End of an Era: Carpatair Retires the Last Commercial Fokker 100

DALLAS — On November 29, 2023, Romanian carrier Carpatair (V3) officially decommissioned its last operational Fokker 100 aircraft. This particular plane held the distinction of being the final commercial unit in service across Europe.

The specific aircraft involved in this event was the YR-FKB (MSN:11369), a Fokker 100 that had been in operation for 32 years. It was originally manufactured in 1991 at Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS) and initially delivered to American Airlines (AA) in December of the same year.

In recent years, Carpatair had a fleet of six Fokker aircraft, consisting of two different variants. This fleet included three Fokker 70 planes (YR-KMA, YR-KMB, and YR-KMC), all of which were retired in 2012. Additionally, Carpatair operated three Fokker 100 planes (YR-FKA, YR-FKB, and YR-FZA), all of which were retired between 2020 and 2023.

The last Commercial Fokker 100 Operative in Europe

On November 5, 2023, V3 concluded its operations with the Fokker 100 aircraft by conducting its last flight. The flight, identified as KRP253/V3253, covered a distance of approximately one-and-a-half hours from Palermo, Italy (PMO), to Timisoara, Romania (TSR).

Following the final commercial flight, the aircraft remained grounded until November 29, when it was relocated to Bergen op Zoom (WOE) for storage. Currently, the aircraft is stored at this location.

Before the type departed for Bergen op Zoom, V3 organized a farewell ceremony to bid farewell to its last Fokker 100 aircraft before it was handed over to its new owner.

The government of Slovakia has now become the final operator of the Fokker 100 in Europe, utilizing two aircraft for VVIP transportation purposes.

The prototype Fokker 00 (PH-MKH), or F28MK.0100 as it was originally known, took to the skies for the first time on November 30, 1986.

Featured photo: Carpatair

https://airwaysmag.com/maiden-flight-fokker-100/