Short Stuff: 737-500 Wishlist

Leave a Comment / Wishlists / By

Despite selling 389 units the 737-500 has not had an impressive run out in 400 scale where only just over 30 models have been made. Needless to say there is plenty of scope for new releases as despite its small size the series 500 acquired an impressive longevity in service on the seconds market, providing a plentiful range of possible liveries.

Production of 737-500s in 400 scale has been very conservative and I can’t help but feel this is mainly due to the lack of a strong European based maker of 400 scale models or much activity in retailer produced models in Europe. Certainly it was Europe that saw the lion’s share of 737-500 operators although even major US operators like United are still missing.

There is some small hope for a few further 737-500s from JC Wings, since they have recently been active with the type, but it would probably take a new mould from a classics oriented brand to get much of the list below produced. Nonetheless, the list below illustrates the diversity of liveries available yet to be made.

Europe

Aer Lingus | Boeing 737-500 | EI-CDB | London Heathrow
Air France | Boeing 737-500 | F-GJNY | Zurich Kloten
Braathens SAFE, LN-BUD, Boeing 737-500 (25794)
BRAATHENS S.A.F.E 737-505 LN-BRX(cn2434)
Braathens, Boeing 737-500, LN-BRJ (24273)
Braathens, Boeing 737-500, LN-BRK (24274)
Hapag Lloyd | Boeing 737-500 | D-AHLF | Dusseldorf International
D-AHLF Boeing 737-5K5 [24927] (Hapag-Lloyd Express) Dusseldorf Int'l~D 20/05/2005
Linjeflyg Boeing 737-500; SE-DNA, August 1991
Torsten Maiwald (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2 ), via Wikimedia Commons
LX-LGP
Maersk Air | Boeing 737-500 | OY-APH | London Gatwick
Maersk Air Boeing 737-5L9 OY-APH
Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Sabena | Boeing 737-500 | OO-SYH | Frankfurt Main
Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 737-500; SE-DND, May 1993
OO-JAT TUI Belgium Boeing-737-5K5 AGP 14-10-08
AOM French Airlines Boeing 737-53C F-GINL "The Qualiflyer Group" sticker

UK

British Airways (Maersk Air) | Boeing 737-500 | G-MSKD | Whale Rider | Brimingham International
British Airways (Maersk Air) | Boeing 737-500 | G-MSKA | Blue Poole | Birmingham International
G-MSKC Boeing 737-500 Maersk BHX 29-07-99
BA/Maersk 737-500
British Airways (Maersk Air) | Boeing 737-500 | G-MSKE | Delftblue Daybreak | Birmingham International
British Midland Airways - BMA Boeing 737-53A G-OBMZ
bmi British Midland | Boeing 737-500 | G-BVZH | London Heathrow
G-BVKB Boeing 737-590 bmibaby Named Jelly Baby BHX 17-01-10

Eastern Europe

The 737-500 appears to have hit the sweet spot in Eastern Europe as a cheap aircraft with the right capacity to replace Tu-134s and Tu-154s. Initially part of the fleets of majors like CSA and Malev smaller airlines from former Soviet states added the type so it became a common sight in countries such as Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Georgia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Ukraine.

AeroSvit Airlines Boeing 737-5Q8 UR-VVQ
YL-BBE - 1998 build Boeing B737-53S, on approach to Runway 24R at Manchester
YL-BBQ Boeing 737-522 [26691] (Air Baltic) Vienna-Schwechat~OE 13/07/2009
Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Boeing 737-500; LZ-BOC@ZRH;17.04.1995
Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Biggerben, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
YR-AMA Blue Air Boeing 737-530 cn:24942 / 2048
OK-DGB Boeing 737-5L9 CSA Czech Airlines MAN 15-08-04
OK-EGO Boeing 737-55S [28475] (CSA Czech Airlines) Brussels National~OO 15/08/2010
Dniproavia Boeing 737-5L9 UR-DNC
Estonian Air B737-500 ES-ABL
4L-TGA Boeing 737-529 Georgian Airways CDG 17-06-05
Malev - Hungarian Airlines Boeing 737-5K5 HA-LER "1000 year old Hungary" sticker
MAT Macedonian Airlines Boeing 737-500; Z3-AAH@ZRH;09.08.2008/525bs
Montenegro Airlines Boeing 737-500; 9H-OME@ZRH;07.05.2018
OM-SEF Boeing 737-5Y0 [25185] (SkyEurope Airlines) Amsterdam-Schiphol~PH 10/08/2006
Ukraine International Airlines - UIA Boeing 737-5Y0 UR-GAJ

Russia

Aeroflot Nord, Boeing 737-500 (VP-BKP)(25065)
VP-BGR Boeing 737-505 [25790] (Orenair) Dusseldorf Int'l~D 18/06/2011
EI-CDH Boeing 737-548 [25739] (Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise) Hamburg-Fulhsbuettel~D 21/05/2006
SAT Airlines Boeing737-5L9 RA-73013
Boeing 737-500 Sky Express VP-BFK cn 24928/1961
Transaero Airlines Boeing 737-5Y0 EI-DTW
VP-BRQ

Africa

EgyptAir Boeing 737-566 SU-GBI "Abu Simbel" written-off
C9-BAP 13062018
Royal Air Maroc, CN-RNG, Boeing 737-500 (27679)
Tunisair Boeing 737-5H3 TS-IOI
ZS-PKV Boeing 737-529 [25418] (Nationwide Airlines) Cape Town Int'l~ZS 17/09/2006
RwandAir 737-500 9XR-WE

The Americas

LV-BBN Austral Boeing 737-500
800px-aerol-neas-argentinas-boeing-737-500-lv-aye-scl-01-07-2008-520au-flickr-aero-icarus_orig
rio-sul-boeing-737-500-jetpix_orig
800px-bahamasair-boeing-737-500-c6-bfc-15203913143_orig
PT-SSO
Air North Shine
TAESA Boeing 737-500 XA-RKP, Mexico City, Dec93
United Airlines | Boeing 737-500 | N943UA | Houston Intercontinental
N936UA 20022009
Shuttle by United | Boeing 737-500 | N918UA | Denver International

Indonesia

Boeing 737-500 PK-GGF Garuda Indonesia
PK-NAN NAM Air Boeing 737-524(WL)
Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 PK-CLC @CGK

Elsewhere

Air Austral Boeing 737-500; F-ODZJ, June 2000/ CBP
Paul Spijkers (GFDL or GFDL ), via Wikimedia Commons

Summary

So it is clear that the 737-500, like the F100, One-Eleven 500 and others, is yet another narrowbody that has been largely ignored to date. For me the top 10 I’d like to see is:
  1. Braathens SAFE (delivery clrs)
  2. Luxair (delivery clrs)
  3. Maersk Air
  4. Palmair
  5. Balkan Bulgarian
  6. SkyExpress
  7. United Airlines (Saul Bass)
  8. United Airlines (Battleship)
  9. Rio Sul
  10. Air Pacific

Related Posts

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe
Subscribe