West African carrier, Cabo Verde Airlines’ D4-CCG has been identified as one the most used aircraft with over 95,000 hours operating in the aviation industry.
According to simpleflying.com, the continent of Africa is something of an avgeek’s paradise, with a huge variety of commercial aircraft serving its many nations. You can find some real hidden gems among these, with certain examples having come close to or even exceeded the 100,000-hour mark.
Let’s examine the continent’s three most-used commercial jets.
D4-CCG
According to data from ch-aviation.com, there are 1,619 aircraft registered in Africa, with this plethora of planes being flown by 266 operators.
READ: Aviation: West African carrier, Cabo Verde Airlines to resume flights from June 18
Of these, the jet with the most flight hours at the time of its last measurement is D4-CCG, a 31.89-year-old Boeing 757-200 flown by Cabo Verde Airlines. It has amassed 114,642 hours.
This figure is relatively recent, having reportedly been recorded in November 2021.
The twinjet had accused these hours across 30,609 cycles, giving an average cycle time of three hours and 45 minutes. Its average annual utilization came to 3,623.51 over 967 cycles. This gives a daily rate of nine hours and 56 minutes.
The two-class, 183-seat aircraft entered service with Icelandair back in May 1990 as TF-FII. It served the carrier for nearly three decades, and its move to Cabo Verde Airlines was fairly recent. Indeed, this took place in March 2019.
FlightRadar24.com shows that it has been stored at Espargos Amilcar Cabral Airport since June 2021
ZS-NEX
An African aircraft that is similar to D4-CCG in terms of both its age and usage at the last measurement is ZS-NEX. Clocking in at 31.61 years old, this corporate Boeing 767-300ER had amassed 104,111 hours over 13,216 cycles when the figures were last checked.
However, it is worth noting that this occurred in July 2014.
As such, the aircraft may well have exceeded the aforementioned 757’s total, given the difference in time between the two measurements. In any case, these figures give an average cycle length of seven hours and 53 minutes.
Based on 4,334.49 hours over 550 cycles per year, its daily use amounts to 11 hours and 53 minutes.
The aircraft entered service with LOT Polish Airlines in August 1990, before joining Portugal’s euroAtlantic Airways 24 years later. It has flown for South Africa’s Aeronexus Corporate with a 96-seat all-business-class configuration since November 2015.
Its use this year has taken it to the likes of Abu Dhabi and London.
9S-AJO
The third and final aircraft that we’re taking a look at today hadn’t quite reached the 100,000-hour mark at the time of its last measurement.
However, once again, this took place in 2014. As such, 9S-AJO, a 50.99-year-old Douglas DC-8-73(F) flying for Trans Air Cargo Service, will have since added to its 95,064 hours.
As Simple Flying recently explored, this aircraft has a rich history, and is one of just a handful of DC-8s that remain active today. It served as a US-based passenger jet from 1970 to 1984, before switching to airfreight. It has retained this purpose ever since, and it has served Trans Air Cargo Service since November 2011.
