RAAF Boeing B737-700(BBJ) A36-001 - And a Few Other Bizjets - At Hamilton Island Airport

Another busy week for bizjet movements in the Whitsundays was capped off on Saturday 21 March by the visit to Hamilton Island Airport by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Boeing B737-7DT(BBJ) A36-001.

File photo taken by 'IAD' ©

A36-001 was noted flying in from Canberra as "Envoy 15" and brought Prime Minister Tony Abbott to the Whitsundays to make some important environmental policy announcements.

Meanwhile, a couple of other bizjet movements in and out of Hamilton Island Airport were noted over the course of this week including Balmoral Air (operated for Hamilton Island's owner, and well-known vineyard owner, Bob Oatley) Dassault Falcon 2000LX VH-WIO, which visited from Bankstown on both Sunday 22 March and Thursday 19 March.

On Friday 20 March, Shortstop Jet Charter British Aerospace BAe-125-1000B VH-LMP made yet another visit to Hamo from Melbourne (Essendon) Airport, while on Thursday 19 March, Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign VH-VPL departed Hamo for its Gold Coast base having arrived earlier in the week.

And, as mentioned below, Tower Holdings Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 VH-EVJ called into Hamilton Island from Rockhampton briefly on Wednesday 18 March.

Finally, on Friday 20 March, three Corporate Air SAAB 340Bs - VH-VEF, VH-VEO and VH-VEP - all arrived at Hamilton Island in quick succession from Brisbane.  They all departed back to the capital soon after.  There was a similar occurrence when the three SAABs all visited Hamo from Brisbane earlier in the week.  I wonder why??