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Simiyu Airlines Airbus A320-200


Simiyu Airlines Airbus A320-200

In 2016, in an attempt to find a viable replacement for 5H-TUA, a Tupolev Tu-154M, which had suffered a gear collapse, and was out of service indefinitely. Several offers were made to Simiyu, including offers for the Boeing 737-300, 737-400, 737-800, as well as the Airbus A319-100LR and the Airbus A320-200. American aircraft giant Boeing even reached out offering a discounted 737 MAX 8 order, but Simiyu rejected it, citing it being, "...outside of our budget at the moment."

By March, the decision had been made to take a single Airbus A320-200. The aircraft was initially destined for Zambian Airlines, however Zambian decided to invest in growing their ATR fleets instead. The aircraft was then registered 9J-KPA, and was being stored in Ostrava, Czechia. Zambian had not taken the aircraft yet, so it was owned by Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) provider AdvancedMRO. AdvancedMRO sold -KPA to Simiyu for almost 40% less than a new A320-200 would cost - a bargain for Simiyu, and a good deal for AdvancedMRO, as they wanted to get rid of -KPA so they would have more ramp space in Ostrava.

On May 4, 2016, 9J-KPA exited the paint shop in Ostrava wearing a never-before seen Simiyu color scheme - one that was intended to help save the airline money - as well as a new registration, 5Y-LYM. The aircraft was delivered on May 10, after some flight tests took place. On May 16, -LYM flew its' maiden revenue flight for Simiyu, flying from Zanzibar to Hurghada, Egypt, a route that hadn't been served for five months due to the 5Y-TUA's damages.

-LYM is typically seen flying on international routes, although it does a few domestic Tanzanian routes a week. Generally these domestic routes are links between Dodoma, Dar es Salaam, and Zanzibar. However, it is most commonly seen flying to Hurghada, Johannesburg, Cairo, Muscat, Addis Ababa, Luanda, and Nairobi.

Contrary to popular speculation, -LYM seldom lands on dirt runways. Despite what it may look like, the plane has simply never been washed, and thus has years of dirt stuck to the exterior. The executive board of Simiyu is currently trying to obtain funding to wash the plane and refit the cabin.