Mafira Air Charter was a small Malaysian company specializing in charter flights, established during the 1990s. Its activity focused on providing non-scheduled air transport for companies, tour groups, and official bodies, operating from Malaysia to various destinations in Southeast Asia. Unlike the large airlines in the region, Mafira Air Charter developed a small-scale structure and a fleet composed of very few aircraft, geared exclusively toward the charter market.
The Fokker F28 Fellowship was the company's primary jet aircraft. In March 1997, it acquired the F28-4000 c/n 11168, registered as 9M-AMZ, an aircraft with an extensive prior history in the United States, where it had successively served with Altair Airlines, Empire Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, and USAir. Following Fokker's bankruptcy, the aircraft briefly returned to the manufacturer before being acquired by Mafira Air Charter to begin a new chapter in Asia. Thanks to its capacity to carry around 85 passengers and its solid performance on short- and medium-haul routes, the Fellowship adapted well to the company's needs. In addition to charter flights, the F28 was leased in 1999 to the fellow Malaysian carrier Pelangi Air, continuing its commercial activity there before returning to Mafira Air Charter.
In June 2000, the F28 was sold to Bali International Air Service in Indonesia, where it received the registration PK-KFD. It subsequently went to Batavia Air as PK-YCM, remaining in service until the mid-2000s, when it was finally retired and scrapped at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta in May 2008. With the departure of this aircraft, Mafira Air Charter practically disappeared from international aeronautical registries, leaving as its main legacy having been one of the few Malaysian operators of the Fokker F28 Fellowship.
Mafira Air Charter F-28 fleet
* msn. 11168 Mk.4000 9M-AMZ dd 13Sep1997 – Jun2000 sold to Bali International Air Service (PK-KFD).
