The first of 100 Airbus A320s allocated to JetSmart by Indigo Partners, the investment fund also controlling several other ultra-low-cost airlines in the USA (Frontier), Hungary (Wizz Air) and Mexico (Volaris), our subject aircraft was allocated c/n 7595 and, after assembly in Airbus‘ Hamburg Finkenwerder plant fitted with two IAE V2527-A5 engines, was initially destined for Spanish carrier Vueling.
Ten days after first flight, however, the aircraft was reallocated to Indigo/JetSmart and departed to Airbus’ French plant at Tolouse-Blagnac (and later to Bordeaux-Merignac) for reconfiguration in the 186-seats economy class layout and repainting in the livery of its new designated operator.
Ferried to Chile via Gander (Canada) and Kingston (Jamaica), it arrived in Pudahuel early in the morning of a foggy 06/15/2017 and was greeted by an enthusiastic party of JetSmart officials headed by company CEO, Estuardo Ortiz, media correspondents, several aircraft spotters and Andrés Segall, the individual behind the aircraft’s designation and nickname.
The aircraft was named “Halcón Peregrino Austral” (Falco Peregrinus) after Andrés’ proposal to name it “Akori” (the birds’ name in Mapundungun language) was selected as the winner of a social media contest launched by the start-up carrier.
Once the airline obtained its air operator certificate from Chile’s civil aviation authorities, “Akori” single-handedly launched and sustained regular services to domestic destinations in Calama, Antofagasta, La Serena, Concepción and Copiapó until joined by sistership CC-AWC “Loica”.
Following a +3.6G hard landing and secondary bounce at Puerto Montt on 02/21/2020 (flight JA151), the aircraft was for sometime considered a potential write-off, but after nearly a year under repair at Avianca’s MRO facility in Río Negro (Medellín, Colombia), it returned to Chile and normal operations 01/20/2021.
Variants:
Airbus A320-232 (first flown 03/06/2017 in Hamburg Finkenwerder, Germany).
Identities:
D-AUBK (03/2017), Spanish registration not completed, F-WHUL (03/2017), CC-AWA “Halcón Peregrino Austral” (06/2017).
Owners and operators:
Airbus for Vueling (ntu), GY Aviation Lease 1701 and JetSmart Chile (lessor and operator, respectively).
Fate:
Active, last recorded as JA494 Santiago de Chile-Trujillo (Perú), 05/14/2022.
Acknowledgements: Carlos Valle and Eduardo Cancino-Román contributed to this post. Internet sources: AIB Family Flights, Airfleets, Aviation Safety Network, DGAC Chile, FlightRadar24, The National News, Wikipedia and World Airline News.
