Recently Acquired Alliance Airlines (Virgin Australia) Fokker F-100 VH-FNC Makes First Visit into Central Queensland at Mackay Airport - Plus More!

On Tuesday 29 October, recently acquired Alliance Airlines Fokker F-100 VH-FNC made its first visit into Central Queensland, arriving into Mackay Airport from Brisbane operating on behalf of Virgin Australia Airlines as VOZ609.  It later departed back to the capital as VOZ610.  VH-FNC had earlier completed a flight to Canberra and back also on behalf of Virgin.

The Fokker which had been operating over in Perth, Western Australia for some time, flew across to Brisbane on delivery to Alliance Airlines on Thursday 24 October as UTY9822.

The 33-year-old Fokker F-100 (c/n 11334) has had a fascinating history, arriving into Australia in 2008 after being sold to Virgin Australia which then operated the aircraft for Skywest Airlines in Perth, Western Australia.  It had previously been operated by US Airways as N882US and Germania (Air Berlin) as D-AGPO.

File photo

Following the full acquisition of Skywest Airlines by Virgin in 2012/3, VH-FNC was then re-painted into Virgin livery and was operated by the newly named Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA).  VH-FNC was finally withdrawn from use in April 2024 and temporarily stored at Perth.

Meanwhile, also on Tuesday 29 October, Air Gold Coast Cessna 525A CitationJet CJ2 bizjet VH-ZDM flew up from the Gold Coast and Ballina to Hamilton Island Airport.  It later flew back down to the Gold Coast.

Robindale Group / Air Link Cessna 510 Citation Mustang bizjet VH-CMK flew up from Orange to the Sunshine Coast and then Bundaberg Airport.  Later, it flew across to Emerald Airport.

UPDATE!  On Thursday 31 October, VH-CMK departed Emerald Airport for Bundaberg Airport before then continuing to the Sunshine Coast and home to Orange.  Interesting to note VH-CMK did a similar pattern of flights a fortnight ago!

And Brisbane-based Piper PA-31 Navajo VH-DEP visited my local Clermont Aerodrome from Archerfield and Emerald Airports.

Photos taken by 'AC' and David Rowcroft  ©

Hevilift Australia Re-Brands as Aerlink – New and Painted ATR 72 VH-FVY Calls into Moranbah Airport on FIFO Duties

During 2022, 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.

And the first aircraft operating in Aerlink colours has started flying into Central Queensland with ATR 72-500 VH-FVY commencing Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) operations from Brisbane to and back from Moranbah Airport on Tuesday 7 March as HT725/6.

VH-FVY was ferried into Brisbane from Subang, Malaysia via Port Hedland in mid-January as 2-LUDO. It previously operated for Malaysia Airline’s low-cost subsidiary Firefly as 9M-FYE.  It was then registered at VH-FVY and ferried to Cairns where it was re-painted.

VH-FVY joins four other ATR 72 aircraft - some of which were previously operated by Virgin Australia (Virgin Australia Regional Airlines [VARA] / Skywest Airlines) – VH-FVH, FVI (ex OY-CLU/VH-YWV), VH-FVL and VH-FVM, plus three ATR 42 aircraft VH FVZ (ex HC-CLT/N844AV), VH-YWX (ex P2-AVV) and VH-YWU which is former Toll Freight VH-TOQ and was photographed at Cairns Airport recently as shown below.

Of interest, former Hevilift Australia ATR 42 aircraft VH-TOX – which was also previously operated by Toll Freight Aviation – and VH-YWH are in long term storage with a recent photo of VH-YWH at Cairns Airport showing the aircraft being used as a source of spare parts.

Photos taken by Lloyd Fox and Jonathan Williams  ©

Former Virgin Australia ATR 72-500 VH-FVI (Now FlyBig India VT-FBA) Departs Australia For Good – Again!

As mentioned in a Blog post below, former Virgin Australia ATR 72-500 VH-FVI has been re-painted into the livery and titles of new Indian regional airline FlyBig. The ATR originally returned to Australia at the start of 2020 following a period of storage at Nelson in New Zealand.

In late August, VH-FVI was photographed wearing the Indian Registration marking of VT-FBA, but in late September, it had its original Australian Registration marking of VH-FVI taped over this to allow it to complete test flights in the area.

On Friday 9 October, VH-FVI departed Australia and has since entered storage at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad in India. The next week, VH-FVI was officially struck off the Australian Aircraft register and placed on the Indian Aircraft register as VT-FBA.

UPDATE!  VT-FBA launched services as the long aircraft in the FlyBig fleet on Sunday 3 January 2021.

Meanwhile, as also mentioned below, another former Virgin Australia ATR 72-500 VH-FVU has also returned to Cairns from Nelson at the start of the year and a has also recently been photographed now wearing the titles and livery of FlyBig, plus the Indian Registration marking of VT-FBB.

Its fate remains unclear.

UPDATE!  In December, VH-FVU/VT-FBB was photographed again wearing its Australian Registration marking and seems to have been now not taken up by FlyBig with the ATR again in storage at Cairns.

All photos taken by Jonathan Williams  ©

Former Virgin Australia ATR 72-500s VH-FVU & VH-FVI Spotted at Cairns Airport in FlyBig (India) Livery Plus Indian Registration Markings

Recently spotted at Cairns Airport by local plane spotter Jonathon W has been a pair of former Virgin Australia ATR 72-500s VH-FVU & VH-FVI now wearing the titles and livery of a new Indian-based regional airline FlyBig. They also appear to have been re-registered – although at the time of writing, they have not yet been struck off the Australian Aircraft register.

On Thursday 13 August, former VH-FVU was photographed now wearing the Indian Registration marking of VT-FBB, as well as the FlyBig titles and livery.

On Thursday 27 August, former VH-FVI was photographed now wearing the Indian Registration marking of VT-FBA, as well as the FlyBig titles and livery.

At the time of writing, both aircraft remain in Cairns. They had arrived there from storage in Nelson, New Zealand, via Brisbane, back during January and February this year.

UPDATES!

In September, VH-FVI/VT-FBA was photographed again wearing its Australian Registration marking as it completed some test flights out of and back to Cairns. 

VH-FVI then departed Australia on Friday 9 October and has entered storage at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad in India. The next week, VH-FVI was officially struck off the Australian Aircraft register and placed on the Indian Aircraft register as VT-FBA. 

 VT-FBA launched services as the long aircraft in the FlyBig fleet on Sunday 3 January 2021.

In December, VH-FVU/VT-FBB was photographed again wearing its Australian Registration marking and seems to have been now not taken up by FlyBig with the ATR again in storage at Cairns.

All photos taken by Jonathan Williams  ©

Alliance Airlines Fokker F-70 Jet VH-KBX Pops into Bundaberg and Gladstone Airport - Plus More Airline News!

Certainly a very nice surprise visitor to both Bundaberg and Gladstone Airports on Friday 24 April was Alliance Airlines Fokker F-70 jet VH-KBX.  It was operating on behalf of Virgin Australia on 'new' triangular route which sees the VOZ2905 service depart Brisbane for Gladstone Airport but with a stop at Bundaberg Airport on the way.  The VOZ2904 service then returns direct to Brisbane from Gladstone Airport.

It appears that this new routing has commenced this week.

Of interest, Fokker F-70 jet VH-KBX previously flew with the Royal Netherlands Air Force / Government of the Netherlands as a VIP transport aircraft and carried the Dutch registration marking of PH-KBX.  It arrived into Brisbane in August 2017 and entered the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-KBX soon after.  VH-KBX looked to finally enter service in May last year.  VH-KBX has reportedly maintained its VIP interior to possibly become Alliance Airlines' new 'corporate charter aircraft'.

Meanwhile, it was a positive start this week with both Virgin Australia and Qantas Airways ramping up their domestic flights with a $165 million assist from Federal Government.   Under the package, Qantas and Virgin will reinstate over 220 flights per week on routes serving all capital cities and 36 larger regional centres across all states and territories to create what's called a 'minimum domestic network'.

However, as was widely reported, also this week, Virgin Australia, with a 20-year history of operating in Australia, announced it had gone into voluntary administration.  With $5 billion in debt and no hope of a government bailout, the company said it planned to "recapitalise the business" and appointed accounting firm Deloitte to act as its administrator.

In 2000, Virgin Australia first entered the Australian aviation market with just one route, two aircraft and 200 employees.  Then known as Virgin Blue, the airline's first flight was from Brisbane to Sydney on Thursday 31 August 2000.

Sincere thanks to Dan from Dan Beck Photography for allowing us to share these great photos!

Photo taken by Dan B  ©

Three Former Virgin Australia ATR 72-500s Fly Back to Australia – Possibly for Hevilift(?) – UPDATED!

Over the last month or so, a further three former Virgin Australia ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft have ferried back into Australia after spending time parked in storage at Nelson in New Zealand.

On Tuesday 4 February, VH-FVU was photographed (above) at Brisbane after flying back from Nelson as VA9948. It then departed to Cairns as the same.

On Saturday 22 February, VH-FVX also arrived into Brisbane and then Cairns also from Nelson as VA9948.

And on Thursday 5 March, VH-FVL also arrived into Brisbane and then Cairns also from Nelson as VA9948.

It is unclear what the fate of the ATRs will be in Cairns, but it has been reported that they will undergo planned heavy maintenance and possibly then be delivered to Hevlift Australia for their charter and passenger operations.

UPDATES! 

Of the three ATR 72-500s mentioned above, VH-FVU eventually rolled out of the hangar in August wearing the titles and livery of Indian regional start-up airline FlyBig. It also wore the Indian Registration marking of VT-FBB. 

VH-FVU then had its Australian Registration marking taped over the Indian Registration marking and at the time of writing this update (December 2020), it doesn’t look like the ATR was taken up by FlyBig and rather it continues to be parked at Cairns – as shown below.

VH-FVU eventually departed Cairns Airport for overseas on Saturday 19 June with it then eventually landing at and entering storage at Bar River Airport in Canada.  It was struck off the Australian Aircraft Register in late June and appears to have been registered in Canada as C-FNAN with North Star Air - a Canadian charter, passenger and cargo airline headquartered in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

VH-FVX has remained parked at Cairns Airport and was photographed in December 2021.

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VH-FVL remained parked at Cairns and was photographed in June 2021 looking slightly worse for wear.

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VH-FVL was then photographed in late September 2021 soon after being rolled out of the hangar in the full titles and livery of Hevilift Australia.  It looked to enter service with Hevilift on closed Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) charter flights between Townsville and Osborne Mine and also Cairns and Mount Gordon Copper Mine.

Photos taken by Lloyd Fox and Jonathan Williams  ©️

Hevilift Australia ATR 72-500 VH-FVH Pops into Rockhampton Airport - Plus ATR 72 VH-FVI Delivered and Re-Painted! - UPDATED!

With school returning, it is suspected that Hevilift Australia (Fixed Wing Division) ATR 72-500 VH-FVH operated a closed charter flight carrying students into Rockhampton Airport from Horn Island in Far North Queensland on Thursday 30 January.  It was noted flying as HT706

File photo

After an hour on the ground, VH-FVH returned to Brisbane again as HT706.

VH-FVH had flown North from Brisbane the previous day but as HT705.

Meanwhile, back on Tuesday 14 January and Wednesday 15 January, fellow ATR 72-500 VH-FVI was noted flying back into Australia via Brisbane from Nelson in New Zealand before it then continued to Cairns.  It was noted flying using the Virgin Australia flight number and callsign of "VOZ9943".

It has been that VH-FVI has been acquired by Hevilift and flew into Cairns for re-painting.

VH-FVI was one of many ATR 72 turboprops that were ferried across to Nelson for storage by Virgin Australia in 2017.

As these recent photos show, four Virgin Australia ATRs remain stored at Nelson with most of them having their props removed.

UPDATES!  On Thursday 27 August, former VH-FVI was photographed now wearing the Indian Registration marking of VT-FBA, as well as the titles and livery of a new Indian-based regional airline FlyBig.

In September, VH-FVI/VT-FBA was photographed again wearing its Australian Registration marking as it completed some test flights out of and back to Cairns.  VH-FVI then departed Australia on Friday 9 October and has entered storage at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad in India.  The next week, VH-FVI was officially struck off the Australian Aircraft register and placed on the Indian Aircraft register as VT-FBA.  

VT-FBA launched services as the long aircraft in the FlyBig fleet on Sunday 3 January 2021.

Photos taken by Zac Fitzgerald and Kynan Schneider  ©️

Hevilift Australia ATR 72-500 VH-FVH Enters Service with FIFO Charter Flights into Middlemount Airport

Late on Tuesday 1 January, Hevilift Australia (Fixed Wing Division) ATR 72-500 VH-FVH entered service with the airline and operated a closed Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) charter flight in and out of Middlemount Aerodrome as HT773/774 from and back to Brisbane.

The former Virgin Australia ATR 72 had returned to Australia from storage at Nelson, New Zealand in October last year and flew back into Brisbane from Cairns in early December following a period of maintenance and re-painting.  VH-FVH completed a local test flight around Brisbane on Friday 21 December.

VH-FVH then completed another FIFO charter flight on Wednesday 2 January, again flying in and out of Middlemount Aerodrome but as HT771/772 again from and back to Brisbane - where it is pictured above.

Of interest, Hevilift has also operated fellow former Virgin Australia ATR 72-500 VH-FVM which completed its last FIFO charter flight in and out of Moranbah Airport last Wednesday 26 December.  It was also interesting to note that VH-FVM completed a Brisbane to Moranbah Airport then Cairns flight last Monday 24 December before it returned to Brisbane.

File photo

The two ATR 72s join Hevilift’s ATR 42-320 VH-YWH which I spotted arriving into Brisbane on completing of another FIFO charter flight from Moranbah Airport also last Monday 24 December.

FIFO charter flights from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast to Biloela / Thangool Airport seem to have been placed on hold.

Finally, Hevilift still operates De Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter VH-YWJ on FIFO charter flights between Mount Isa and The Monument (Phosphate Hill) Airport.

VH-YWJ at Rockhampton Airport  (File photo)

Nice!

Photos taken by Lloyd Fox and Don Williams  ©

Gladstone Airport Information and Plane Spotting Locations - UPDATED!!

Updated January 2019.

Gladstone is a rapidly growing industrial city on the Central Queensland coast. The airport caters primarily for business and leisure travellers and freight activities associated with the region's developed and emerging industrial complexes. The Airport is located on Aerodrome Road, approximately 5km from the city centre and is well catered for by taxi and charter bus services.

Scheduled passenger services to Gladstone Airport are operated by Qantas (QantasLink) and Virgin Australia / Alliance Airlines.  QantasLink flights are mostly operated by Dash-8-Q300 and Dash-8-Q400 turbo-prop aircraft with the occasional Cobham Aviation-operated Boeing B717-200 jet aircraft.

Virgin Australia services are operated by Alliance Airlines Fokker F-70 and F-100 jet aircraft.  Alliance Airlines took over operating some services for Virgin Australia into Gladstone in 2017.

There is the occasional Virgin Australia Boeing B737 jet service to Gladstone Airport when loads dictate.

All scheduled flights operating at Gladstone Airport are currently from and to Brisbane.

Gladstone also occasional sees larger aircraft operating closed charter flights such as Skytraders Pty Ltd Airbus A319-115(LR) VH-VHD "Snowbird 1" as shown below.

The main Gladstone Airport terminal is on the Southern side of the Airport itself and underwent major expansion in 2011, along with some associated runway and taxiway works.  The Airport terminal was extensively overhauled with a new departure lounge and seating added, as well as the introduction of passenger security screening facilities.  A 'Coffee Club' restaurant has also opened in this section beyond the security check-point.

The Gladstone Airport Terminal is also effectively in two sections with the upper section featuring the check-in counters, car rental service desks, some general seating including a kiosk/bar, as well as the baggage collection carousel.

There are good views from the terminal over the entire Airport parking apron, and further to the main Runway 10/28 - although these are through glass.

Outside the terminal and to the East, the Long-term parking lot has great views over this end of the Airport parking apron.  Local plane spotters have been known to frequent this area to capture some great photos - particularly during the morning - but also capture some atmospheric night photos of visiting aircraft staying overnight.

Venturing back past the terminal and continuing further West, spotters will head towards the General Aviation (GA) Area featuring the recently opened Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) crew rest area and hangar.  There are great views through the fence over the often very busy GA Apron containing local aircraft along with numerous visiting aircraft calling in to the industrial city.

Air Charter CQ / Australia by Seaplane flys passengers to the nearby Heron Island from their small terminal building and their Found Aircraft Canada Bush Hawk XP VH-OOB and De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk1 VH-IDO are prominent on the GA Apron.

Continuing further West, starting to get away from the main Airport area, Aerodrome Road winds its way up a hill, past some locally owned aircraft hangars, and the raised aspect of this part overlooking Gladstone Airport allows spotters to capture some great images of aircraft on the close Taxiway and further to the Runway.  

Relatively unobstructed views over the Airport parking apron can also be had in this area.

Other General Aviation operations take place on the Northern side of Gladstone Airport - along Callemondah Drive - where Heli-Aust Whitsundays (Gladstone Helicopters) completes several flights each day on marine pilot transfers to Gladstone Harbour.

Local aircraft maintenance provider, Aerotor, also has its facilities on this side of the Airport.  There are usually helicopters parked on the nearby aprons, along with various light aircraft which are often parked on nearby parking aprons.

Plane spotting and photography is possible on this Northern side of Gladstone Airport, with the morning being the best time around this side for photos as the sun will largely behind you.  

For a full view of Gladstone Airport and its main Runway 10/28, you can stand on the side of the Dawson Highway and nearby streets, although parking on these roads is limited or prohibited.

Moreover, please be advised that there are several parking restrictions around local streets and in parts of the Airport complex.

I find Gladstone is a pretty easy place to capture most aircraft movements.

File photos taken by Col B, Anthony Schulz, Michael Fleetwood and Jamie & Tash  ©