'New' Aerlink ATR 42-500 VH-FVZ Completes Training Flight into some CQ Airports - A First Visit!

On Friday 28 April, a 'new' airframe for a 'new' operator in the form of Aerlink (ex Hevilift) ATR 42-500 VH-FVZ was noted visiting some Central Queensland Airports on what appears to have been a training flight.

The ATR departed Brisbane as HT490 for Toowoomba-Wellcamp (where it was photographed above) before then continuing to Roma, Longreach and Emerald Airports as HT491.  VH-FVZ then flew to Rockhampton Airport as HT492 before returning to Brisbane as HT494.

Of interest, VH-FVZ was delivered to Hevilift (Aerlink) in Cairns in early December 2022 as N844AV as shown.  

It had previously operated for TAME (TAME EP Linea Aerea del Ecuador) and TAME Xpress as HC-CLT.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/aeroprints/

Finally, as mentioned previously, during 2022, the Brisbane-based Hevilift Australia (Fixed Wing Division) was reported to have re-branded as Aerlink. However, it wasn’t until mid-January 2023 that Hevilift official ceased operations and Aerlink commenced operations with the fleet of ATR 42 and ATR 72 turboprop aircraft transferring over.

Photos taken by Garry Wilkinson and Jonathan Williams  ©