Iconic Fokker 28 FAC0002 retired
By mid-April 2025, the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (Colombian Air Force) had retired its iconic Fokker F28 Fellowship, with serial FAC0002.
This F28 Mk.1000, the oldest variant of the F28-series, with msn 11992, was taken in use as the Colombian presidential aircraft on 19 February 1971. It had been delivered to Bogotà the month before with serial FAC001. It was test flown with Fokker as PH-EXA and later PH-EXF late 1970.
At the time, the Fellowship replaced another icon, Douglas DC-4-1009 FAC613 in this role, which had been in use since 1954, serving five Colombian presidents. The first president to use the new Dutch-built “Colombian Air Force One” was Misael Pastrana.
As a presidential aircraft, the F28 served no less than nine consecutive Colombian presidents. In 1990, it had been reserialled as FAC0001, adding a digit in front of its original serial.
T
he last President to fly Fellowship FAC0001 was Álvaro Uribe in 2005, but not after a guerrilla attack on the aircraft had been foiled minutes before it landed at Neiva. In June 2005, the Fellowship was replaced as the president’s ride by a Boeing 737 (BBJ), which took over serial FAC0001. The Fellowship was relegated to transport the Vice President and other high-ranking government officials as FAC0002. Who knew by then it would serve with the Colombian Air Force for another twenty years!
FAC0002 is currently stored at Bogotà-El Dorado airport, with the military air transport command (locally known by its acronym CATAM). The aircraft will follow two previous Colombian presidential aircraft, Junkers 52 625 and DC-4 FAC613, which were both saved for future admirers, to the superb Colombian Aerospace Museum in Tocancipá, Cundinamarca.
Another Fellowship is still in use with the Colombian Air Force. Serial FAC1041 (11162) is a Mk.3000C previously operated by SATENA, Colombia’s air force operated airline. It last visited Fokker Services at Woensdrecht, Netherlands, in August 2022 for maintenance work.
Credit photos: Wim Sonneveld