David Eyre 19 June 2013 © David Eyre
**FIRST VISIT TO PERTH, ON DELIVERY FLIGHT – FIRST JET FOR SKIPPERS**
The first Fokker 100 and first jet for Skippers Aviation is seen here arriving on runway 21 at 07:12, completing its delivery flight from Europe.
The aircraft had been in storage at Woensdrecht since October 2009, and on 2 November 2012 was flown to Maastricht in all-white colours, and then on 15 January 2013 to Bratislava (Slovakia) for repainting in Skippers colours.
On 16 June 2013, the aircraft commenced its delivery flight to Perth, routing from Bratislava to Trabazon (Turkey) – Al Ain (United Arab Emirates) – Penang (Malaysia) – Jakarta-Halim (Indonesia) – Perth.
Ex PH-LXG, XA-SHH, TC-IED, PH-LXG, XA-LXG, PH-LXG.
The taped-on Dutch registration PH-LXG was removed on 28 June 2013 to reveal its Australian registration VH-XKN. Skippers intends to acquire three Fokker 100s for use on FIFO resources industry charter flights.
Photo © David Eyre
Skippers Aviation today received their first jet aircraft, Fokker 100 PH-LXG (later registered VH-XKN), following its delivery flight from Europe.
This is the first of three Fokker 100s that Skippers plans to use on resources industry charter flights for Fly In, Fly Out (FIFO) workers. Skippers’ current fleet consists of turboprop aircraft including the Cessna 441 Conquest, Embraer 120 Brasilia, and Bombardier Dash 8-100 and -300.
History of PH-LXG (VH-XKN):
VH-XKN was first flown in all-white livery by Fokker at Amsterdam as PH-LXG on 17 August 1992. It was originally ordered by Irish leasing company Guinness Peat Aviation, but the order was cancelled on 25 January 1993.
The aircraft was then leased to Mexicana as XA-SHH and delivered to them in April 1993 in all-white livery. Following delivery, it was painted in Mexicana’s full livery and named “Axayacati”.
On 21 June 1995, XA-SHH was cancelled from the Mexican register, and the aircraft was registered the next day as PH-LXG again, registered to Aircraft Finance and Trading, Amsterdam. It was leased to Mexicana and was later renamed “Cancun”.
In June 2003, the aircraft was repossessed by the lessor due to non-payment of leasing fees, and was flown to Amsterdam on 13 June 2003.
Leases to Myanmar Airways (Myanmar) and Mandarin Airlines (Taiwan) were not taken up, and the aircraft was instead leased to Inter Airlines (Turkey) as TC-IED from July 2004. It was sub-leased to Air Bagan (Myanmar) in late 2004, and then Sky Europe from May 2005 to March 2006.
The aircraft was then stored at Norwich in full Inter Airlines livery, and in March 2006 was again registered PH-LXG. In June 2006, the aircraft was repainted in Air Niugini colours for a planned lease, but this was not taken up, and the aircraft remained at Norwich.
In October 2006, the aircraft returned to Mexico to be leased by Click Mexicana as XA-LXG. It operated with them until returned to the lessor for storage at Woensdrecht, Netherlands on 20 October 2009, and in December 2009 was again registered PH-LXG.
Upon acquisition of the aircraft by Skippers Aviation, on 2 November 2012, PH-LXG was flown to Maastricht in all-white colours, and then on 15 January 2013 to Bratislava (Slovakia) for repainting in Skippers colours.
On 16 June 2013, the aircraft commenced its delivery flight to Perth, routing from Bratislava to Trabazon (Turkey) – Al Ain (United Arab Emirates) – Penang (Malaysia) – Jakarta-Halim (Indonesia) – Perth.
The taped-on Dutch registration PH-LXG was removed on 28 June 2013 to reveal its Australian registration VH-XKN.
