Two Former American Airlines MD-83 Aircraft Ferry via Mozambique to Iran
Update: June 11
Two former American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft were ferried from the United States to Mozambique in southern Africa in early February, following several years in storage. In June both aircraft flew to Iran.
The aircraft — registered N9677W and N966TW — are owned by AIC Jets Corporation and had been parked at Roswell International Air Center in New Mexico since September and October 2019, respectively.
On February 4 2026, both aircraft departed Roswell within a short time of each other, beginning a multi-leg transatlantic ferry journey. Their first stop was Goose Bay, Canada, a common staging point for North Atlantic crossings by aircraft with limited range. From there, both MD-83s crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Shannon Airport in Ireland.
The aircraft then continued toward Africa on separate trajectories. On February 6, N9677W departed Shannon bound for Hurghada, Egypt, but returned to Shannon shortly before reaching the London area as a result of navigation issues.
The second aircraft, N966TW, successfully reached Hurghada and continued southbound. After departing Egypt, it flew to Nairobi, Kenya, before proceeding to Maputo, Mozambique, its most recent known destination.
The purpose of the ferry flights has not been officially disclosed. However, movements of stored MD-80-series aircraft to Africa in recent years have often been linked to cargo conversion projects, parts harvesting, or transfer to regional operators.
On June 7, N966TW departed Maputo and flew to Dar es Salaam. After a few hours the aircraft continued flying towards Muscat.
N9677W did exactly the same thing.
Both landed at Sohar airport in Oman at June 8.
At June 10 both aircraft departed Sohar to Iran. The aircraft were likely reregistered from the US register while being parked in Maputo. The new registrations remain unknown.
