Texel Air NZ (Auckland International) has taken delivery of a B737-800(BCF) from parent entity, Texel Air (XLR, Bahrain International). A9C-GWC (msn 29985) ferried into Hamilton, NZ from Bahrain last week via Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Darwin. When it begins revenue service, the aircraft will primarily fly between Auckland International and Christchurch, flying freight for Parceline Express.
The follows Texel Air NZ using B737-300(F) A9C-APC (27459) to service the Parceline Express contract, with the parent airline dispatching the aircraft to New Zealand to serve as a stop gap plane ahead of A9C-GWC arriving on a permanent basis. A9C-APC is now expected to return to Bahrain. A Texel Air spokesperson has previously told ch-aviation that the B737-800(BCF) is expected to start flying on May 29. A further two of the jets are due to be added by year-end.
A9C-GWC spent most of its working life at Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon), which took delivery of the plane from Boeing in 2001, and kept it in service as HL7566 until early 2021, when it was retired. Later that year, the aircraft was converted at Jinan. Texel Air took delivery of the B737-800(BCF) in January 2022 after it was acquired by an associated entity, Chisholm Enterprises WLL. The plane became Texel Air's foundation B737-800(BCF) aircraft. Now based in New Zealand, A9C-GWC will be re-registered using the country's ZK-prefix.
Texel Air NZ is New Zealand's third dedicated cargo airline, with Air Freight NZ (TFR, Auckland International) operating a fleet of five wet-leased B737Fs, and Airwork Flight Operations (AWK, Auckland International) operating a 15-strong freighter fleet for assorted customers, including one B737-300(SF), two B737-300Fs, and twelve B737-400(SF)s.
