AIRDO [HD/ADO] (d.b.a. Air Do), as planned (Air Do to retire Bear Do Dream on November 30th.), retired its last specially-themed aircraft, Boeing 737-54K JA305K Bear Do Dream, on November 30th after it operated flight HD028, service from Sapporo/New Chitose [CTS/RJCC] to Tokyo/Haneda [HND/RJTT].
The final flight into the company's homeland of Hokkaido was HD025, service from Haneda, which carried 124 passengers. The return leg to Tokyo became the ultimate flight, which carried a full load of 126 passengers and departed at 1609 JST, nine minutes behind published time. Air Do's mascot Bear Do was present at the gate to shake passengers' hands and all on board received a last flight certificate along with memorabilia.
Bear Do Dream inaugurated service on March 24th, 2011 as the Hokkaido carrier's second special livery airplane after Boeing 737-54K JA8196 Bear Do, which entered service on April 6th, 2009 and was retired on March 14th earlier this year (Air Do retires 'Bear Do'; five Boeing 737-500s remain.). The aircraft flew approximately 630,000 passengers over three years and eight months until its retirement today. Manufactured on September 21st, 1998, it was originally delivered to then-All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA] subsidiary Air Nippon [EL/ANK]. After a maintenance check and repaint, it will return to service with ANA Wings [EH/AKX].
Air Do's narrow-body fleet is currently transitioning from 126-seat 737-500s to 144-seat 737-700s, both supplied from ANA, subsidiary of ANA Holdings, which controls 14% of the Hokkaido-based carrier. Bear Do Dream's departure will leave the fleet with two 767-300ERs, two 767-300s, six 737-700s, and three 737-500s, with the remaining trio of 'Classic' Baby Boeings slated for replacement by an identical number of 737-700s by January 2016.
Source: Aviation Wire, November 30th. (in Japanese)
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| Boeing 737-54K JA305K Bear Do Dream takes off. (Photo: Norio Hasegawa/Air Do) |
The final flight into the company's homeland of Hokkaido was HD025, service from Haneda, which carried 124 passengers. The return leg to Tokyo became the ultimate flight, which carried a full load of 126 passengers and departed at 1609 JST, nine minutes behind published time. Air Do's mascot Bear Do was present at the gate to shake passengers' hands and all on board received a last flight certificate along with memorabilia.
Bear Do Dream inaugurated service on March 24th, 2011 as the Hokkaido carrier's second special livery airplane after Boeing 737-54K JA8196 Bear Do, which entered service on April 6th, 2009 and was retired on March 14th earlier this year (Air Do retires 'Bear Do'; five Boeing 737-500s remain.). The aircraft flew approximately 630,000 passengers over three years and eight months until its retirement today. Manufactured on September 21st, 1998, it was originally delivered to then-All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA] subsidiary Air Nippon [EL/ANK]. After a maintenance check and repaint, it will return to service with ANA Wings [EH/AKX].
Air Do's narrow-body fleet is currently transitioning from 126-seat 737-500s to 144-seat 737-700s, both supplied from ANA, subsidiary of ANA Holdings, which controls 14% of the Hokkaido-based carrier. Bear Do Dream's departure will leave the fleet with two 767-300ERs, two 767-300s, six 737-700s, and three 737-500s, with the remaining trio of 'Classic' Baby Boeings slated for replacement by an identical number of 737-700s by January 2016.
Source: Aviation Wire, November 30th. (in Japanese)
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