Just completed its first leg, landing in DWC.

Do you have the flight number, please Tristan?

Appears to have used its rego as its callsign (a rego that makes me laugh, mind you :D)

Flying on 2-Reg as it hasn't been added to VH reg as yet.

From CH-Aviation

16.08.2022 - 02:40 UTC

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 Australia where it is due to become VH-MFM with Rex - Regional Express (ZL, Wagga Wagga), although it has yet to leave Montpellier or be registered in Australia.

It has been over three days since 2-WTFL arrived in DWC. Could the B738 be repainted into REX colours there after having maintenance in MPL?

My guess is paint at DWC

It was painted in REX colours in MPL per the REX social media picturesX it is like a mechanical issue


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Probably a huntsman spider ran across the windscreen or something.