Buffalo Airways has just taken delivery of its first ever jet aircraft.
The airline, made famous by the Ice Pilots TV series, plus the recent Plane Savers YouTube series, is fronted by enigmatic managers “Buffalo” Joe McBryan and his son Mikey McBryan.
The airline is known for keeping wartime and other early Liston and turboprop airliners in active duty hauling cargo and supplies in Northern Canada from its Yellowknife base.
Types like the Douglas DC-3, Curtiss C-46 and Lockheed L-188 Electra are mainstays of its operation.
However, with the introduction of a Boeing 737-300 freighter, the airline is making its first forays into jet operations.
Here’s a video of the aircraft following its arrival in Edmonton recently.
History of the Buffalo Airways 737
The Boeing 737 recently acquired by Buffalo Airways has the registration (tail number) C-FBAE. It is a 737-301SF which was built in 1986, as the 1,291 aircraft off the 737 production line.
The aircraft was delivered new to Piedmont as N323P, flying in the US east coast.
The aircraft took the new registration N343US around the time Piedmont was acquired by USair and joined their fleet on 5 August 1989.
In 1990 the aircraft got the new registration N558AU, and in 1997 USair became US Airways, with the aircraft receiving the new black livery.
Finally, having been retired from passenger service, the 737 was converted into a freighter and sold to TNT Airways in November 2006, now flying in Europe as OO-TNI.
In 2010 the aircraft was sold to Swiftair of Spain, based in Madrid as EC-LJI.
This carrier finally retired the aircraft in Defember 2016 and it was sent to storage, becoming 2-ESKA.
Through much of this year the aircraft has been prepared for a new life with Buffalo, finally being delivered across the Atlantic on 2 August 2023.
Title image by Lee. Check out his photo albums.
