I can't help but wonder about the age of the North Koreans' civil fleet (or should that be "civil" fleet?). It's probably been forty years or so since they were on anyone's good side..... :-) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kees de LezenneCoulander" <lezenne@compuserve.com> To: <AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2002 12:10 Subject: Old aircraft (was: Air Canada to Donate Douglas DC-9 etc) > Mike Gammon <jmgammon@sympatico.ca> wrote: > > >I figured if any aircraft could match the DC-9 for longevity it > >had to be a Russian model like an IL18 or TU134. I guess an AN24 > >would qualify! > > Why go Russian? Pakistan International Airlines took delivery > of their first Fokker F-27 Friendship in January 1961 and they > are still operating the type. There has been some attrition over > the years, so unfortunately their first one is no longer with us. > But as of Spring 1999 they were still operating AP-ALW which > entered service in October 1961. The next oldest one would be > AP-ATU of which they took delivery in August 1965. They do have > some airframes which are even older than these, but they were > acquired on the second hand market. > Although PIA have been planning to replace the type for many > years, as of this writing the F-27 is still the workhorse on the > rural routes in Pakistan. They have retired some of the older > airframes in recent years, but I have no details at hand at > the moment. But AP-ALW reached at least 37 years with the same > operator, and maybe over 40 by now. > Kees de Lezenne Coulander > -- = > > C.M. de Lezenne Coulander > Aircraft Development and Systems Engineering B.V. > Hoofddorp, The Netherlands > > > =