TUI Group retires its last Boeing 767 after over 40 years operating the type
The TUI Group of airlines has retired its last Boeing 767 after over 40 years of operating the type. The final example has left the fleet of TUI fly (Netherlands) bringing to an end over four decades of group operations of the widebodied twin-engined jet.
On November 3, 2024, the last remaining Boeing 767 aircraft to be operated by any of the group carriers flew its final commercial flight from Lanzarote-Arrecife Airport (ACE) to its home base at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport (AMS) as flight OR1605. The aircraft registered PH-OYJ, departed Lanzarote at 18:12 local time arriving in Amsterdam at 22:49 after its last flight serving TUI Group. The aircraft was subsequently ferried from Amsterdam to Istanbul-Sabiha Gökcen Airport (SAW) on November 4, 2024. As it departed Amsterdam for the final time, onlookers were treated to a spectacular wing wave maneuver by the crew.
Afscheid PH-OYJ ‘Sunshine’, de laatste Boeing 767, verlaat de vloot. De piloot die haar laatste vlucht voor TUI uitvoert geeft een spectaculaire goodbye wave Ps: er zijn geen passagiers aan boord Bron: Petra Kok pic.twitter.com/LUN6N7F09P— desiree (@deesiedees) November 5, 2024This particular example, a Boeing 767-300ER, had served with the TUI Group its entire commercial career, having first been delivered to Britannia Airways (now TUI Airways UK) in February 2000, making it 24.8 years old. During its time serving the group, it passed from Britannia/Thomsonfly/Thomson Airways/ TUI Airways UK, (where it was initially registered as G-OBYJ) to Arke Fly (predecessor to TUI fly Netherlands) in April 2011. It was then leased to TUI Belgium as OO-JNL from April 2015 to December 2022 before being returned to the Dutch division for the start of 2023 where it remained.
Bye bye stuk schroot! (Zie foto) PH-OYJ verdwijnt eindelijk bij @TUINederland Boeing 767 pic.twitter.com/hPW5s3NYKj— Menno Swart (@MennoSwart) November 4, 2024The retirement of PH-OYJ marks a historic end to the career of the 767 at TUI Group. The first of the group’s Boeing 767s was delivered in February 1984 when its first 767-200 was delivered to London-Luton (LTN)-based Britannia Airways. The carrier became the first in Europe to operate Boeing’s newest product, quickly followed within days by charter operator Braathens SAFE of Norway. Britannia revolutionized the short-haul inclusive tour market within Europe with the type, which had previously largely been dominated by much smaller single-aisle aircraft.
Over the decades, TUI Airways UK operated eight Boeing 767-200ERs and 18 767-300ERS, becoming the largest operator of the type in the group. TUI Netherlands operated seven examples of which all have now been replaced by newer Boeing 787-8s.
In January 2022, the TUI Group announced its intention to retire all of its remaining Boeing 767s by the end of 2024 with the next-generation Boeing twinjets. TUI Airways operated its final Boeing 767 flight almost exactly a year before PH-OYJ, with 767-300ER G-OBYF operating a Manchester (MAN) to Heraklion (HER) rotation.
With its arrival back in Manchester on November 1, 2023, the UK closed the book on commercial passenger Boeing 767s by British operators after almost forty years, with the aircraft being sent to Istanbul for freighter conversion, just like PH-OYJ is expected to be.
RELATED
TUI Group retires its last Boeing 767 after over 40 years operating the type
The post TUI Group retires its last Boeing 767 after over 40 years operating the type appeared first on AeroTime.
The TUI Group of airlines has retired its last Boeing 767 after over 40 years of operating the…
The post TUI Group retires its last Boeing 767 after over 40 years operating the type appeared first on AeroTime.
