Ex-Virgin Australia ATR 72-500 VH-FVH Returns to Australia for Hevilift Australia

Certainly a surprise arrival into Brisbane Airport on Tuesday 16 October was ATR 72-500 VH-FVH.  The ATR was operated by Virgin Australia (Skywest Airlines / Virgin Australia Regional Airlines - VARA) from 2011 until June 2017 before it departed Australia for Nelson in New Zealand for maintenance and subsequent storage.

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Earlier on Tuesday 16 October, it completed a local test flight at Nelson before flying across the Tasman and landing at Brisbane Airport.  VH-FVH was heard to be using the radio callsign of "Hevilift 1".

It would appear that VH-FVH has possibly been re-registered and is now being operated by Hevilift Australia (Fixed Wing Division).

On Wednesday 17 October, VH-FVH was noted ferrying from Brisbane to Cairns, again as "Hevilift 1" where it is expected to undergo maintenance and re-painting in preparation for operations with Hevilift.

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VH-FVH will join fellow former Virgin Australia ATR 72-500 VH-FVM (pictured above) and ATR 42-320 VH-YWH on Hevilift's Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) and other closed charter flights.  Both VH-FVM and VH-YWH currently operate into Biloela / Thangool, Middlemount and Moranbah Airports.

Nice!

Photo taken by Lloyd Fox  ©