JetBlue Airways (USA) / Alliance Airlines Embraer ERJ-190AR (ERJ-190-100 IGW) N183JB Arrives into Rockhampton Airport

A great arrival into Rockhampton Airport on Friday 3 November as now former JetBlue Airways (USA) / Alliance Airlines Embraer ERJ-190AR (ERJ-190-100 IGW) N183JB touched down at the end of a delivery flight as 'SXI2371' / "Southern Cross 2371".

It arrived from Brisbane having started its delivery flight at Georgia in the USA, and flying via Oakland, Honolulu, Marshall Islands & Brisbane.

N183JB is the first of 30 former JetBlue Airways E-190s that Alliance will take delivery of with reports suggesting that some will enter service with the airline, while others will be used as a source of spare parts to maintain their growing E-190 fleet.  The rest are due to be delivered up to January 2026.

There are mixed reports that N183JB will now either undergo maintenance prior to entering service, or be used as a source of spare parts for the remainder of the Alliance fleet of E-190 jets, or be scrapped at Rockhampton Airport.

We shall wait and see!

Meanwhile, also spotted still at the Alliance Airlines hangar at Rockhampton Airport, also on Friday 3 November, was Fokker F-70 jet VH-KBX which arrived in August and has been placed in long-term storage.

Sincere thanks to the local plane spotters for taking the time to capture and send through these great photos!

Photos taken by 'IAD', Trevor Hardsman and Don Williams  ©