VH-FNG. Fokker F27-050. c/n 20112.

Was also registered as: OE-LFX; SE-LEC; PH-KPB; 5Y-SMS.

 

This was the seventh of ten aircraft ordered new by Ansett - February 13, 1985

Ansett was the launch customer for this aircraft type

Originally allocated the c/n '10702' but it was changed by Fokker when a new c/n series was introduced for F27-050s

Temporary export registration 'E-910 / PH-EXW' was reserved by Fokker Aircraft BV - November 13, 1987

First flown as 'PH-EXW' - January 11, 1988

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-FNG - January 20, 1988

Registered to JL Leasing Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan (CofR H223; CofA H361)

Leased to Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd as the registered operartor

The temporary registration 'PH-EXW' was removed from the aircraft - January 20, 1988

The aircraft was cleared for export to Australia - January 20, 1988

Accepted by Ansett at Amsterdam (Schiphol) - January 21, 1988

It was configured to seat 50 passengers

Departed Amsterdam (Schiphol) on the delivery flight to Australia as AN50 - January 21, 1988

It arrived at Melbourne (Tullamarine) on completion of the delivery flight - January 27, 1988

Delivery route: Amsterdam - Athens - Cairo - Bahrain - Karachi - Calcutta - Bangkok - Seletar - Denpasar -

Darwin - Alice Springs - Melbourne

Flight crew: Captains C. Harrold, C. Proussalis, J. Bleakley; LAMEs R. Horkings, E. Pickwell, C. Lawson

Operated first revenue service Melbourne (Tullamarine) - Wynyard (Captain I. Lanning) as AN885 - February 29, 1988

It was placed in open storage at Melbourne (Tullamarine) during the pilots' dispute - August 1989

After the pilots' dispute of 1989 / 1990 this aircraft was rarely used

Registered to Ansett Australia Ltd, Melbourne - October 03, 1990

Leased to Austrian Air Services, Austria - October 1990

The aircraft was named 'Kranebitten'

It had flown 3,272 hours with 3,522 cycles

Departed Melbourne (Tullamarine) on the ferry flight to Austria as 'Tyrolean 8900' - October 05, 1990

Arrived Vienna on completion of the ferry flight - October 12, 1990

Ferry route: Melbourne - Alice Springs - Darwin - Denpasar - Seletar - Bangkok - Calcutta -

Karachi - Teheran - Istanbul - Vienna

Flight crew: Captains B. Saunders (Ansett), P. Beer (Austrian); LAMEs R. Chapple, D. Mills

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - October 15, 1990

Entered onto the Austrian Aircraft Register as OE-LFX - October 15, 1990

Registered to Ansett Australia Ltd, Melbourne

Leased to Austrian Air Services as the registered operator

The aircraft had flown 8,882 hours with 10,163 cycles - June 30, 1993

Returned to the lessor at the end of the lease

Departed Vienna on the ferry flight to Australia as 'Tyrolean 8901' - September 07, 1994

It arrived Melbourne (Tullamarine) on completion of the ferry flight - September 13, 1994

Ferry route: Vienna - Athens - Cario - Bahrain - Karachi - New Delhi - Calcutta - Bangkok - Seletar - Denpasar -

Darwin - Alice Springs - Melbourne

Flight crew: Captains C. Montgomery, A. Brooks; LAMEs P. Hescht, L. Roisz (Austrian Air)

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-FNG - September 1994

Registered to Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd, Melbourne

Ferried Melbourne (Tullamarine) - Adelaide - Kalgoorlie - Perth for lease to Skywest Airlines - January 26, 1995

Registered to Skywest Airlines Pty Ltd, Perth - February 17, 1995

Registered to Ansett Australia Ltd, Melbourne - December 08, 1995

Ferried Perth - Sydney (Kingsford Smith) at the end of the Skywest lease - December 15, 1995

Operated its final revenue service Sydney - Ballina - Sydney as WX534/535 - December 23, 1995

Prepared for lease to Skyways AB, Linkoping, Sweden

Departed Sydney on the ferry flight to Sweden (Captain G. Eastaway) as AN4294 - December 27, 1995

It arrived at Linkoping on completion of the ferry flight - January 03, 1996

Ferry route: Sydney - Alice Springs - Darwin - Denpasar - Seletar - Bangkok - Calcutta - New Delhi -

Karachi - Bahrain - Jeddah - Cairo - Athens - Munich - Linkoping

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - January 18, 1996

Entered onto the Swedish Aircraft Register as SE-LEC - January 18, 1996

Registered to Ansett Aviation Equipment Pty Ltd

Leased to Skyways AB as the registered operator

The aircraft was named 'Vasterbotten'

Lease to Eastern Airways, UK - September 23, 2001

Returned to Skyways at the end of the lease - October 2001

Sold by Ansett Aviation to AeroCentury Corp (Subject to Deed of Company Arrangement) - April 07, 2004

The lease to Skyways AB continued

Offered for lease by AeroCentury Corp - 2007

It had flown 32,615 hours with 37,866 cycles - January 16, 2007

Repainted into low cost airline Gotlandsflyg's livery - 2007

It was observed in service with Skyways in an 'all-white' livery with small titles at Stockholm (Arlanda) - May 03, 2009

It arrived at Amsterdam (Schiphol) for repainting - August 18, 2009

Rolled out in new livery - August 21, 2009

Express Sweden titles applied - December 01, 2009

Skyways AB filed for bankruptcy and ceased all operations - May 21, 2012

Ferried Halmstad - Angelholm on return to the lessor as SKX9208 - June 12, 2012

Ferried Angelholm - Maastricht as SKX9210 - July 02, 2012

Cancelled from the Swedish Aircraft Register - September 07, 2012

Entered onto the Dutch Aircraft Register as PH-KPB - December 09, 2012

Registered to SAMCO Aircraft Maintenance BV

The aircraft remained stored at Maastricht

Cancelled from the Dutch Aircraft Register - January 08, 2015

Entered onto the Dutch Aircraft Register as PH-KPB - May 07, 2015

Registered to SAMCO Aircraft Maintenance BV

It was observed inside a hangar at Maastricht in an 'all-white' livery with red-black-grey tail - May 18, 2015

It was observed parked at Maastricht in the 'South Supreme Airlines', South Sudan livery - June 04, 2015

The propased sale to South Supreme Airlines was cancelled - September 10, 2015

South Supreme Airlines had suspended operations due to financial difficulties

The aircraft remained stored at Maastricht

Cancelled from the Dutch Aircraft Register - January 20, 2016

The aircraft was sold by auction at the expense of South Supreme Airlines at Maastricht - March 04, 2016

It was observed at Maastricht in an 'all-white' livery with the red 'Skyways' engine nacells - May 20, 2016

It was observed at Maastricht undergoing engine test runs - June 15, 2016

Entered onto the Dutch Aircraft Register as PH-KPB - September 06, 2016

Sold to Skyward Express Ltd - April 10, 2017

Entered onto the Kenyan Aircraft Register as 5Y-SMS - April 20, 2017

Registered to Skyward Express Ltd, Nariobi, Kenya

Registered to SAMCO Aircraft Maintenance BV

Departed Maastricht on the ferry flight to Kenya via Heraklion and Khartoum - May 12, 2017

Leased to Maandeeq Air, Somalia in the basic 'Silverstone' livery - March 2019

It was observed stored at Nairobi (Wilson) - March 23, 2019

It was observed stored at Nairobi (Wilson) with one engine missing - October 28, 2019

It was observed flying with SOM Express Airways, Somalia on lease from Skyward Express - November 05, 2020

Silverstone Air Services was renamed Jetlite Air Limited - March 2021

Current status - ?

 

 

VH-FNG. Ansett - in the 'Southern Cross' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, February 04, 1988.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1997-346.)

VH-FNG. Ansett - in the 'Southern Cross' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, September 24, 1990.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1997-028.)

VH-FNG. Ansett - in the 'Southern Cross' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, September 1990.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1997-029.)

VH-FNG. Ansett - in the 'Southern Cross' livery with additional 'Austrian' decal at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, October 1990.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1997-320.)

OE-LFX. Austrian - in the standard livery at Geneva Airport, March 1991.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1997-347.)

OE-LFX. Austrian - in the standard livery at Geneva Airport, March 1991.

(A. Lerch Copyright Image 1997-502.)

OE-LFX. Ansett - in the 'all-white' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, September 1994.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1997-321.)

OE-LFX. Ansett - in the 'all-white' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, September 1994.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1997-322.)

VH-FNG. Skywest Airlines - in the Ansett 'Starmark' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 1995.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1997-095.)

VH-FNG. Skywest Airlines - in the Ansett 'Starmark' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 1995.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1997-031.)

VH-FNG. Skywest Airlines - in the Ansett 'Starmark' livery at Perth Airport, May 1995.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1997-348.)

VH-FNG. Skywest Airlines - in the Ansett 'Starmark' livery at Perth Airport, June 1995.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1997-030.)

VH-FNG. Ansett Australia - in the 'all-white' livery at Canberra Airport, December 1995.

(E. D. Daw Copyright Image 1997-057.)