Summary
- AviationTag has added tags from an ex-Air North Boeing 737-200 to its collection.
- Previously, the two companies offered AvGeeks a chance to own tags cut out from a Hawker Siddeley HS 748.
- Canadian airlines use Boing 737-200s with gravel kits to reach remote communities within the country.
Aviationtag, the Germany-based aircraft recycling company that makes various AvGeek memorabilia and collectibles, announced that it has added tags sourced from a Boeing 737-200 that was last used in Canada.
Air North Boeing 737-200
The Boeing 737-200 Classic (CL), registered as C-GNAU, had operated for Air North between 2002 and 2011, when it was permanently retired in Whitehorse, Canada. Before joining Air North, it had a brief one-year stint with Canada-based Royal Aviation and Canada 3000 Airlines, respectively.
Photo: AviationTag
Originally, Boeing delivered the 737-200 to Piedmont Airlines in 1979, with the airline christening the aircraft as the ‘Peninsula Pacemaker.’ Following a stint with the US-based carrier, US Airways took ownership of the aircraft from the pair’s merger until January 2001, according to ch-aviation data. The site also showed that when it retired, the airframe had accumulated 66,720 flight hours (FH) and 60,879 flight cycles (FC), averaging 1,916 FHs and 1,748 FCs per year.
According to Aviationtag, the aircraft, alongside another 737 CL, a 737-400 registered as C-FJLB, helped Air North launch its jet services. Later, the airline retired both aircraft to welcome more Boeing 737-400 and 737-500s.
Photo: AviationTag
Meanwhile, Tobias Richter, the chief commercial officer (CCO) of Aviationtag, pointed out that the addition of the 737-200 to the Air North collection comes after the two companies had partnered to offer AvGeeks a chance to own a part of the carrier’s rare Hawker Siddeley HS 748 aircraft. The Boeing 737-200 pieces are available now, starting from €34.95 ($38.09).
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Air North fleet
The airline, which prides itself on providing a uniquely Yukon travel experience, has 11 aircraft in its fleet, ch-aviation data showed. Out of the 11, four are currently inactive: two Boeing 737-500 and two Boeing 737-800 Next Generation (NG) jets.
Photo: Air North
Air North’s active fleet includes four ATR 42 turboprops, one of which is a freighter, while two are quick conversion (QC) aircraft. In addition, the carrier also operates three 737s, one 737-400 and two 737-500. On average, Air North’s fleet is 30 years old.
Backbone of Canadian connectivity
Looking at the global Boeing 737-200 fleet, there are currently 51 aircraft of the type that are active or in maintenance, according to ch-aviation. 15 of those are assigned to Canadian operators, namely Air Inuit, Chrono Jet, Glencore Canada, and Nolinor Aviation.
The Boeing 737-200s have found a home in Canada because they enable airlines to serve remote communities in Canada, as the aircraft come equipped with gravel kits. As a result, they can land on gravel runways, with the vortex dissipators mounted in front of the engines blowing away foreign object debris (FOD). Gravel kits also have gravel deflectors mounted on the nose wheels.
Photo: Nolinor Aviation
The largest Canadian operator of the 737-200 is Nolinor Aviation, with six active or in-maintenance aircraft in its fleet. Data from the aviation analytics company Cirium showed that Nolinor Aviation has scheduled 15 flights per week with the type in March 2024.
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