Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 17-Mar-21, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 09-Feb-25.

Shot on a cheap 'own brand' 200 ASA film, very grainy (should have stuck with Kodachrome transparencies!).

Originally named: "Armando Sallo de Olivera".

This aircraft was delivered to Mitsui Finance and leased to VASP Airlines as PP-SOW in Feb-92. It was returned to the lessor in Apr-00 and leased to VARIG Brasil as PP-VQL the following month. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Aug-04 and stored at Rio de Janeiro-Galileo, Brasil.

It was ferried to Singapore-Seletar in Sep-04 and sold to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest (as Trustee for Lufthansa) as N413LT in Oct-04. The aircraft was converted to freighter configuration with a main deck cargo door at Seletar in Jul-05. It was delivered to Lufthansa Cargo as D-ALCO a few days later.

The aircraft was damaged during a hard landing at Mexico City on 13-Sep-09 which caused fuselage wrinkling and a bent nosewheel leg. It was very close to being written off but the insurers decided it was repairable and it was ferried to Victorville, CA, USA in Nov-09 with the nosewheel leg locked down.

The repairs took almost a year and after maintenance at Xiamen, China the aircraft returned to service in Nov-10. It was only 22 years old when Lufthansa permanently retired it at Tulsa, OK, USA in Jan-14. Updated Mar-21.

Tags:   PP-SOW McDonnell Douglas MD-11 VASP Brazil aircraft airplane airliner jet jetliner tri-jet wide-body aviation

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First flown with the Airbus test registration D-AVXW, this aircraft was delivered to GECAS and leased to Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia as OY-TCG in Dec-14. The Thomas Cook parent company, Thomas Cook Group UK, ceased operations on 23-Sep-19.

As a separate company within the Group, Thomas Cook Scandinavia managed to continue reduced services and the company was sold to a Norwegian Consortium and renamed Sunclass Airlines on 01-Nov-19. The aircraft was repainted in full new Sunclass livery at East Midlands, UK in Jan-21.

On 15-Sep-24 the aircraft suffered a hard landing at Skiathos, Greece, badly damaging the undercarriage. It was stored at Skiathos for almost five months while repairs were carried out and ferried Skiathos / Tallin, Estonia on 07-Feb-25. Possibly for further spannering or return to the lessor. Updated 08-Feb-25.

Tags:   OY-TCG Airbus A321-211/S Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia aircraft airplane airliner jet jetliner

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First flown with the Airbus test registration D-AVXW, this aircraft was delivered to GECAS and leased to Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia as OY-TCG in Dec-14. The Thomas Cook parent company, Thomas Cook Group UK, ceased operations on 23-Sep-19.

As a separate company within the Group, Thomas Cook Scandinavia managed to continue reduced services and the company was sold to a Norwegian Consortium and renamed Sunclass Airlines on 01-Nov-19. The aircraft was repainted in full new Sunclass livery at East Midlands, UK in Jan-21.

On 15-Sep-24 the aircraft suffered a hard landing at Skiathos, Greece, badly damaging the undercarriage. It was stored at Skiathos for almost five months while repairs were carried out and ferried Skiathos / Tallin, Estonia on 07-Feb-25. Possibly for further spannering or return to the lessor. Updated 08-Feb-25.

Tags:   OY-TCG Airbus A321-211/S Sunclass Airlines aircraft airplane airliner jet jetliner aviation

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Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 30-Aug-19, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 07-Feb-25.

New livery.

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWDM, this aircraft was delivered to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation and leased to Air 2000 as G-OOAW in May-02. Air 2000 was renamed First Choice Airways in Jan-04.

In early 2008 First Choice Holidays was about to be taken over by the TUI Travel Group so the aircraft was re-registered G-OOPW in Mar-08 to avoid duplication with Thomson Airways Boeing 757 G-BYAW.

First Choice was taken over by the TUI Travel Group in May-08 but the airline continued to operate as First Choice until the end of the summer season in Nov-08 when it officially became part of Thomson Airways.

Thomson Airways was an all Boeing operator and this aircraft wasn't repainted into Thomson livery and was returned to the lessor in May-09. It was leased to Ural Airlines (Russia) as VQ-BCZ in Jun-09.

The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Oct-21 and parked.
It was returned to the lessor in Dec-21 and permanently retired at Goodyear, AZ, USA. Updated 07-Feb-25.

Tags:   G-OOAW Airbus A320-214 Air 2000 aircraft airplane airliner jet jetliner aviation

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Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 10-Jul-19, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 07-Feb-25.

Air Europa, leased from / operated by Excel Airways in a hybrid c/scheme during the 2002/03 winter season.

First flown in Feb-02 with the Boeing test registration N1786B, this aircraft was re-registered N6055X for some Boeing test flights in early Mar-02. It was delivered to GECAS and leased to Excel Airways as G-XLAF in Mar-02.

It was wet leased to Air Europa (Spain) between Nov-02/Apr-03. The aircraft was wet-leased to Ryanair between Nov-03/Mar-04. It was fitted with blended winglets in Apr-06. In Nov-06 Excel Airways was renamed XL Airways UK.

The aircraft was leased to Sunwing Airlines (Canada) as C-GOAF in Dec-06. It was sub-leased back to XL Airways UK, operated by Sunwing, in May-07 and returned to Sunwing in Nov-07 for the winter season.

It was again sub-leased back to XL Airways UK in May-08. XL Airways UK ceased operations in Sep-08 and Sunwing returned the aircraft to the lessor the following day. It was initially stored at Lasham, UK and re-registered N29883 in Oct-08.

In Mar-09 the aircraft was leased to Garuda Indonesia Airlines as PK-GEI. It was returned to the lessor in Jun-16 and was leased to Sriwijaya Airways, Indonesia as PK-CMT the following month. It was stored at Jakarta-CGK, Indonesia in Jun-20 due to a combination of the COVID-19 Pandemic coupled with financial problems.

The aircraft never returned to service and was permanently retired. It was broken-up at Jakarta-CGK in Jul-22.

Tags:   G-XLAF Boeing B737-86N Air Europa (Excel Airways) aircraft airplane airliner jet jetliner aviation

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