Low Cloud and Fog Cause Problems at Central Queensland Airports

As the Blog Post below highlighted, I popped into Mackay Airport briefly on Thursday 23 August before I headed to some work commitments.  As the day went on at Mackay, there was more and more fog and low cloud rolling in over the Airport, such that by late afternoon / early evening, Mackay Airport was shut, with no noteworthy movements arriving or departing.

Consequently, on Friday 24 August, both Jetstar and Virign Australia operated additional flights fro Brisbane to clear the 'backlog' of passengers, while QantasLink operated bigger capacity aircraft on a couple of their Friday morning flights to Mackay from Brisbane.

Noted arriving from Brisbane were Jetstar Airbus A320 VH-VGY operating as JST7504/7505, while Virgin Australia B737-800 VH-YIJ operated VOZ9951/9952.  Alliance Airlines Fokker F-100 VH-FKK was noted flying into Mackay twice operating for QantasLink on flights from Brisbane, as well as their own Cobham Aviation-operated Boeing B717-200 service which was operated by VH-NXM.

Meanwhile, at Rockhampton Airport, there were some minor delays and flight cancellations, with a pair QantasLink Dash-8-Q400 aircraft - possibly VH-QOW and VH-QOF - noted departing late on Friday 24 August with unusual flights numbers, suggesting these were additional flights.

Lastly, a Virgin Australia flight to Gladstone Airport diverted to Rockhampton late in the morning on Friday 24 August.  Skywest Airlines-operated ATR 72-500 VH-FVU, which was flying the VOZ1711 service from Brisbane to Gladstone, was noted arriving at Rockhampton Airport.