Just completed its first leg, landing in DWC.

Do you have the flight number, please Tristan?

Appears to have used its rego as its callsign (a rego that makes me laugh, mind you :D)

Flying on 2-Reg as it hasn't been added to VH reg as yet.

From CH-Aviation

16.08.2022 - 02:40 UTC

Samoa Airways (OL, Apia Faleolo) has paid USD4.6 million to FLY Aircraft Holdings Eighteen Ltd, an SPV for Carlyle Aviation Partners, as a penalty for the termination of a rejected B737-800 lease, thus formally ending a year-long saga involving the unwanted aircraft, the Samoa Observer has reported.

5W-TFL (msn 42805) was leased by the previous government in mid-2021 and was set to become Samoa Airways' first in-house narrowbody aircraft. However, on coming to power, the new administration immediately warned that it saw no need for the lease and moved to terminate it. The aircraft was only ferried as far as Brisbane Int'l, and although it was registered in Samoa, it never once landed on the island. It was deregistered and ferried back to Montpellier in early 2022, even as discussions about compensation for the early termination of the lease were ongoing. Ultimately, the government negotiated the penalty down from the WST160 million (USD59 million) initially demanded by the lessor.

The aircraft has since found a new operator in Australia where it is due to become VH-MFM with Rex - Regional Express (ZL, Wagga Wagga), although it has yet to leave Montpellier or be registered in Australia.

It has been over three days since 2-WTFL arrived in DWC. Could the B738 be repainted into REX colours there after having maintenance in MPL?

My guess is paint at DWC

It was painted in REX colours in MPL per the REX social media picturesX it is like a mechanical issue


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Probably a huntsman spider ran across the windscreen or something.

Maybe it is having new seating installed in Dubai as still there after six days? An interesting thing is that Skyliner didn't have 2-WTFL operating the full trip back to BNE just the leg from MPL to DWC, which makes it look like a planned stopover.

Don't you hate it when that happens

Will be interesting to see what interior we get for MFM. If I'm still up to date with their fleet, all aircraft to this point have retained the VA interior including the purple divider. We will end up with a mixed product with the addition of future aircraft I suppose.

It is on the way to who knows where, neither Flight Radar nor Flight Aware do not know. Departed DWC at 09.22am local time heading southeast.

Flew DWC to KUL yesterday and is scheduled to depart KUL at 11:10 local this morning for DRW, to refuel and then onward to BNE arriving at 22:25 this evening at this stage, according to FlightAware.

Due into Brisbane at 10:30pm tonight via DRW

There is an article by Simple Flying in the following link about REX adding their seventh B738 and includes a couple of photos after the aircraft's arrival in BNE.

https://simpleflying.com/rex-adds-mu...mestic-routes/

Thanks James,

Rex wants another 2xB738's this financial year.

Not the best pic sadly due to the long distance and poor weather.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/794876...in/dateposted/

A photo on Oz Spotters shows the new B738 for REX with its VH-MFM registration applied to the aircraft. I presume that the aircraft has now been re-registered for this to occur.

Not necessarily.

Carrying a rego and using it are two different things. (Same as a car)

It hadn't been added to the register as of last Friday.

MFM ferrying down to MEL today as ZL9902 then enters service tomorrow as ZL102 operating MEL-SYD sectors

I see it has not happened yet???

Was due again today at 12 but looks like no good again

Apparently MFM is still in BNE. It is ferrying to MEL shortly as ZL9902.

MFM ferried BNE/MEL last night and today is MEL/SYD/MEL/ADL according to Flight Aware, presume it will then do ADL/MEL

First rev was ZL18 MEL-SYD

MFM was added to the register on 06/09.

REX has picked up 2 x ex. SA B738 9V-MGA/B due to arrive in Jun/July.

Are there any updates on the 2 ex SQ/MI 738’s that were being acquired?

Will be reg 8ZL, 8KH

From an announcement to the ASX today.

A/c will arrive at the end of July and mid-September

Cheers Stirling and Greg.

Progress…not sure which one 9V-MGA will become but she conducted a SIN-SIN air test today as SQ8892.

Both this one and 9V-MGB haven’t flown in a very long time.

Further to this 9V-MGA is wearing full REX livery, same as the ex VA’s ones not -MFM which has the brighter orange highlights.

It’ll be interesting too see what they do with the seats as these had turquoise and grey Y seats, with device holders (but no PTV screens) which were only fitted a couple of years back. Same as VA’s -IJQ and -IWQ.

Both 9V-MGA/B have been stored at Singapore since May 2022.

Just to clarify these SQ 738’s had Rockwell Collins pinnacle seats wrapped in a bluey turquoise and grey fabric with a large literature holder at the top of the seat back with under seat USB/universal power under each pair of seats.

8KH due into Brisbane Wednesday night

8KH reg 24/7

REXs new B738 VH-8KH (ex 9V-MGA) is scheduled to leave SIN for BNE as ZL9967, with a refueling stop in DRW, but is already 30 minutes late. The scheduled arrival time in BNE is 21:50 tonight, which will now be later.

The revised scheduled departure time of ZL9967 from SIN is 17:00 AEST which gives it an eye watering arrival time into BNE of 2:47 tomorrow morning.