Emirates International Air Cargo (Dubai World Central) has taken delivery of its first aircraft, a B737-400(F), following the resolution of a five-year-long legal battle with Aero Acquisitions, Cargo Facts has reported.
N16AQ (msn 28151), a 23.6-year-old converted ex-Qantas aircraft, was reactivated on July 9, 2019, after years of storage at San José Juan Santamaría, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. After a number of test flights, the freighter was ferried, via Tapachula, Los Mochis, and San Diego Brown Field Municipal Airport, to San Bernardino in early October. It was delivered from San Bernardino to Al Ain via Portsmouth, Santa Maria, PT, Rabat, and Cairo International over the course of October 17-19, 2019.
The aircraft will be re-registered as A6-EAC in the United Arab Emirates.
Emirates International Air Cargo acquired the aircraft from Aero Acquisitions in December 2013, shortly after the Boeing narrowbody was phased out by Qantas. However, the Emirati start-up subsequently said that Aero Acquisitions failed to deliver the aircraft despite being paid USD7.49 million. EIAC also said that in 2015, Aero Acquisitions sold one of the aircraft CFM International CFM56-3C1 engines, leaving the jet stranded at San José airport.
Although Aero Acquisitions initially countersued EIAC, alleging that its livery violated the trademark of Emirates and by so doing, breached the contract's terms, it eventually dropped the case after failing to pay attorney fees.
In November 2018, the Southern District Court of New York ordered Aero Acquisitions to repay USD7.49 million and USD1.4 million in incurred costs to EIAC, as well as to transfer the aircraft's ownership to the Emirati carrier.
