SunExpress, the Turkish leisure carrier and joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, has bolstered its fleet with the addition of two Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft previously operated by Irish carrier Norwegian Air International (NAI).
The aircraft, registered as TC-SMV and TC-SMZ, were delivered on 13 May and are configured in a 189-seat layout. Both aircraft are leased from Dubai-based lessor DAE Capital.
According to Planespotters.net, TC-SMV (manufacturer serial number 42826) first took to the skies on 1 June 2017 and was delivered later that month, on 29 June, to Norwegian Air International under the registration EI-FYB. The aircraft was christened Tom Crean, in honor of the famed Irish explorer. In March 2020, it was transferred to Norwegian Air Sweden and operated as SE-RYK until its return to lessor in October 2021.
The second aircraft, TC-SMZ (msn 42827), had its first flight on 18 July 2017 and was delivered to Norwegian Air International on 31 July 2017 as EI-FYE, bearing the name Sojourner Truth after the women’s rights activist. It was re-registered as OE-LCQ in February 2022 to Arctic Aviation before joining the SunExpress fleet.
Image Credit: Creative Commons – MarcelX42
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 16 June 2025 All Rights Reserved
