Skytrans Airlines Dash-8-300 VH-QQM Finally Calls into Rockhampton Airport on Labona FIFO Flights - Plus More! - UPDATED WITH PIC!!

Finally!  On Tuesday 14 November, Skytrans Airlines Dash-8-300 VH-QQM arrived into Rockhampton Airport to operate their Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) charter flights to the Labona Station Airstrip within Adani Australia's (Bravus Mining & Resources) Carmichael Coal Mine site and back.

VH-QQM departs Townsville for Labona

It looked to arrive from Townsville as SKP521 and then immediately fly to Labona and back to Rockhampton Airport as SKP777/8.

UPDATE!  On Wednesday 15 November, VH-QQM operated more flights to Labona and back to Rockhampton Airport although the last flight of the day looked to stay at Labona.

UPDATE!  On Saturday 18 November, VH-QQM returned to Rockhampton Airport from Labona as SKP529.

As mentioned previously, VH-QQM is the second of two Dash-8-300 aircraft that Skytrans has acquired with the other being VH-QQL.  VH-QQM was delivered in April 2023.  The next month, it made its first visit into CQ when it flew the Cairns to Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport and back run as SKP85/86.

Of interest, VH-QQM was delivered to Cairns wearing the Canadian registration marking of C-FTAK of Voyager Airways.  The Dash-8-300 has been operated by and for various regional airlines of Air Canada since 1990.  

Meanwhile, also on Tuesday 14 November, McDermott Aviation Group / Machjet International Cessna 525A CitationJet CJ2 bizjet VH-SUY as "Machflight 41" arrived into Emerald Airport from the Sunshine Coast.  It then departed to Gunnedah.

UPDATE!  On Wednesday 15 November, VH-SUY "Machflight 41" returned to at Emerald Airport from Gunnedah and then departed back to the Sunshine Coast.

Bowenville (near Toowoomba) based Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1+ bizjet VH-JSZ flew down from Natal Downs to my local Clermont Aerodrome.  It then departed to Dalby.

Brisbane-based Teys Australia Cessna 525 Citation CJ2 bizjet VH-TEY visited Mackay and Charters Towers Airports from Archerfield.

And the locally-based Embraer EMB-550 Legacy 500 bizjet N142GZ returned to Mackay Airport from Brisbane.  It had flown down on Saturday 11 November.

Finally, also on Tuesday 14 November, Curley Equipment P/L Textron (Cessna) 208B Grand Caravan EX VH-CUY departed Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport for Hamilton Island Airport and then Townsville.  It then looked to head to Cloncurry.

Brisbane-based Piper PA-31-325 Navajo VH-ZMJ flew down from the Whitsunday Airport at Shute Harbour to Bundaberg Airport and then Archerfield. 

Brisbane-based Australian Agricultural Company Pilatus PC-12/47E VH-AAC departed Goonoo Feedlot to Dalgonally Station. 

And Brisbane-based Hewitt Cattle Australia P/L SOCATA TBM 700 VH-PGA, which had flown North-West from near Moura Aerodrome in the morning, flew back down from near Julia Creek back to near Moura.

Photo taken by Graham Aspinall  ©