Italy's Neos seeks cargo-driven opportunities

Samoa Airways terminates lease for unwanted B737-800

Samoa Airways (OL, Apia Faleolo) has paid USD4.6 million to FLY Aircraft Holdings Eighteen Ltd, an SPV for Carlyle Aviation Partners, as a penalty for the termination of a rejected B737-800 lease, thus formally ending a year-long saga involving the unwanted aircraft, the Samoa Observer has reported.

5W-TFL (msn 42805) was leased by the previous government in mid-2021 and was set to become Samoa Airways' first in-house narrowbody aircraft. However, on coming to power, the new administration immediately warned that it saw no need for the lease and moved to terminate it. The aircraft was only ferried as far as Brisbane Int'l, and although it was registered in Samoa, it never once landed on the island. It was deregistered and ferried back to Montpellier in early 2022, even as discussions about compensation for the early termination of the lease were ongoing. Ultimately, the government negotiated the penalty down from the WST160 million (USD59 million) initially demanded by the lessor.

The aircraft has since found a new operator in...

Samoan gov't to pay $5.9mn for nixed B737 lease

The government of Samoa has agreed to pay WST16 million tala (USD5.9 million) to FLY Aircraft Holdings Eighteen Ltd, an SPV for Carlyle Aviation Partners, for the cancellation of a B737-800 dry lease for Samoa Airways (OL, Apia Faleolo), Minister of Public Enterprises Leatinu'u Wayne So'oialo told the Samoan parliament.

Leatinu'u underlined the lessor initially demanded WST160 million (USD59 million), but the government managed to negotiate a settlement down to just 10% of the initial ask.

2-WTFL (msn 42805) was signed as Samoa Airways' first in-house narrowbody aircraft by the previous government in mid-2021. The current administration then vowed to review the deal immediately after taking power and shortly thereafter declared that Samoa Airways would not be adding the B737 due to high induction and operating costs. The jet was delivered to Brisbane Int'l for final maintenance in July 2021 and was registered in Samoa but never arrived at Apia Faleolo. It was ultimately deregistered in March 2022 and ferried back to Montpellier for storage.

The parliament approved...

Samoa gov't sticks to decision to return B737-800

Samoa Airways (OL, Apia Faleolo) will not be adding any in-house narrowbody aircraft as the government remains firm in its decision to return the only B737-800 taken earlier this year, Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa told the Samoa Observer.

She said that even as Samoa inches toward the long-awaited reopening of its borders planned for August 1, the local market would be sufficiently served by foreign airlines without the need to expand the flag carrier's fleet. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that Samoa Airways' fleet comprises three DHC-6-300s.

2-WTFL (msn 42805), a 7.6-year-old aircraft owned by FLY Leasing, was deregistered in Samoa in March 2022. Even though it was delivered to Brisbane Int'l for final maintenance in July 2021 ahead of a planned late summer service entry, it ultimately never flew to Samoa and remained mothballed in Australia. Mata'afa's cabinet was critical of the lease, which was signed by the previous government in its final days.

Following its deregistration in Samoa, the Boeing narrowbody was ferried...

AeroItalia outlines plans for non-Italian bases