Exercise Wallaby 2017 - Photos of Singapore Airlines B777-200 9V-SVF & Royal Brunei Airlines B787-8 Dreamliner V8-DLD at Rockhampton Airport

The heavy jet passenger charter flights in support of the Singapore Armed Force's Exercise Wallaby 2017 made a spectacular start on Saturday 2 September with a pair of fantastic arrivals into Rockhampton Airport - and Kayanne H was one of many local plane spotters who were on hand to take photos!

First to touch down during the latter part of the morning was Singapore Airlines Boeing B777-200 9V-SVF which touched down at Rocky directly from Singapore's Changi Airport as SIA8931.

After unloading a full load of personnel and their bags, the B777 was refuelled and soon after it departed back to Singapore as SIA8932.

Soon after lunch, the second - and perhaps nicest - arrival of the day on Saturday 2 September touched down at Rockhampton Airport in the form of Royal Brunei Airlines Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner V8-DLD which also flew in from Singapore's Changi Airport but as RBA4271.

It too unloaded a full load of personnel and bags and was refuelled, and it later too departed back to Singapore but as RBA4272.

It is expected that V8-DLD will return to Rockhampton Airport once again from Singapore early on Sunday 3 September - stay tuned for more!

A couple of interesting side-notes on these arrivals...

Many have thought that this is the first time that Royal Brunei Airlines has visited Rockhampton - it is in fact NOT the first time - Boeing B757-200s of Royal Brunei were noted also ferrying Singapore Armed Force's personnel into Rockhampton Airport from and back to Changi Airport in the 1990s.

Also, 9V-SVF is one of six B777-200 aircraft that Singapore Airlines leased to Royal Brunei Airlines between 2010 and early 2014 on their long haul flights, with the aircraft registered as V8-BLA.

File photo

I even had the priviledge of flying in V8-BLA during a holiday in 2010 - shortly after it entered service with Royal Brunei - flying from Brunei to London (Heathrow) Airport - where is pictured after we arrived at Heathrow's Terminal 4.

Thanks to Kayanne H for taking the time to capture and send through these great photos of a couple of great visitors to Rockhampton Airport!

All photos and video taken by Kayanne Hardsman  ©