Australian Airways Boeing 737-800

In 1999, with Boeing beginning deliveries of their new 737ng, the latest version of their bestselling model the 737, Australian Airways placed a sizeable order for 40 planes. This included 10 737-700s for regional operations to complement their existing 717 fleet, and 30 737-800s. The first one, a -800, arrived into Australia on 13 January 2002, and began flying on 16 January with a flight to and from the Sunshine Coast. On 8 January 2008, Australian Airways placed a second order for the 737ng. This included 3 737-700s, 15 737-800s, and a whopping 45 of the new 737-900ER, which were planned to fly almost exclusively international operations.

Today, the ~100ish strong fleet continues to fly up, down, and across Australia, and internationally too, however they are beginning to get quite old; the first 737-800 is expected to retire in December this year. And so at the Paris Airshow in 2019, Australian Airways placed a large order for the A320neo family, including the A321XLR. However, at the 2022 Farnborough Airshow, not wanting to fully ditch Boeing, plus a very heavy discount, Australian Airways placed an order for the 737-MAX family, including the MAX 8 and MAX 10.

VH-AFA: 2002 Boeing 737-823 | Australian Airways | Currently: In limited service with Australian Airways, planned to be stored indefinitely and retired from the fleet December 2022