Romania’s Tarom retires 737 Classics

Tarom (RO, Bucharest Otopeni) no longer operates any B737 Classic aircraft following the retirement of its remaining active B737-300s.

The last of the Romanian carrier’s B737-300s, YR-BGE (msn 27395), operated its last revenue flight on November 7, 2021, from Cluj-Napoca to Bucharest Otopeni. For its part, YR-BGD (msn 27182) last flew commercially on October 31, 2021. Tarom operated a total of eight B737-300s over the years, seven of which were delivered in 1993-1994 (the eighth was delivered in 2000 and retired a year after), the ch-aviation fleets history module shows. Besides the short-lived YR-BGU (msn 27284), another three units were retired in 2003, 2004, and 2007, two more in early 2020, and the final two recently.

The airline owned all of its B737-300s. The airline listed them for sale in April 2021, even as it continued to operate two of them. Out of the four aircraft retired in the early 2000s, two have been scrapped after suffering damage beyond repair, and one each is now operated by Belavia and Suparna Airlines (as a B737-300(F)).

Tarom’s B737 Classic fleet also comprised two B737-500s operated for a brief period between 1999/2000 and 2001.

The Romanian flag carrier currently operates four B737-700s, four B737-800s, and is awaiting the deliveries of five B737-8s due after 2023. Its narrowbody fleet also comprises four A318-100s, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. All of the B737-700s and A318s are also available for purchase.