A nearly 45-year old Boeing 737-200 recently joined Nolinor Aviation’s fleet and has been deployed on missions in far-northern Canada.
Mirabel-based Nolinor says the ageing narrowbody aircraft – bearing registration C-FTWW – is its eighth 737-200.
The jet “solidifies” the carrier’s position as the world’s largest operator of the 737-200, Nolinor says. C-FTWW was previously operated by Quebec City charter carrier Chrono Aviation, according to fleets data provided by aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The jet rolled off Boeing’s production line in Renton and took its first flight in March 1981, followed by delivery to original operator Air Florida.
Cirium data show fewer than 40 737-200s in service worldwide, including some flying for fellow Canadian carriers Inuit Air and Buffalo Airways, as well as Chrono.
Nolinor uses the jets for passenger, cargo and combi missions to remote communites in Canada’s northern provinces, often landing on runways of ice or packed gravel.
Customers include mining companies, Native Canadian villages and provincial governments.
“Despite attempts to replace it, gravel runways remain the simplest to maintain, the most eco-friendly and the most realistic solution for northern operations,” the airline says.
After roughly 30 years of 737-200 operations, Nolinor says it has unique expertise on the type’s maintenance and operations. The company owns the only active 737-200 flight simulator in the world, which is housed at a facility in Miami.
Nolinor says it plans to acquire a ninth 737-200 in 2026, and has previously stated that it intends to keep operating the type well into next decade.
