Falko Regional Aircraft Limited has completed the delivery of two Embraer E190s to Johannesburg-based carrier Airlink.
It is understood that the aircraft are MSNs 19000147 and 19000150, which convert into two ex-Azul aircraft, which were registered PR-AZL and PR-AZA, as per data from Planespotters.net.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
A Look at the Two New Embraer E190s for Johannesburg’s Airlink…
MSN19000147, known as PR-AZL is a 15.7 year-old airframe, which originally started out life with JetBlue Airways back in February 2008.
It didn’t last long with the American carrier, as it got handed over to Azul by September of that same year. Remember that both carriers were owned by David Neeleman.
From there, it remained with Azul until February 2023 where it was handed over to Chorus Aviation and remained in Alverca, Portugal on storage until August 19, where it was sent to Johannesburg.
Johannesburg was therefore the base of operations for Airlink, who have just received this aircraft.
As for MSN19000150, known as PR-AZA, this also started out life with JetBlue in February 2008, and was transferred to Azul in November 2008.
It remained with the Brazilian carrier, and was subsequently stored in Alverca also in February 2022, before being sent for storage in Johannesburg on August 1.
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New Deliveries Will Facilitate Growth in the Region…
Commenting on the delivery of the two jets on a new lease was Mark Hughes, Falko’s Chief Commercial Officer:
“Falko is delighted to announce the delivery of these two E190 aircraft to South Africa’s leading airline, Airlink.”
“The latest deliveries further cements Falko’s longstanding relationship with Airlink which incredibly spans more than two decades”.
“The airline continues to enjoy great success as it capitalises on the strong post-Covid demand for air travel and its increase in African market share.”
“These additional E190 aircraft expand Airlink’s existing E-Jets focused fleet and supports the airline’s expansion plans as it consolidates its position as South Africa’s leading domestic and regional airline.”
Adding to this was Rodger Foster, the CEO of Johannesburg-based carrier Airlink:
“Airlink is proud to have received these two Embraer E190 aircraft from Falko.”
“These Embraer E190 aircraft will augment our well-established fleet of Embraer Regional Jet airliners and facilitate organic growth within our network.”
“The Embraer E190 perfectly presents the right size capacity fit to market demands on most of Airlink’s routes”.
“Falko is an important lessor and business partner to Airlink – we have many similarities in our business cultures, and we enjoy working with the highly effective and efficient Falko team.”
Overall, this is a significant milestone for the carrier as they can now utilise these aircraft for growth both in the short and long-term.
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