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The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner manufactured and supported by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It was designed as an improved version of the successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50.

The Fokker 50 was developed during the early 1980s following a decline in the sales of the company's earlier F27 Friendship. It was decided that the new airliner would be a derivative of its predecessor, sharing much of its airframe and design features, while incorporating new advances and several improvements, such as the adoption of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127B turboprop engines, in order to produce a successor that had a 30 percent reduction in fuel consumption over the F27.

The Fokker 50 performed its maiden flight on 28 December 1985, and entered revenue service during 1987. The Fokker 60 has been operated by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF), ex-RNLAF aircraft are also in service with the Peruvian Naval Aviation and the Republic of China's Air Force.

Development

thumb|Fokker 50 airliners being assembled, August 1987

Fokker 50

By the early 1980s, the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker had identified that sales of the Fokker F27 Friendship, a turboprop-powered airliner which had been in continual production since 1958, were beginning to decline.

The Fokker 50 was basically an amalgamation of various refinements and improvements which had been made to the design of the F27 Friendship.

Fokker partnered with several companies to manufacture portions of the Fokker 50; these included the wing being produced by Belgian aerospace firm SABCA, fuselage sections made by French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation, flaps and other components manufactured by German aerospace company Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), and vertical stabilizers and horizontal stabilizers built by Japanese multinational corporation Fuji Heavy Industries. In 1987, certification of the Fokker 50 by the Dutch aviation authority RLD was successfully completed, and the first production aircraft was subsequently delivered to German airline DLT Luftverkehrsgesellschaft (DLT). DLT and Ansett Australia served as the airliner's launch customers.

Termination and further development

thumb|right|Fokker 50 prototype

During 1994, Fokker had been incurring sizable losses on its operations, which led to cuts in the output of the Fokker 50 and threatened its long term viability. During early 1995, the firm embarked upon a major restructuring programme, including efforts to renegotiate prices with its suppliers, in what was viewed by aerospace publication Flight International as a last-ditch effort to save the company in its current form. By July 1995, Fokker was in negotiations with the Dutch government over the terms for a potential bailout of the company as losses continued to mount. Fokker's owner, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG (DASA), had agreed to provide a rescue deal for the company, but this was contingent upon Dutch government participation.

In March 1996, production of the Fokker 50 was terminated as a consequence of Fokker itself having been forced into a state of bankruptcy. The financial difficulties suffered by the firm had been in part caused by the massive cost overruns which had been incurred on both the Fokker 50 and Fokker 100, as well as due to intense competition within the regional airliner sector that Fokker had designed and marketed these aircraft towards, which had not been helped by delays to the program in the face of multiple modern competitors in the form of the Saab 340, ATR 42 and Bombardier Dash 8. Despite repeated increases cost-efficiency of production realised within the final 12 months of production, these did not prove enough to save the company.

During 1997, as a result of the company having entered into liquidation, the final Fokker 50 aircraft was delivered that year. By the end of the program, a total of 213 Fokker 50s had been completed. As early as May 1996, proposals for the partial or complete restart of production of the type were mooted, amongst these being interest from Indian aerospace firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in establishing a Fokker 50 assembly line in India, however these did not come about.

In 1996, Fokker Services was established; holding the type certificate for the Fokker 50, the organisation provides comprehensive support and services to operators of the type, including training, logistics support, maintenance, modification, and engineering services.

Fokker 60

thumb|Fokker 60 of the [[Royal Netherlands Air Force]]

The Fokker 60 was a stretched version of the Fokker 50, being longer for a total length of . It featured a large cargo door on the right side, immediately behind the cockpit, for loading/unloading. Only four examples of the Fokker 60 were ever completed, all of which were delivered to the Royal Netherlands Air Force. All of them were part of 334 Squadron based at Eindhoven Airport. The type was typically used to transport equipment and soldiers, and it was also occasionally used for paradrop operations.

Another 60 was under construction, but ultimately never completed due to Fokker's bankruptcy. In 2005, a pair of Fokker 60s (U-01, U-03) were converted to serve as maritime patrol aircraft as a temporary solution when it was decided to phase out the Royal Netherlands Navy P-3 Orions as a result of budget cuts. For two years, these aircraft were stationed at Hato AB Curaçao prior to their replacement in the form of civil-operated Bombardier DHC-8 aircraft in October 2007. Due to the Royal Netherlands Air Force having decided to procure two extra Lockheed C-130s, the Fokker 60s were phased out. All four Fokker 60 that were stored at Woensdrecht Air Base were sold to the Peruvian Naval Aviation, the first two planes were delivered on 8 June 2010 and the second batch of two planes were delivered at the end of 2010.

Design

thumb|Four-abreast cabin

thumb|Main cabin of a government-configured Fokker 50

The Fokker 50 is a twin turboprop-powered airliner. It was based on the earlier highly successful Fokker F27 Friendship, specifically the stretched F27-500 model. Structurally, the Fokker 50 owes much to the F27; basic construction of the fuselage, wings and empennage, which made extensive use of composite materials, hot-bonded structures and anti-corrosion treatments, remained mainly unchanged between the two aircraft apart from the strengthening of various sections where required. There were some changes made to specific areas of the aircraft, such as the wing being equipped with upturned ailerons and wingtips that effectively acted as wing endplates or winglets, it was also fitted with a larger number of smaller windows in the fuselage and a new two-wheel nose gear configuration, the latter enabling stable operations under uneven crosswind conditions.

;F27 Mark 0502

:Marketed as the Fokker 50, same as the 050 with reconfigured interior layout and change in type of aft emergency exits, six built (two for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, two for the Republic of Singapore Air Force and two for Royal Brunei Air Force).

Fokker 50 and 60 military and government operators

The following governments or military operators currently fly the Fokker 50 and Fokker 60 in passenger or cargo roles:

;

  • Peruvian Naval Aviation (2 Fokker 50, 2 Fokker 60)

;

  • Republic of Singapore Air Force (9)

;

  • Republic of China Air Force (3)

;

  • Royal Thai Police (1)

;

  • Tanzania Government Flight Agency (1 F50); still in service as of 2025 <!-- not mentioned by World Air Forces 2026 at all -->

Former operators

thumb|[[Team Lufthansa Fokker 50]]

thumb|[[Kish Air Fokker 50]]

thumb|[[Riau Airlines Fokker 50]]

Accidents and incidents

Accidents with fatalities

  • On 15 September 1995, Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133, a Fokker 50 (9M-MGH) crashed during approach in Tawau, Sabah due to pilot error, killing 34 of 53 passengers and crew on board and injuring 10 on ground in the first hull loss of a Fokker 50.
  • On 6 November 2002, Luxair Flight 9642, a Fokker 50 aircraft en route to Luxembourg – Findel Airport crashed and burned on final approach to the airport about six nautical miles (11&nbsp;km) short of the runway while trying to land in the fog. 20 out of 22 passengers and crew were killed.
  • On 10 February 2004, Kish Air Flight 7170, a Fokker 50 crashed on approach to Sharjah International Airport, United Arab Emirates after both propellers reversed while causing a loss of control. All six crew and 37 of the 40 passengers on board were killed.
  • On 3 March 2013, a Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation Fokker 50 registration 9Q-CBD crashed in poor weather while on approach to Goma International Airport in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing all six crew including Russian citizen, Alexander Bazhenov. There were three survivors.
  • On 2 July 2014, a Skyward International Aviation Fokker 50 registration 5Y-CET operating a cargo flight ferrying Khat and bound for Mogadishu, Somalia crashed into Embakasi suburbs after taking-off from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. All four crew members died and the hull disintegrated and burnt partially on impact with a highrise structure.

Other incidents

  • On 17 January 2003, an Air Nostrum Fokker 50, operating for Iberia, overran the runway and broke apart at Melilla Airport. Nine people were injured but there were no fatalities.
  • On 18 July 2022, a Fokker 50 registration 5Y-JXN operated by Jubba Airways, crashes on landing at Aden Adde International Airport in Somalia coming to a stop upside down at the beginning of the runway. All 36 passengers and crew safely evacuated the aircraft.
  • On 5 May 2024, a Fokker 50 registration D6-AIB operated by R Komor crashed at Mohéli airport at take-off.
  • On 16 May 2025, a Fokker 50 registration HP-1899PST operated by Air Panama veered off the runway while landing at Bocas Del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport. All 35 passengers and three crew members safely evacuated with no serious injuries.
  • On 10 February 2026, a Fokker 50 of StarSky Aviation, registration 6O-YAS veered off the runway on landing at Mogadishu Airport following technical difficulties. All 55 passengers and crew were unhurt.

Specifications

thumb|Side view

thumb|Head-on view of a Fokker 50

See also

References

Sources

  • Eriksson, Sören and Harm-Jan Steenhuis. The Global Commercial Aviation Industry. Routledge, 2015. .
  • European Aviation Safety Agency Type-Certificate Data Sheet - Fokker F27 (TCDS A.036 Issue 2 20 May 2005)

Further reading

  • Fokker F.27/Fairchild FH.227/Fokker 50, "Airline Markings" issue no. 13, Airlife Publishing Ltd., Shrewsbury.
  • Fokker Services
  • Fokker 50 Official Page
  • Fokker 50 Systems