Also at Mackay Airport - Alliance Airlines Fokker F-100 VH-FKJ - Virgin Australia B737-700 VH-VBZ

As a plane spotter, I find it interesting when certain aircraft return to Central Queensland after operating in (say) other states.  That's why I was interested to see a pair of 'rare' aircraft fly into Mackay Airport on different flights in Wednesday 15 March.

VH-FKJ at Rockhampton Airport during a previous rare visit to CQ  (File photo)

Alliance Airlines Fokker F-100 jet VH-FKJ was noted operating the afternoon Virgin Australia VOZ613/616 service from and back to Brisbane.

VH-FKJ has been undergoing maintenance in Brisbane since November 2016.  Prior to this, the Fokker had been almost exclusively operating out of Alliance's Perth base completing Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) charter flight to various resources industry sites around Western Australia.  VH-FKJ now seems to be operating flights for Alliance out of Brisbane.

Virgin Australia Boeing B737-700 VH-VBZ was noted arriving into Mackay Airport late on Wednesday 15 March as VOZ617 from Brisbane. It was due to depart back to Brisbane as VOZ600 early on Thursday 16 March.

VH-VBZ at Rockhampton Airport in late February  (File photo)

As we've mentioned in the past - late last month in fact - both of the Virgin Australia Boeing B737-700 jets - VH-VBY and VH-VBZ - which have also been operating predominately in Western Australia, look to be starting to operate more routes on the East Coast of Australia, including Central Queensland.

All photos taken by ‘IAD’  ©