As a new Freighter Flies another Dies

 

Being broken up yesterday was Airwork's Boeing 737-400 freighter ZK-TLJ (c/n 24432).

Dave Paull recorded its history in Aviation News in December 2015... The latest addition is  B737-476 in dedicated freight mode for Airwork Flight Operations for its Toll contract. This airframe was rolled out at Renton on 11 May 1990 and, after being VH-TJG with Australian Airlines and leased to Malaysian Airlines Systems as 9M-MLE, it returned to Australian Airlines on 27 November 1991. That became part of Qantas and the aircraft was used by it until being withdrawn on 26 November 2012 and ferried to Victorville, Southern California, for storage. This is one of several airframes plucked out  of storage for freighter conversion and was soon registered as N232AG in the books of the Bank of Utah Trustees. It was ferried from Dothan, Alabama, to Oakland, to John Rogers Field in Hawaii, to Majuro and into Cairns on 12 October 2015 in full Toll livery to become ZK-TLJ on 15 October 2015.

ZK-TLJ flew its last flights for Airwork on the 22nd of June 2024, flying Christchurch-Sydney as AIRWORK 9 and Sydney-Auckland as AIRWORK 2.

At Norfolk Island on 17 January 2020 was Toll Boeing 737-400  ZK-TLJ.

Airwork's Boeing 737-400 ZK-TLJ at Auckland on 2 October 2020

Engineless and looking to be for the chop, Airwork Boeing 737-400 ZK-TLJ at Auckland on 21 October 2024

A big thanks to Magnaman who sent in this photo of Boeing 737-400 ZK-TLJ being broken up at Auckland on 18 April 2025. Note the Airwork hangar has also gone!