Which Operators Still Fly The Fokker 70 In 2023?

Dutch aerospace manufacturer Fokker produced 47 examples of its Fokker 70 regional jet during the early to mid-1990s, alongside a single prototype. This aircraft, along with the larger Fokker 100, has its roots in the company’s earlier F28 ‘Fellowship,’ which shared its rear-mounted, twin-engine configuration.

It has now been some 30 years since the type made its first flight, back on April 4th, 1993, but where can you find active examples today? Let’s take a look and find out.

The largest operator

According to data from ch-aviation.com, there are presently 20 active examples of the Fokker 70 left in the world. These aircraft are found at seven operators, with the largest being Australian regional carrier Alliance Airlines. It currently has 10 active examples in its fleet, alongside four that are inactive. Their mean age is 27.5 years old, making them younger than Alliance’s Fokker 100s (31.4 years on average).

Photo: Giannis Papanikos/Shutterstock

The majority of these aircraft fly for Alliance Airlines itself. However, it is interesting to note that two of the ten active examples operate on an ACMI basis for Virgin Australia. Alliance’s youngest Fokker 70 was also the first of its remaining active examples that it acquired. VH-QQX is 26.9 years old, and joined in June 2011. Beforehand, it had flown for now-defunct carrier Malev Hungarian Airlines.

At the other end of the scale, Alliance’s most recent acquisition in terms of active Fokker 70s was VH-NUY. This 27.5-year-old 80-seat regional jet came to Australia in May 2019, having previously flown for Austrian Airlines (twice) and Tyrolean Airways (in between these two spells). Its 80 seats are laid out in an all-economy, five-abreast configuration (3-2) that offers a generous 33-inch pitch.

Other airlines

Away from Australia and Alliance Airlines, four other commercial carriers also have active examples of the Fokker 70 in their present fleets. Four such jets belong to Air Niugini, Papa New Guinea’s national airline. The carrier also has two inactive examples, and its Fokker 70 fleet as a whole is 27.1 years old on average. Much like Alliance Airlines, Air Niugini also flies the larger Fokker 100.

Photo: Markus Mainka/Shutterstock

Meanwhile, you can also a single active example of the Fokker 70 at Suriname’s Fly All Ways Airlines. Along with an inactive example, these rear-engined twinjets are 26.6 years old on average, and they make up half of its fleet. Indeed, the carrier’s only other aircraft are an Airbus A320 and a De Havilland Canada Twin Otter.

There are two more airlines that also each operate a single active example of the Fokker 70. One such carrier is JetAir Caribbean, which flies PJ-JAC, and also has an inactive example in the form of PJ-JAB (pictured above), which is currently in maintenance. Finally, Kenya’s Jetways Airlines flies an 80-seat Fokker 70 on lease for Premier Airlines. It bears the registration 5Y-JWF, and is 26 years old.

Military examples

Away from commercial aviation, the remaining three active Fokker 70s left in the world today belong to far-flung military operators. One of these is the Kenyan Air Force which, as seen in the photo below, operates a single example under the registration KAF308. It is 27.6 years old, and seats 26 passengers in a VIP configuration. It has belonged to Kenya’s government since entering service in 1995.

Photo: VanderWolf Images/Shutterstock

Meanwhile, over in Asia, the other two active Fokker 70s belong to the Myanmar Air Force. Simply registered as 002 and 003, these twinjets are 26.6 and 27.1 years old respectively. Unlike their Kenyan counterpart, they do not have VIP configurations, and, instead, they each seat 80 passengers, like many of their commercial counterparts. They entered service with KLM Cityhopper back in 1996.

What do you make of the Fokker 70? Have you ever flown on it with one of these operators? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Source: ch-aviation.com