Turkey - May 7, 1992

Entered onto Turkish Aircraft Register as TC-ONA

Aircraft was named 'Birtuc' and later 'Pinar'

Operated first revenue service for Onur Air Istanbul-Gatwick - May 9, 1992

Returned to lessor - May 1996

Leased to Ansett Australia - May 1996

Entered onto Australian Aircraft Register as VH-HYX - May 30, 1996

Registered to Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd

Aircraft fitted 24 First Class and 108 Economy Class seats but variable

Departed Greensboro, USA on delivery flight to Australia as AN4291 - July 4, 1996

Arrived Melbourne at conclusion of delivery flight - July 6, 1996

Delivery route: Greensboro-San Diego-Hilo-Nadi-Melbourne

Flight crew: Capts M. Rindfleish, B. Saunders; Engineers C. Almond, P. Milan,

M. van Helmert, M. Riscica, K. Kocsis, N. Thomopoulos, N. Forfar

Operated first revenue service Melbourne-Brisbane as AN60 (Capt A. Sillar) - July 11, 1996

Operated last revenue service Melbourne-Adelaide as AN191 - September 13, 2001

Australia ceased operations due to bankruptcy - September 13, 2001

Adverised for sale by GATX with delivery January 2002 - October 18, 2001

Flew one Ansett service under administration Adelaide-Melbourne as AN351 - October 26, 2001

Placed in storage at Melbourne awaiting sale

Ansett Engineering quote the aircraft had flown 30,157 hours with 15,611 cycles - October 26, 2001

Test flown at Melbourne as AN4089 after double engine change - May 15, 2002

Departed Melbourne as AN4040 on return to GATX, France with GATX crew - May 20, 2002

Ferry route: Melbourne-Jakarta-Male-Larnaca-Toulouse

Cancelled from Australian Aircraft Register - May 30, 2002

Leased to Transair, Sweden - June 11, 2002

Entered onto Swedish Aircraft Register as SE-RCC - June 14, 2002

Ferried Toulouse-Nykoping as TWE9007 - June 14, 2002

Sub-leased to GOODjet, Sweden - June 2002 to December 10, 2002

Returned to Transair and parked at Stockholm before GOODjet ceased operations - December 9, 2002

Ferried Stockholm-Bordeaux on return to GATX - December 12, 2002

Cancelled from Swedish Aircraft Register - July 3, 2003

Leased to Air Malta - July 2003 to January 2004

Entered on Maltese Aircraft Register as 9H-AED

Leased to Hurkus Havayolu Tasimacilik ve Ticaret (Free Bird) - March 2004

Entered onto Turkish Aircraft Register as TC-FBF

Ferried Cambridge-Istanbul in Free Bird livery - March 31, 2004

Sub-leased to Greece Airways and arrived Glasgow as RE113P - April 30, 2006

Operated first revenue service as GRE2113 Glasgow-Athens - May 1, 2006

Retured to Freebird when Greece Airways ceased operations - October 2006

Observed at Nurnberg in revised Freebird livery - February 16, 2007

Current with Freebird - November 2008


VH-HYX. Ansett Australia - in the 'Starmark' livery at Brisbane Airport, February 2001.

SE-RCC. Goodjet - in the full livery at Stockholm Airport, December 2002.

SE-RCC. Goodjet - in the full livery at Bordeaux Airport, January 2003.

9H-AED. Air Malta - in the non-standard all-white livery, August 2003.

9H-AED. Air Malta - in the non-standard all-white livery at Faro Airport, October 2003.

9H-AED. Air Malta - in a non-standard all-white livery at Faro, December 2003.

TC-FBF. Free Bird - in the original livery at Munich Airport, May 2004.

TC-FBF. Free Bird - in the original livery at Munich Airport, July 2004.

TC-FBF. Free Bird - in the original livery at Munich Airport, July 2004.

TC-FBF. Free Bird - in the original livery with revised titles, August 2005.

TC-FBF. Free Bird - in the revised livery at unknown airport, December 2005.