Aruba Airlines takes delivery of first A321

Aruba Airlines (AG, Aruba) has taken delivery of its first A321-200, P4-AAI (msn 2919), in the first indication that it may be restarting services after having been dormant for 10 months due to the COVID-19 crisis. FlightRadar24 ADS-B data reveals the 14.6-year old twin-jet was ferried from lessor DAE Capital in Dothan in Alabama, via Fort Lauderdale Int’l, to Aruba on March 27, 2021, where it has been on the ground for the past week. It flew as TC-JMC with Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul New) until May 2020, whereafter it was re-registered as LZ-DAC and parked at Dothan airport on return to the lessor. According to the ch-aviation fleets history module, the aircraft also operated with Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services as OE-ICJ in 2013, and under VT-KFP with now-defunct Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines (IT, Mumbai Int’l) in 2012. According to FlightRadar24 data, the rest of Aruba Airlines’ fleet remains grounded. The carrier’s A320-200, P4-AFF leased from Avenue Capital Aircraft Holdings has been stored at Havana Int’l, Cuba, since March 20, 2020, while A320-200 P4-AAH was repositioned from Havana to San José Juan Santamaría on August 7, 2020. As previously reported, the airline retired its sole CRJ200, P4-CRA, after it was forced to suspend its only active scheduled route at the time to Curacao due to COVID border restrictions. In its absence, Aruba is currently served by American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth), JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK), Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson), and Southwest Airlines (WN, Dallas Love Field), FlightRadar24 ADS-B data reveals. Management did not respond to a ch-aviation request for added comment on its relaunch plans.