Traffic

From January 31 Skywest took over the Perth to Carnarvon and Perth to Exmouth routes from Ansett Australia. Skywest also took control of the Perth to Geraldton route which previously it had shared with Ansett Australia. South-West Airlines commenced regional airline operations on January 16 between Bunbury and Perth using Chieftain VH-ONC. Yanda Airlines recommenced regional airline operations on January 16 on routes from Sydney to Coonabarabran, Gunnedah, Scone and Singleton. Yanda Airlines was grounded on October 31 last year after its operator’s certificate was not renewed by the CAA.

Dc-3 Fleet Update

Dakota National Air has purchased Douglas DC-3s VH-BPN and VH-PWN from Dick Langs Desert Air Safaris. It is expected that the two aircraft will be ferried from Parafield to Bankstown in late March. The delivery of VH-BPN and VH-PWN to Dakota National Air brings its DC-3 fleet total to six aircraft. Currently Dakota National Air operates VH-DNA, VH-SBL, VH-UPQ from its Bankstown base while the former Papua New Guinea Defence Force C-47B P2-001 is stored at Warnervale. Dakota Downunder based in Albury is reported to have purchased two former RAAF Douglas C-47s. The first of these is A65-64 which has been part of the scene at the RAAF base at Wagga for many years. Noted earlier this month A65-64 was complete except for its rudder and control surfaces. The second aircraft is the former A65-91 which has been part of the Essendon scene since December 1987 when the aircraft flew in from Laverton. Not long after its arrival A65-91 became ‘CF-TBA’ of Trans-Canada Airlines to appear in an ABC TV drama series on the running of the four minute mile. Later A65-91 was registered VH-TMQ to Colbirna Transport of Maitland, NSW and though the registration VH-TMQ was painted under the port wing the aircraft never flew under these marks. During February A65-91/VH-TMQ was dismantled at Essendon in preparation for road transport to Albury. Golden West Airways at Chinchilla owned DC-3 VH-AGU for a number of years. Now parked at Kingaroy the DC-3 is reported to be under restoration for a Victorian based ‘warbird’ group. Finally can anyone help in regards to the present whereabouts of the former Trans-Australia Airlines/Bush Pilots Airways DC-3 VH-AEQ? The DC-3 has gone walkabout after last being noted in the backyard of a property in the Melbourne suburb of South Blackburn.

Pacific Island News

Air Caledonie International commenced operations from Noumea to Auckland and Papeete and return on January 17. Air Caledonie is wet leasing DC-10-30s from AOM French Airlines for operations on the route. On January 17/18 0-30 F-ODLZ operated for Air Caledonie while on January 24/25 the DC-10-30 used was F-GLMX. Air Nauru Boeing 737-400s are to operate a ten month programme of flights for Kiwi Travel Air Charters linking Hamilton, New Zealand with the Queensland ports of Brisbane, Cairns, Coolangatta, Rockhampton and Townsville. Flights will commence on April 9 with the first service between Hamilton and Coolangatta. Air Pacific took delivery of Boeing 737-33A DQ-FJD at Nadi on January 25. The Boeing is leased from Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services and was ferried from Phoenix to Nadi via Los Angeles, Honolulu and Apia. DQ-FJD operated its first revenue flight for Air Pacific on January 28 when it flew as the FJ200 from Nadi to Tonga. DQ-FJD which also operates for Royal Tongan Airlines carries a dual colour scheme with Air Pacific colours on the port side and Royal Tongan on the starboard. Polynesian Airlines dry leased Qantas Boeing 737-376 VH-TJD from January 20 to February 6 while its own Boeing 737-3Q8 5W-ILF underwent planned maintenance with Qantas in Melbourne. Polynesian Airlines’ former Boeing 737-383(QC) 5W-FAX which was returned to ILFC in July ’94 was registered in November to the French Aeropostale as F-GIXH. Solomon Airlines has added a second DHC-6-300 Twin Otter to its fleet with the delivery in late 1994 of H4-SID which was the former Flight West aircraft VH-XFE.

Dash 8s For Qantas Regionals.

Qantas Regional operators Southern Australia Airlines and Sunstate Airlines both took delivery of additional DHC-8-100 equipment in this period. The delivery of these Dash 8s brings the Qantas regional fleet total for this type to 13: Eastern Australia x 6, Southern Australia x 3, Sunstate x 4. Southern Australia Airlines took delivery of DHC-8-102 VH-WZS at its Mildura base on February 12. VH-WZS originated its ferry flight at the Stevens Aviation facility at Falcon Field, Peachtree City which is about 40km south of Atlanta. The Dash 8 was then routed via Toronto, St John, Azores, Palma, Crete, Luxor, Abu Dhabi, Bombay, Madras, Medan, Singapore, Bali, Broome and Ayers Rock to Mildura. Total flying time for the delivery flight was 55 hours. VH-WZS msn 005 was originally delivered to the Canadian operator City Express in September 85 as C-GGTO and it operated with them until August ’90. After a period of storage the Dash 8 was registered to Canopus Leasing as N85CL in June ’91. In October ’93 the Dash 8 was leased to the Instituto Civil Aeronautico of Quito, Ecuador as HC-BSX. On entry into service on February 17 VH-WZS released VH-WZI and in turn VH-WZJ for painting in Qantas colours at the ASTA facility at Avalon. It is interesting to note that the other two Dash 8s in the Southern fleet VH-WZI and VH-WZJ have followed a parallel path to VH-WZS. VH-WZI was originally C-GCTX with City Express then N814CL with Canopus Leasing while VH-WZJ was C-FCTE with City Express then N27CL with Canopus Leasing. Southern Regional will add Burnie to its route network from March 28 with a twice daily (Friday x 3) return service from Melbourne. Sunstate Airlines took delivery of its fourth Dash 8 VH-TNU at Townsville on February 15 after the aircraft ferried in from Austria. VH-TNU msn 203 was originally delivered to Tyrolean Airlines in March ’90 as OE-LLM and to date had only flown with that airline. Sunstate has also contracted to add two further Shorts 360-300 aircraft to its fleet with the first planned for delivery in late March. The delivery of these two Shorts 360-300 aircraft, to be registered VH-SUM and VH-SUR, will bring the Sunstate fleet total for this type to six.

The prospective VH-SUR msn SH3720 was delivered to GPA Jetprop in April ’87 as EI-BTK before being leased the same month to Philippine Airlines. After termination of its lease to Philippine Airlines EI-BTK returned to the UK in March ’94 where it was registered G-BNFD before being operated on lease to the Newcastle based regional operator Gill Air. VH-SUM msn SH3728 was delivered to GPA Jetprop in December ’87 as EI-BTP before being leased the same month to Philippine Airlines. EI-BTP returned to the UK in May ’94 where it was registered G-BNYF before being placed in storage. The delivery and entry into service of VH-SUM and VH-SUR will see the withdrawal from service of Sunstate’s remaining Shorts 330 VH-KNQ.

Airline News

Air New Zealand took delivery of former Air Malta Boeing 737-2Y5 9H-ABC at Christchurch on December 19 with the aircraft later entering service as ZK-NAD and not ZK-NAG as we quoted in Traffic/March. Boeing 737-2M6 ZK-NAZ, which was withdrawn from service in early ’94, was being prepared for overseas sale in late January. Boeing 767-209ER ZK-NBH which was withdrawn from service in December was still parked at Auckland in late January. Ansett New Zealand took delivery of the former Ansett Australia BAe 146-300 VH-EWJ at Christchurch on January 14. Although the Bae 146-300 will eventually be registered to Ansett New Zealand as ZK-NZM as of mid February it continues to fly as VH-EWJ. Ansett New Zealand BAe 146-200QC ZK-NZI departed Melbourne for Christchurch on February 4 after being painted in the new Ansett colour scheme. On February 6 BAe 146-300 ZK-NZI arrived in Melbourne from Christchurch for its turn in the paint shop. Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services has wet leased two Boeing 767-33AER aircraft to Alitalia for operations between Italy and North America. Both Boeing 767s were registered in Australia to Nordstress P/L, as VH-ITA and VH-ITB respectively. VH-ITA was delivered to Alitalia on January 20 while VH-ITB was handed over later in the month. The delivery of these aircraft to Ansett Worldwide takes its total of Boeing 767s purchased to 20. On December 13 Ansett Worldwide took delivery of Boeing 737-33A F-ODZY with the aircraft being sold the same day to the Indian Ocean based airline Air Reunion. Australia Asia Airlines ‘leased’ Boeing 767-338ER VH-OGE from Qantas for a period commencing in early February to cover an increase in traffic between Australia and Taiwan. To allow VH-OGE to operate into Taiwan the Qantas titles and kangaroo were removed from the aircraft. Mount Cook Airline took delivery of DHC-6-300 Twin Otter N662MA at Christchurch on January 12 after the aircraft completed its trans Tasman crossing from Sydney. The Twin Otter which was later registered to the Mount Cook Group as ZK-TFS was originally delivered to ARAMCO (Arabian American Oil Company) as N662MA in July 1978. Mount Cook added Chieftain ZK-KVW to its fleet on December 23. As VH-JLC the PA-31-350 was ferried across the Tasman in April 94 on delivery to United Aviation of Palmerston North. Fokker F27-100 ZK-BXF was withdrawn from Mount Cook service on December 31 with the Friendship being cancelled from the New Zealand register the same day. The official paperwork shows ZK-BXF as being exported to Senegal however as of late January the Friendship in its Mount Cook titles was still static at Christchurch Airport.

Ferry Flights

Aerodata of Wembley, Western Australia has purchased three Shorts Skyvan 3M-400 previously operated by the Singapore Air Force. Noted at Jandakot on January 23 after ferrying in from Singapore and Darwin was Skyvan 3M-300 VH-WGG which still showed signs of being serial number 700 with the Singapore Air Force. Arriving at Jandakot on 25/01 over the same route was Skyvan 3M-300 VH-WGL ex 701 of the Singapore Air Force. The third Skyvan for Aerodata is VH-WGQ ex 702 of the Singapore Air Force. Noted at Essendon on January 23 was Cessna 404 ST-AMA of Eldinder Aviation of Khartoum. Since its arrival at Essendon ST-AMA has been hangared with Australasian Jet Charter. The Royal Flying Doctor Service/South Australian Division plan to take delivery of its first two Pilatus PC-12 aircraft at Adelaide on March 20. Registered VH-FMC msn 109 and VH-FMF msn 110 the PC-12’s will be ferried from Stans in Switzerland to Adelaide via the Middle East, India and Indonesia. The Australian Cessna Caravan agents Australian Jet Charter are going to have a busy time over the next few months as they import a number of Cessna 208B Caravans. Due in Perth in early March is msn 0418 for Red Dust Air/ Drillex while the same month Ngaanyatjarra Air in Alice Springs will take delivery of Cessna 208B msn 0416. The Cessna 208B will replace in service Cessna 208 VH-NGD which was delivered to Ngaanyatjarra Air in June ’93. The Cessna 208 VH-NGD has in turn been sold to Pearl Coast of Onslow, Western Australia who plan to take delivery of the Caravan after it has been fitted with floats. Uzu Air, Cairns will take delivery of Cessna 208B msn 0428 in April and the following month another Cairns based operator Cape Slattery Mines will replace its BN-2A VH-INO with Cessna 208B msn 0434. Finally Noumea based operator Aviazur will take delivery of a Cessna 208B in October with the aircraft being supplied by the New Zealand agents Flightline.