We are more than halfway through 2024 and it seems like just yesterday when I wrote the first register review for the new year.
New aircraft registrations continue to tick over, but it also seems like the aircraft paint shops and refurbishment centres are doing brisk business with corporate jets and bizprops being given new interiors and exterior paint jobs. If this points to confidence in the future growth in the local market or simply getting them ready for resale or export remains to be seen.
There has nonetheless been a net decline in the number of registrations. This month there are four certified and six non-type certified planes added to the local register but no rotorwing types. Departing our shores are nine fixed wing types while two helicopters were scrapped and two NTC types exported.
Pilatus South Africa is certainly having a good year with yet another new PC-12NGX, ZS-NNA (2374), being delivered to a Gauteng-based owner. This plane arrived at Lanseria on 3 July having ferried from Switzerland to SA via Heraklion, Luxor, Djibouti and Dar es Salaam.
Cemair adds yet another CRJ200, ZS-CME (7938) to its fleet. This jet was delivered new to Delta Connection in May 2004 with registration N8938A which it carried throughout its service life until delivered to OR Tambo on 29 April. It was retired from service with Delta Connection in June 2013 and then entered service with Endeavour Air until 2017 when it was withdrawn from service. Cemair has given this trusty jet a new lease on life as part of its burgeoning regional jet fleet on the southern tip of Africa.
Another interesting addition is the ATR 72-600 ZS-LIZ (1674). This ATR-72 was originally destined for Burkina Faso’s Liz Aviation with registration XT-YSM reserved but never taken up. This registration was previously allocated to a King Air 350i (FL-1012) that was sold to a Kenyan-based owner in 2023. The ATR 72 arrived at OR Tambo International Airport on 27 May using its ATR-allocated test registration F-WNUG. It is not clear yet where it will end up but perhaps, given the registration, it may still end up flying for LIZ Aviation in Burkina Faso after all?
A brand-new King Air 360 ZS-CHK (FL-1335) is also registered this month. It arrived on delivery at Lanseria on 17 June. Judging by its registration it may be the latest acquisition for long term King Air operator Chubby Chick who fly a BE350i ZS-CCK. The 360 is the latest iteration of this very popular type and, no doubt, it will not be the last one we will see delivered in the region.
Turning to the Non-Type Certified additions, we see another of the popular locally manufactured Slings being delivered to its owner as well as two new Bat Hawks. A four-seat Jabiru J-430 is also added to the local registry. ZU-JAX is listed as a Czech-manufactured Bristell LSA which seems to be the earlier version of the current Bristell designs so perhaps it is a pre-owned example that has been imported and registered locally?
The final NTCA addition is an FK Aircraft FK9, ZU-FKR. This all-composite high-wing cruiser and is available in tri-gear or taildragger configurations through the local agents FK Aircraft South Africa.
Deletions
Departing our shores are two Cessna Caravans – one heading to Canada (and mentioned in last month’s Register Review) and the other just across the border to Zimbabwe, along with a Piper Navajo II.
A Baron 58 goes to Namibia while two Cessna 206s head to Chile.
The helicopter deletions for this month sees two Titan Helicopter Group operated Sikorsky S-76As being scrapped while a Bell 206 Jetranger moves to Mozambique.
Only two non-certified types leave our shores: a Windlass Aquila moving to Namibia and a Savannah S leaving for the West African state of Benin.
Looking ahead we see a few notable local aircraft change hands or arrive on delivery prior to them being recorded in the monthly SACAA amendments. First off is a brand-new Cessna Grand Caravan EX N9003R which was delivered to Lanseria on 21 June and has the registration ZS-TTM painted under the wing, so watch this space for its official registration date. Local agents Absolute Aviation also seems to be having a very good 2024 judging by their recent aircraft deliveries!
A second winglet-equipped A320, 2-BINH (7213) arrived at OR Tambo International Airport on 11 July on delivery to SAA. This is also a former jet of the now-defunct Vietnamese carrier Pacific Airlines and is the second of three such jets leased from China Aircraft Leasing and will soon feature in this column.
Two Bell UH-1H Huey helicopters ZT-RCS and ZT-RAI were recently noted flying at Rand Airport painted in an overall olive drab livery. These former forest fire fighting helicopters had been in South Africa for several years but were put up for sale earlier this year. Photos and videos subsequently published on social media platforms showed several Nigerian Army helicopter pilots received training on these two helicopters at Henley Air. While these two helicopters have not yet featured in this update as cancelled from the local register they were subsequently shown on social media and news agency posts on delivery to the recently-established Nigerian Army Aviation Airwing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria on 20 June wearing the serial numbers NA 010 and NA 011 respectively.
Another interesting helicopter addition to the local scene (and not yet mentioned in the official SACAA register updates sent to SA Flyer) is the 1965-vintage SA316B Alouette III ZU-RIK (c/n 1275) formerly of the Dutch Royal Flight where it flew with the serial A-275. This was recently seen at Virginia airfield still in the full Dutch Royal Flight livery. This former 300Sqn operated helicopter was one of four Alouette IIIs tasked by the Dutch Airforce for VIP transport and other general tasks. These were retired from active duty on 1 January 2016. A-275 was subsequently sold to HeliFlight BV before recently moving to South Africa.
