Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Airbus A320-200 (A320-231)

A320-53Active

RegistrationZAZS-GAR

Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation register

SUOperatorSunrise Airways

9operators

0incidents

0accidents

9logbook years

0photos

Airbus A320-200 (A320-231) built in 1989 in Toulouse / Hamburg / Tianjin / Mobile. Operates for Sunrise Airways. Previously flew for Braniff, Braniff Airways and Uganda Airlines.

NewNearly newYoungMatureAgingOld

Old · 37 years · ≈ 122,100 flight hours (approx.)

Vuelopedia is a work in progress: it currently holds about 30% of the information we expect to have by the third quarter of 2027. Although we use only official, highly reliable sources, some aircraft data and history may still contain errors or inaccuracies. We work hard to clear every anomaly from the records using specialized verification tools.

Recent flights

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Technical data

ManufacturerAirbus

Engines2× IAE V2500-A1

PropulsionJet

Seats180 (Y180)

First flight1989

Built inToulouse / Hamburgo / Tianjin / Mobile

Country of registrationSudáfrica

OwnerSunrise Airways

MSN53

Hex / ICAO 24-bit008FFA

VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) under its former registration N621AW · Oct 8, 2026

The model · Airbus A320

Figures for the A320-200 variant, the most representative of the family

Length37.6 m123 ft

Wingspan35.8 m117 ft

Height11.8 m39 ft

Range6,204 km3,350 NMWith a typical passenger load

Cruise speed828 km/h447 ktMach 0.78

Service ceiling12,131 m39,800 ftIt flies above Everest (1.4 times its height)

Maximum take-off weight78,000 kg171,960 lb

Maximum payload35,400 kg78,044 lbIts 150 passengers with baggage would weigh about 15.0 t; the rest is fuel and cargo

Typical capacity150 passengersUp to 195 in a high-density layout

Endurance7 h 30 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

With its 6,204 km range, from Phoenix it could fly non-stop as far as:

BOGBogota5,051 km PTYTocumen4,298 km JFKNew York3,458 km MIAMiami3,168 km HAVHavana3,110 km

Beyond its rangeLIMLima6,261 km

The type first flew in 1987 (39 years ago) · About 7,000 units built · Still in production

Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.

The full story of the Airbus A320 Compare this aircraft

Seating layout

180Economy

180 seats in total

Airports

Where this aircraft has operated, by period · source BTS (EE. UU.)

2019–2020Global Aviation airline base

Base

JNBJohannesburg LGWLondon VNOVilnius

2023–2024Global Aviation airline base

Base

JNBJohannesburg LGWLondon VNOVilnius

since 2024Uganda Airlines airline base

Base

EBBEntebbe

2024–2026Global Aviation airline base

Base

JNBJohannesburg LGWLondon VNOVilnius

Flight logbook

Year-by-year activity · source BTS (EE. UU.)

2014

US Airways · 956 flights during the year · base Phoenix (PHX)

Main route of the year: Phoenix (PHX) → Seattle (SEA)

2013

US Airways · 1,194 flights during the year · base Phoenix (PHX)

Main route of the year: Phoenix (PHX) → Seattle (SEA)

33 days inactive

2012

US Airways · 1,291 flights during the year · base Phoenix (PHX)

Main route of the year: Phoenix (PHX) → Chicago (ORD)

2011

US Airways · 1,229 flights during the year · base Phoenix (PHX)

Main route of the year: Phoenix (PHX) → Portland (PDX)

35 days inactive

2010

US Airways · 1,231 flights during the year · base Phoenix (PHX)

Main route of the year: Phoenix (PHX) → Chicago (ORD)

2009

US Airways · 1,155 flights during the year · base Phoenix (PHX)

Main route of the year: Phoenix (PHX) → Chicago (ORD)

2008

US Airways · 1,239 flights during the year · base Phoenix (PHX)

Main route of the year: Phoenix (PHX) → Chicago (ORD)

2007

US Airways · 1,410 flights during the year · base Phoenix (PHX)

Main route of the year: Las Vegas (LAS) → Phoenix (PHX)

No reliable logbook records exist for this aircraft before 2006.

Aircraft chronology

1989

Built

Assembled by Airbus in Toulouse / Hamburg / Tianjin / Mobile.

Apr 25, 1989

Delivered to Airbus Industrie

Delivered to Airbus Industrie as F-WWDV.

Sep 6, 1989

Transferred to Braniff

Transferred to Braniff.

Sep 7, 1989

Transferred to Braniff Airways

Transferred to Braniff Airways.

Sep 28, 1990

Transferred to America West Airlines

Transferred to America West Airlines.

Sep 11, 2001

Grounded after 9/11

On September 11, 2001, the A320 231 aircraft (registration N621AW), operated by America West Airlines, was in the news. Source: the FAA (United States).

What happened

On 11 September 2001, after the attacks with hijacked aircraft on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon, the FAA ordered — for the first time in history — the complete closure of United States airspace (the SCATANA plan): all civil aviation was told to land immediately, and by midday the American sky was clear. Around 240 international flights bound for the United States were diverted to Canada — Operation Yellow Ribbon, with more than 30,000 passengers. Airspace reopened gradually from 13 September, by then under new security measures. Source: the FAA (United States).

Source: FAA

May 20, 2007

Transferred to US Airways

Transferred to US Airways.

Sep 2014

Placed in storage

In September 2014, the Airbus A320-231 aircraft (registration N621AW), operated by US Airways, was placed in storage. Source: US Airways.

Source: US Airways

Oct 17, 2015

News

On October 17, 2015, the A320 231 aircraft (registration ZS-GAR), operated by US Airways, was in the news. Source: American Airlines.

Source: American Airlines

Jun 6, 2017

Transferred to Sunrise Airways

Transferred to Sunrise Airways.

Jul 10, 2018

Transferred to Global Aviation

Transferred to Global Aviation.

Jun 10, 2019

Transferred to Corendon Airlines

Transferred to Corendon Airlines.

Nov 2, 2019

Transferred to Global Aviation

Transferred to Global Aviation.

Dec 10, 2020

Transferred to Lift

Transferred to Lift.

Nov 30, 2023

Transferred to Global Aviation

Transferred to Global Aviation.

May 9, 2024

Transferred to Uganda Airlines

Transferred to Uganda Airlines.

Oct 2024

Placed in storage

In October 2024, the Airbus A320-231 aircraft (registration ZS-GAR), operated by Global Aviation, was placed in storage. Source: Global Aviation.

Source: Global Aviation

Oct 30, 2024

Transferred to Global Aviation

Transferred to Global Aviation.

Jul 1, 2026

Returned to service

In July 2026, the Airbus 320-231 aircraft (registration ZS-GAR), operated by Lift, returned to service. Source: Lift.

Source: Lift

Operators

1989-04-25

Airbus Industrie

Registration F-WWDV · Lessor: Toulouse

1989-09-06

Braniff

Registration N902BN · Lessor: 1984

1989-09-07

Braniff Airways

Registration N902BN

1990-09-28

America West Airlines

Registration N621AW

2007-05-20

US Airways

Registration N621AW · Lessor: GECAS

2017-06-06

Sunrise Airways

Registration ZS-GAR · Lessor: Global Airways

2018-07-10

Global Aviation

Registration ZS-GAR

2019-06-10

Corendon Airlines

Registration ZS-GAR · Lessor: Global Aviation

2019-11-02

Global Aviation

Registration ZS-GAR · Lessor: Global Aircraft Support

2020-12-10

Lift

Registration ZS-GAR

2023-11-30

Global Aviation

Registration ZS-GAR

2024-05-09

Uganda Airlines

Registration ZS-GAR

2024-10-30

Global Aviation

Registration ZS-GAR

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Current position of the aircraft

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Real-time position via adsb.lol (ODbL license). There is a signal only while the aircraft is airborne and within coverage.

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). Airbus A320-200 (A320-231) · ZS-GAR · Sunrise Airways. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/A320-53

MLA

“Airbus A320-200 (A320-231) · ZS-GAR · Sunrise Airways.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/A320-53. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Airbus A320-200 (A320-231) · ZS-GAR · Sunrise Airways.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/A320-53.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Airbus A320-200 (A320-231) · ZS-GAR · Sunrise Airways. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/A320-53 (Accessed: 23 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_a320_53,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Airbus A320-200 (A320-231) · ZS-GAR · Sunrise Airways}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/A320-53},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/A320-53}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-23},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-23}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/A320-53 |title=Airbus A320-200 (A320-231) · ZS-GAR · Sunrise Airways |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-23 |language=en}}