Only 9 Passenger Operators – The Last Days of the 737-200

by Matt Falcus
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The recent update to our Last Chance to Fly book, which details the airlines still flying rare and historic aircraft, has highlighted the sad situation which the classic Boeing 737-200 finds itself in.

At the time of writing, only 9 airlines are still flying the type in passenger service around the world, and their locations mean its no easy task for enthusiasts to get a flight on the jets.

 

A History of the 737-200

Lufthansa 737-100

The Boeing 737-200 was the second variant of this classic jet.

Developed alongside the original -100, it was built at the request of United Airlines who wanted to carry more passengers than the -100.

The 737-200 became the standard variant for many years, being rolled out on 29th June 1967 and taking flight on 8th August the same year.

It was built to compete with airliners like the Douglas DC-9 and BAC One-Eleven, and complemented the larger 727 perfectly.

Around 1100 Boeing 737-200s were built before production ceased in 1988 and Boeing went on to focus on the more advanced 737-300/400/500 models. These were later superseded by the Next Generation, and then the 737 MAX, variants.

 

 

Who Flies the 737-200 Today?

Despite how commonplace the 737-200 was in the 1970s and 80s, today very few remain active.

This is largely owing to their age, and the amount of later variants still available relatively cheaply.

Sadly, however, only 9 airlines still fly the 737-200 in passenger service and many of these are difficult to obtain flights on.

Here’s who flies passenger 737-200s in 2025:

Air Inuit (Canada)
Still operates four examples of the 737-200 on scheduled services out of Montreal to remote communities in the north of the country.

Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Still struggling to modernise, Air Zimbabwe’s remaining original Boeing 737-200 is known to operate on African routes, but is rarely active these days. It is often commandeered for government transport missions.

Avior Airlines (YV3151) - Boeing 737-2T5

Avior Airlines (Venezuela)
Based at Barcelona in Venezuela, Avior operates four examples in a smart livery to domestic and South American destinations.

Canadian Airways Congo (Republic of Congo)
A small passenger airline based at Brazzaville in Congo. Has a single 737-200 among its fleet.

Chrono Aviation (Canada)
A charter operator flying throughout the north of Canada. Has three 737-200 combis in service.

Estelar Latinoamerica (Venezuela)
Another Venezuelan airline, with two 737-200s in its fleet for use on domestic and regional services out of Caracas.

Photo (c) Nolinor Aviation

Nolinor (Canada)
Operates seven 737-200s are used on charters from Montreal, often to gravel airstrips in northern Canada.

Penial Air / Halla Airlines (Kenya)
Penial of Kenya has a single 737-200 which is leased to Halla Airlines to fly between Nairobi and Juba in passenger configuration.

Venezolana Airlines (Venezuela)
Yet another Veneuzelan carrier based at Caracas. It has two 737-200s used on domestic services.

 

As you can see, the most common places to see and fly on the 737-200 is in Canada’s remote north, and in Venezuela.

There are of course some other 737-200s active as private jets and in military and cargo roles, but again these tend to be in remoter parts of the world like Colombia, Peru, India and Indonesia.

 

When was the last time you flew on a Boeing 737-200? Would you travel to any of these remote places for one last flight on the type? Leave a comment below!

 

Title image: Maarten Visser from Capelle aan den IJssel, Nederland, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Want to Know How to Fly More Rare Airliners?

If you’d like to find out more about which airlines are still flying rare and historic airliners, download our guide Last Chance To Fly.

Updated regularly, this details all the known operators of classic types like the Douglas DC-3, Boeing 737-200, Airbus A310 and Ilyushin Il-62 (plus many more!).

Available exclusively to Airport Spotting Premium Members, find out more and sign up here: https://www.airportspotting.com/member/

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3 comments

Howard January 22, 2025 - 5:55 pm

I last flew on a 737-200 in April 2019 from Lima, Peru to Cusco for my visit to Machu Picu.
Spoke to the captain who explained that there were only a handful of qualified pilots that can land at Cusco due to a mountain at one end of the runway. Can’t remember the airline

Reply
MERV CROWE January 24, 2025 - 4:20 am

My last 737-200 flight was on BA LHR/MAN 31 st July 1993 on G-BKYI, and over all had 18 737-200 flights.

Reply
Martin Noffke January 26, 2025 - 9:11 am

I’d like to fly on a 737-200 but I don’t want to travel Africa or Venezuela.

Reply

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