January 2023 – RAY WATTS

The amendments for January 2023 are exciting for our airline industry.

Ray Watts

FLYSAFAIR HAS REGISTERED two Boeing 737-800s this month. One Airbus A320 has been returned to SAA from storage in Ljubljana and another Boeing 737-800 is coming back onto the register.

This one is strange in that, nowhere in my records can I see where ZS-ZWX, an ex-Comair aircraft, was actually deleted from the register; however, it’s back again.

Safair also have another B737-800 N890SM (c/n 39877 ex PK-LPQ) which arrived here on 21 December 2022, but this one hasn’t been registered yet.

‘Airlink have wet leased a Boeing 737-300’

As noted in the news in the February edition, Airlink have wet leased a Boeing 737-300, ZS-VDB from Star Air, and painted her up in their livery. A quick search for photos of this Boeing shows that since it was imported from China in 2011, it has led an amazingly varied and interesting existence in South Africa. It has sported Velvet Air colours, as well as flown for Mango, with just an orange tail. It has also flown for SA Express and the aborted Fly Blue Crane.

There is talk that Airlink are after some of the ex-Comair B737-800s as well.

The remains of the SAA fleet – ZS-SXE has been exported to Germany as D-AUSC. Photo Ray Watts.

Altogether there were eight Type Certified TCA aircraft registered in January 2023 which include two helicopters, a Cirrus SR22 and a Beechcraft King Air 350i. One of the helicopters is a Bell 429 Global Ranger and is the first one registered in South Africa.

The NTCA register continues to grow, although slower this month, with only five new registrations being recorded. There are three KFA Safaris, a Piper Replica (which I assume is a Cub replica) and a Carbon Cub. Remarkably, there are no RVs or Slings.

Late last year Guy pointed out to me that there were three JS-MD 3 Rapture Gliders imported from Germany, which is strange, as they’re manufactured here, in Potchefstroom, by Jonker Brothers. I haven’t, as yet been able to get an answer for this but will pursue this one.

The number of drones registered in January was down to twenty-one, with five being scrapped.

On the deletions side, things for January have also been a bit slow, with four aircraft being deleted, being three fixed wing and one helicopter. Amongst the fixed wing aircraft ZS-SXE is an ex-SAA A340-312 which has been sold in Germany, to Universal Sky Carriers. They’ve also bought a second one ZS-SNG, an A340-600 which will become D-AUSZ.

The helicopter deleted is a Bell 430 which has gone to Zimbabwe.

Tail Piece

I hope that everybody returned from their yearend breaks safely. This month has been marred by horrible accidents at Bass Lake and the twin piston one near Nasrec. Folks, please let’s stay safe.

New Registrations ZS

ZS-BUY    CIRRUS DESIGN CORPORATION SR22 8895 N895WP

ZS-FGS THE BOEING COMPANY 737-800 39881 N889SM, PK-LPR

ZS-FGX THE BOEING COMPANY 737-800 37933 ET-ANZ

ZS-SZB AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-232 5680 OE-IPH, ZS-SZB, F-WWDF

ZS-TLP TEXTRON AVIATION INC Be350I FL-1222 N350HB

ZS-ZWX THE BOEING COMPANY 737-800 39887 ZS-ZWX, B5858

New Registrations ZT-T

ZT-HJM BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA INC 429 Global Ranger 57467

ZT-RFU AIRBUS HELICOPTERS AS 350 B3E 9352 F-WWPP

New Registrations ZU

ZU-IXP STEPHANUS JOHANNESCHOEMAN KFA SAFARI 062-01-21 SAF3

ZU-IXS NEAL ALFRED STEPHENSON PIPER REPLICA 2013-061

ZU-KFA EDWARD ALEXANDER VAN HEERDEN KFA SAFARI 073-03-22 SAF3

ZU-LLM MICHAEL JAMES HANCOCK KFA SAFARI 069-10-21 SAF3

ZU-MSH STEPHEN ALEXANDER NEWTON CARBON CUB CCK-2000-0088

Aircraft deleted ZS

ZS-AKF BOMBADIER INC BD-100-1A10 20870 UNITED SATES OF AMERICA as N923JL

ZS-DDT HAWKER BEECHCRAFT CORPORATION 4000 RC-56 AUSTRALIA

ZS-SXE AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A340-313 646 GERMANY as D-AUSC

Aircraft deleted ZT

ZT-RCK BELL HELICOPTER COMPANY 430 49020 ZIMBABWE

ZS-VDB is Airlink’s first Boeing – albeit wet leased.