Airline and Aircraft Changes in the Whitsundays - Jetstar Moves to Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport only - Qantas moves to Hamilton Island Airport only

Over the weekend, big changes have happened at the Whitsundays Airport with a shuffle of Qantas Group airlines between the two nearby Airports - Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport and Hamilton Island (Great Barrier Reef) Airport.

Jetstar Australia Airlines has officially ceased operating into Hamilton Island and moved entirely to Proserpine.

The final Jetstar flight at Hamilton Island Airport takes off.

Jetstar has also upsized some of its flights including the daily JST840/1 service from and back to Sydney to an Airbus A321 aircraft.  On Sunday 26 October, VH-VWW (delivered May 2009) operated the flight - and it was back on Monday 27 October too.

VH-VWW arrives into Proserpine Airport from Sydney.

Meanwhile, Qantas and QantasLink flights have gone from Prosie and now their B737-800s and QantasLink Airbus A220s will fly between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and Hamo.

The final Qantas/QantasLink flight - an E-190 - at Proserpine Airport.

Awesome news that both airlines will add additional flights to the region, which will result in more than 2,300 new low fare seats on Jetstar routes to Proserpine every week and a new Qantas service from Melbourne to Hamilton Island.

Qantas (QantasLink) will also commence flying its new Airbus A220 to Hamilton Island Airport for the first time from both Brisbane and Melbourne. These are operated by National Jet Systems.  

On Sunday 26 October, A220 VH-X4G 'Whale Shark' (delivered May 2025) operated as QLK1596/7 from and back to Melbourne (Tullamarine), while VH-X4E 'Tasmanian Devil' (delivered November 2024) operated as QLK1592/3 from and back to Brisbane.

VH-X4G arrives into Melbourne (Tullamarine)  (File photo)

The A220s will replace Alliance Airlines-operated Embraer E-190 regional jets on the Brisbane services.

UPDATES!!  Over the next week, there were numerous 'first visits' into Central Queensland (from what we know) by the Jetstar Airways Airbus A321 aircraft into Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport and QantasLink (National Jet Systems) Airbus A220 aircraft into Hamilton Island Airport.  Here is a list...

On Monday 27 October, A220 VH-X4F 'Rainbow Lorikeet' (delivered March 2025) operated as QLK1592/3 at Hamo from and back to Brisbane.

On Tuesday 28 October, A321 VH-VWN (delivered December 2016) operated as JST840/1 at Prosie from and back to Sydney.

On Wednesday 29 October, A220 VH-X4B 'Koala' (delivered January 2024) operated as QLK1592/3 at Hamo from and back to Brisbane.

And on Friday 31 October, A321 VH-VWX (delivered May 2009) operated as JST840/1 at Prosie from and back to Sydney, while A220 VH-X4D 'Platypus' (delivered September 2024) operated as QLK1596/7 at Hamo from and back to Melbourne (Tullamarine).

Plus, we have noticed that E-190s have been substituted on some Brisbane services in particular in the subsequent weeks.