Canada’s Chrono Jet adds first B737NG

Chrono Jet (MBK, Québec) took delivery of its first B737-800 in the form of C-FMBO (msn 30631), although the 19.3-year-old narrowbody has yet to be ferried to Canada. The aircraft was last operated by Air Transat (TS, Montréal Trudeau) through March 2020, at that time under a dry-lease from Carlyle Aviation Partners. It was retired as the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit North America. Following a period of storage at Montréal Trudeau and Toronto Pearson, it was ferried for storage at Marana on September 24, 2020, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. It remains at the American airport for the time being, although it was registered in Canada on April 13, 2021. Chrono Jet, a passenger charter specialist, operates two B737-200s, one B737-200(C), and one Dash 8-100. Its parent Chrono Aviation (NDL, Québec) operates the group’s smaller aircraft, including eight PC-12s, two Beech 1900Ds, and a single Beech (twin turboprop) King Air 300. Air Transat, which operated twenty B737-800s throughout its history, was in the process of retiring the type when the pandemic hit. The crisis accelerated the process with the last five Boeing narrowbodies leaving the airline’s fleet in March 2020, the ch-aviation fleets history module shows.