Aircraft Registered Under Shirak Avia Transferred to Sudan Instead of Arriving in Armenia

The second aircraft registered under the Armenian airline 'Shirak Avia' did not arrive in Armenia as planned, having remained in Cairo for technical maintenance, reports Hetq.am.

As a reminder, on March 30 of this year, the second 'Boeing 737-800' aircraft (EK-SHB) was registered with the Armenian aircraft registry. The first aircraft, a 'Boeing 737-500' registered as EK-SHA, is currently in operation by the company.

According to Armenian registry data, both aircraft are owned by Armenian aviator Garnik Papikyan's Arabic 'Meridien (FZE)' company. Unlike EK-SHA, which was manufactured in 1994, EK-SHB was produced in 2004 and has previously operated in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Canada, and Egypt. Before receiving registration in Armenia, it was last operated by the Egyptian 'AMC Airlines'.

Aviation sources indicate that the aircraft had not been in operation since March 2020 and was parked at Cairo International Airport, from where its arrival in Armenia was anticipated. However, an update to the Armenian aircraft registry on August 4 shows that the 'Boeing 737-800' has been removed from the registry.

The reason for this is that the owner, Papikyan's 'Meridien (FZE)' company, has leased the aircraft to its longtime partner, Sudanese 'Badr Airlines'. On August 7, the aircraft was transferred from Cairo to Sudan's capital, Khartoum, and has begun operations under 'Badr Airlines' since August 9.

Garnik Papikyan's companies ('Meridien', 'Taron-Avia') and 'Badr Airlines' have a history of partnership. As early as August 2015, Papikyan's Armenian airline 'Taron-Avia' leased its 'Boeing 737-500' aircraft (registered as EK-73775) to the Sudanese operator under a wet lease agreement. In October of the same year, 'Taron-Avia' provided another 'Boeing 737-500' (registered as EK-73772) to 'Badr Airlines' under the same conditions. According to aviation sources, 'Badr Airlines' had previously operated the EK-SHA registered aircraft of 'Shirak Avia' on a wet lease, which had previously been registered in 'Taron-Avia's fleet as EK-73797. Another 'Boeing 737-500' (registered as EK-73776), which 'Taron-Avia' operated for its needs, was also leased to the Sudanese partner in May 2018.