Nolinor B737-200s to fly for 25 more years

Canada's Nolinor Aviation, which operates one of the world's largest 737-200 fleets, is investing C$10 million ($7.6 million) to equip 10 of the 40-year-old aircraft with modern avionics and glass displays.

In doing so, Nolinor seems likely to ensure that at least some 737-200s – a type Boeing first delivered in 1967 – remain flying for decades.

The aircraft's analog indicators and spinning gyroscopes will be replaced by Honeywell and Universal Avionics hardware and systems – a technological refresh enabling Nolinor's 737-200s to fly for another 25 years, the company's maintenance production manager Pierre Dore tells FlightGlobal.

"We are basically ripping the guts out and putting in brand-new, off-the-shelf stuff," he says.

Nolinor chose cockpit upgrades over aircraft replacements for a simple reason: 737-200s are approved to operate from gravel runways, Dore says.

Based in Mirabel, near Montreal, Nolinor operates passenger and cargo charters, including flights to Canada's far northern regions for mining companies.

Its fleet includes seven 737-200s, one 737-300, four Convair 580s and Learjets, according to Flight Fleets Analyzer.

One aircraft – registration C-GTUK– has already received its makeover, and a second aircraft will enter the shop in August, Dore says.

The first aircraft has been operating without issue since 31 May.