Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) (Cobham SAR Services Pty Ltd) Bombardier Challenger 604 Bizjet VH-XNF "Rescue 550" Pops into Longreach Airport

For the second time this week, Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) (Cobham SAR Services Pty Ltd) Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 bizjet VH-XNF has been noted visiting Central Queensland, this time calling into Longreach Airport under the cover of darkness and in the wee small hours of Friday 17 January.

File photo

It looked to fly down from its Cairns base and eventually land (for fuel?) at Longreach Airport.  It looked to complete a search around Blackall.

VH-XNF "Rescue 550" then departed Longreach Airport, completed more airwork around Blackall, and then return to Cairns.

As we've previously reported, Cobham SAR Services Pty Ltd (Cobham) was contracted in 2014 to provide a new search and rescue agreement for AMSA using four Bombardier Challenger CL-604 bizjets from late 2016 for a period of 12 years.

Photo taken by 'IAD'  ©