Exercise Wallaby 2023 - Massive Monday of Heavy Jet Movements at Rockhampton Airport - Qantas A330-200 VH-EBM - Royal Brunei B787-8 Dreamliners V8-DLB & V8-DLA - Garuda Indonesia B777-300 PK-GIF

It was a massive day of heavy jet passenger charter flights in support of the Singapore Armed Forces Exercise Wallaby 2023 on Monday 25 September.

Perhaps the highlight was the first time visit by Qantas Airways Airbus A330-200 VH-EBM, which arrived from Sydney as QFA6003 and then proceeded to park on Bay Six on the Southern end of the Rockhampton Airport parking apron.

It loaded a flight of personnel and equipment, and then departed to Singapore’s Changi Airport as QFA315. The aircraft later positioned back to Sydney as QFA6016.

There was also a pair of Royal Brunei Airlines Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, including for the first time this year, VH-DLB, which arrived from Brunei and Singapore as RBA4271/2 and later departed back to Singapore as RBA4282.

While Dreamliner V8-DLA returned to Rockhampton Airport in the late afternoon from Singapore, this time as RBA4275.  After dark, it departed back to Singapore but as RBA4287.

These two Dreamliners are expected to return to Rockhampton Airport one more time on Tuesday 26 September.

Another return visitor to was Garuda Indonesia Boeing B777-3U3(ER) PK-GIF which once again visited Rockhampton Airport before dawn arriving from Jakarta and Singapore as GIA8242/7760 before then departing back to Jakarta as GIA7761.  It has since returned to Singapore and will yet again make an arrival at Rockhampton Airport before dawn on Tuesday 26 September.

Sincere thanks to the local plane spotters for taking the time to capture and send through these great photos of a couple of great visitors to Rockhampton Airport.

Photos taken by Steve Vit, John Lee and Ash Burggraaff  ©