With technology advancing faster than you can say "jet lag," it may come as a surprise to find that many airplanes cruising the skies today are much older than you would think! In fact, the oldest is a Boeing 737-200, built in 1974, which is still flying with the Canadian charter airline Nolinor Aviation, at the ripe old age of 50.
While you can rest assured that this old trooper, and many other younger but still outdated planes are not about to drop out of the sky, you may wond how they manage to stay airborne? Well, their structural integrity will be as sound as it was the day they were rolled out, thanks to dependable engineering expertise and, of course, if they are getting that essential TLC which is ongoing meticulous maintenance.
While older models may not have the sleek comforts of today’s cabins, and their maintenance and fuel costs are far higher than planes being made today, not many people taking a United or a British Airways flight stop to think about the age of their plane. Which, in the case of Delta averages 16.3 years, while BA’s fleet stands at 13.5 and ITA Airways at 10. Just as many of those taking a flight operated by Turkish low-cost Pegasus will be more interested in the cheap fares rather than knowing that its 103 planes are an average 4.9 years old, making it the world’s youngest fleet.
Now you’re probably itching to know just how vintage your next flight might be? No problem, there are websites like FlightRadar24 that provide data on the age of every plane in the sky.
Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor
