Summary

  • Flybe operated a fleet of Boeing 737-300s on short-term lease deals from Astraeus Airlines in 2005.
  • The Boeing 737-300s quickly exited Flybe's fleet, with four of the five examples leaving in 2006.
  • After leaving Flybe, some of the Boeing 737-300s had continued careers with other airlines, while others were converted to freighters or ended up in storage.

When it comes to Flybe, you probably think of the former UK regional carrier's large fleet of De Havilland Canada DHC-8 'Dash 8' turboprops. Of course, the Exeter-based airline also operated regional jets from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer's E-Jet family. However, as it turns out, these were not the only turbofan-powered aircraft to grace its fleet, as Flybe also operated multiple Boeing 737s.

Leased from Astraeus

The story of Flybe's admittedly short-lived relationship with the Boeing 737 family began back in March 2005. This was when the airline received the first of five Boeing 737-300s on lease deals from Astraeus Airlines, according to data from ATDB.aero. This Crawley-based carrier was named after the Greek god of the dusk and commenced operations in 2002. It eventually folded in 2011.

The registration of the aforementioned first arrival on March 24th, 2005, was G-STRE. This 1998-built aircraft was soon followed by four more of its Astraeus classmates, with the next being G-STRJ on April 23rd, 2005. A month later, Astraeus leased two more Boeing 737-300 twinjets to Flybe, which arrived at their temporary new home on May 11th (G-STRI) and May 18th (G-STRB) of that year.

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The fifth and final Boeing 737-300 to join Flybe on a short-term lease deal from Astraeus bore the registration G-STRA. Built in February 1988, this aircraft was already nearly 17 years old when it joined the Exeter-based regional carrier in December 2005, having previously flown for the likes of Air Europa and Philippine Airlines. With that, Flybe's five-strong Boeing 737 fleet was complete.

All gone by 2006

In truth, the novelty of Flybe having Boeing 737-300s in its fleet proved to be a short-term reality. Much like how all five examples of the narrowbody twinjet had joined the airline in 2005, four departed Flybe in the same calendar year as each other, 2006. They did so in a quick fashion between October 11th and November 1st.

However, the first of Flybe's 737-300s to have left the airline to return to Astraeus did so in December 2005. This particular example was G-STRB, which had only spent seven months at the Exeter-based regional carrier. The aircraft's pre-Astraeus life was rather interesting, having served carriers as diverse as Monarch, easyJet Switzerland, and even Vietnam Airlines.

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Of the 2006 departures, G-STRE was the first to go, leaving October 11th that year. G-STRJ followed less than three weeks later, on October 31st. A day later, on November 1st, 2006, both of Flybe's remaining two 737-300s left the airline, bringing the British regional carrier's short-lived relationship with the type to an end.

Life after Flybe

Of course, departing Flybe to go back to Astraeus by no means signaled the end of these aircraft's careers. Indeed, G-STRA, for example, spent another decade in the skies before eventually ending its service life at Swazi Airways in 2016. Meanwhile, G-STRI lasted until 2014 before being destroyed in Karachi, Pakistan, after repairs were abandoned. Its last operator was Eastern Skyjets.

As for G-STRJ, this aircraft is presently sitting in Knock, Ireland, where it has laid derelict since 2014 after serving various carriers, including Senegal Airlines. G-STRE remains active today and served Estonian Air after leaving Astreus. Since March 2012, it has flown for Jet2 as G-GDFK and is pictured below, with data from FlightRadar24.com suggesting that it is based out of Leeds Bradford.

The fifth and final ex-Flybe Boeing 737-300, which bore the registration G-STRB during its time at the carrier, had a different pathway, becoming a freighter following a cargo conversion in 2006. After serving the likes of ASL Airlines Belgium, Titan Airways, and TUM AeroCarga, it has ended up in storage in Marana, Arizona.

Were you aware of Flybe's brief period of Boeing 737 operations? Perhaps you even flew on one of the aircraft yourself? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Sources: ATDB.aero, FlightRadar24.com