Timor-Leste's first registered jet ferried in for Aero Dili

In a significant event for Timor-Leste, Aero Dili (8G, Dili) has ferried in the first ever commercial jet aircraft to be based in the country. The A320-200 will initially begin scheduled services between Dili's President Nicolau Lobato International Airport and Denpasar before venturing into other markets. As previously reported by ch-aviation, Aero Dili has secured 4W-AAL (msn 3672) on a two-year lease from DAE Capital. The 14.42-year-old aircraft formerly flew for Bangkok Airways as HS-PPO and went into maintenance at Kuala Lumpur International in the fourth quarter of 2022 before ferrying to Bangkok Don Mueang and onto Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta earlier this month. On March 20, bearing Aero Dili livery, the A320 flew into Dili. This followed Aero Dili securing its certificate of registration (COR) and certificate of airworthiness (COA) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Timor-Leste in mid-March. While undergoing maintenance, 4W-AAL was reconfigured to seat just 165 passengers. "Aero Dili has successfully obtained its own Airbus A320 aircraft," President Director Lourenco de Oliveira said this week. "I'd like to take this moment to say that the efforts are not mine alone. It has involved many people with the same dream as mine - developing Timor-Leste's airline industry." José Ramos-Horta, the Nobel Peace prize winner and current president of Timor-Leste, has said that de Oliveira is a respected local businessman with a background in maritime and air transport. Aero Dili was founded in 2018 but to date has only operated scheduled services around Timor-Leste using Cessna (single piston) aircraft.<br/>