First flown on 08/17/2004, carrying test registration D-AVYP and manufacturer serial number 2283, our subject aircraft had been built in Airbus’ Hamburg (Germany) plant.
Delivered two months later to British low-fare airline, Easy Jet, the aircraft was one of the first of over 200 A319s incorporated by the carrier and operated with it for seven years until it sent into temporary storage in 09/2011.
Sold to leasing firm, Babcock & Brown Aircraft Management, the jet went looking for a new customer and found it early the following year in South America’s distant Southern Cone.
There, it became the first A319 to join the fleet of Chile’s second domestic carrier, SKY Airline, which flew it for a further five years while the airline converted itself into the “first Chilean low-fare carrier”, as advertised starting in 2015.
The aircraft started operating from Santiago de Chile “Arturo Merino Benítez” International Airport in 02/2012, ahead of a further 12 A319s which would fly alongside older Boeing 737 Classic Series and early generation Airbus A320s until all three types were gradually replaced by brand-new A320neos starting in 2018.
Our aircraft, registered locally as CC-AFX, was in fact returned to the lessor in 02/2019 and nine months later found a new home in Germany, where it went on to fly for Sundair between 11/2019 and 02/2021.
Stripped of Sundair’s markings and re-registered OE-IDI in Austria, it went into temporary storage as the world, the airlines and the aircraft leasing industry dealt with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still wearing anonymous paint scheme, on 01/27/2023 OE-IDI got airborne again on a test flight from Düsseldorf International Airport in Germany, anticipating its imminent relocation with Swedish carrier, BRA: Braathens International.
Within two days, the aircraft’s livery was adjusted to BRA’ needs, its registration changed to SE-RGV and the plane departed Düsseldorf in its delivery flight to Malmö Airport in Southern Sweden.
Under its latest uniform, the aircraft provides regular services for passengers in need of flying connections between Southern Scandinavia, continental Europe and more distant destinations as far West as the Canary Islands or East as Turkey.
Variants:
- Airbus A319-111 (150 seats, 2 x CFMI CFM56-5B5/3 engines).
Identities:
- D-AVYP (2004).
- G-EZEU (2004-2011).
- CC-AFX (2012-2019).
- D-ASSK (2019-2021).
- OE-IDI (2021-2022).
- SE-RGV (2023).
Owners & operators:
- Easy Jet (2004-2011).
- BBAM: Babcock & Brown Aircraft Management (2012).
- SKY Airline (leased from BBAM, 2012-2019).
- Sundair (leased from BBAM, 2019-2021).
- BRA: Braathens International Airways (leased from BBAM, 2023).
Fate:
Last noted active with BRA, flying from Stockholm to Copenhagen (flight TT9127, 08/24/2023).
References: Airfleets, Aviation Flights, Desde SCL, FlightRadar24, BBAM and Wikipedia.
