Faced with the increasing difficulty of maintaining the Boeing 727 Vulcano in flying condition, the Colombian Air Force (FAC) has reportedly decided to withdraw it from active service.
According to sources consulted by Aviacionline, who prefer to remain anonymous, the decision to decommission the Vulcano would be motivated by the difficulty in obtaining the necessary spare parts to maintain the aircraft in flying condition, added to the increasing costs involved in operating an aircraft of its age.
The Vulcano (FAC 1204) is a relatively new aircraft in the Colombian Air Force, which was incorporated in late 2011 to the 81st Air Transport Group, within the Military Air Transport Command (CATAM), based in the city of Bogota.
Since then, the aircraft provided excellent services to the Air Force and to the country, particularly in logistical support missions to remote areas during the COVID 19 pandemic and in assistance to the population affected by natural disasters.
However, the Vulcan is not a young aircraft. Built in 1981, this Boeing 727-2X3 has 41 years of hard work on it´s back. In its previous civilian life, it had the registration HK-4354, and operated for the air cargo company Líneas Aéreas Sudamericanas (LAS).
Despite multiple contact attempts by Aviacionline, we did not get any response from the Colombian Air Force press team to confirm the rumors of the Vulcano’s decommissioning.
