Traffic

Dornier 228-200 for Trans Pacific Airlines

Trans Pacific Airlines, part of the Uzu Group of Companies, took delivery of Dornier 228-202K VH-URU at Cairns in mid July. Trans Pacific plans to operate the Dornier on RPT services from York Island in the Torres Strait to Cairns and Townsville. Dornier 228-202K VH-URU msn 8162 then registered D-DBDS made its first flight from Oberpfaffenhofen, West Germany in July 88. In July 89 the aircraft was registered D-CATY before being leased the following month to Flexair of Rotterdam as PH-FXA. In February 94 Flexair ceased operations and the following month PH-FXA returned to Oberpfaffenhofen for storage. In October 94 the aircraft was registered to Dornier as D-CUBI prior to it being leased to City Air Bus of Humberside, UK as G-BVTY. City Air Bus commenced services in late November 94 on the route from Humberside to London City however in February 95 it ceased operations. G-BVTY was then ferried to Oberpfaffenhofen for storage prior to the aircraft being leased to Trans Pacific Airlines. The delivery of the Dornier 228 to Trans Pacific Airlines brings the type back to Australia after a period of six years. The Dornier 228-200 experience in Australia previously centres around the National Safety Council, which first operated VH-NSC between September 85 and May 86 before the aircraft was sold overseas. In December 87 the same aircraft returned to the NSCA fleet, this time to be registered VH-NSX. In December 87 and August 88 the NSCA added two more Dornier 228-200s to its fleet with the delivery of VH-NSZ and VH-NSH. In March 89 the NSCA were closed down and the three Dornier 228-200s VH-NSH, -NSX and -NSZ were placed in storage. VH-NSX was the first to leave the country in February 90 when it departed as D-CMIC while VH-NSH and VH-NSZ left the following month as N2255E and N2255Y respectively. In New Zealand the stay of the Dornier 228 was even more short lived than in Australia. In April 91 Astral Air Services of Wellington took delivery of Dornier 228-212s ZK-TRA, ZK-TRB while in May 91 they imported Dornier 228-101 ZK-TRD. After only a few weeks in service Astral Air ceased operations and the three Dorniers departed the country. The Dornier 228-200 however has had better success with operators in the Pacific Islands. Air Caledonie of Noumea has operated the Dornier 228-212 since July 90 when it took delivery of F-ODYB and F-ODYC. Air Marshall Islands took delivery of Dornier 228-100 MI-8504 in October 85 and Dornier 228-201 MI-8605 in June 86. In December 91 these aircraft were replaced by Dornier 228-212s V7-9206 and V7-9207. Air Moorea of Papeete took delivery of Dornier 228-212 F-OHAA in November 91 and F-OHAF in March 92 with both these aircraft later being leased to Air Tahiti. Air Tahiti of Papeete took delivery of Dornier 228-212 F-OHAB in August 90 however this aircraft was destroyed in April 91 when it crashed into the sea off Nuku Hiva Island. F-OHAA and F-OHAF were later leased from Air Moorea. Milne Bay Air of Port Moresby took delivery of its first Dornier 228-212 P2-MBH in November 91 though this aircraft was later returned to Dornier in May 94. Currently MBA operates four Dornier 228-201s P2-MBO, -MBP, -MBQ and -MBR and two Dornier 228-202s P2-MBV and -MBW. Tahiti Conquest Airlines of Papeete took delivery of Dornier 228-212 F-ODUN in September 90.

Ansett Australia Fleet Update

Ansett Australia continues a very busy period of change as new leased aircraft arrive in the country to replace older units in the fleet. Boeing 767-204 VH-RMO was delivered to Ansett Australia at Melbourne on July 27 after the aircraft ferried in from Dothan, Alabama. The delivery of VH-RMO brings the current Ansett Australia Boeing 767 fleet to 10 (767-300 x 1, 767-200 x 9). Meanwhile Ansett is currently sourcing another three Boeing 767 aircraft (767-300 x 1, 767-200 x 2) to add to its international and domestic fleets. Airbus A320-211 VH-HYX was delivered to Ansett Australia at Melbourne on July 6 after the aircraft ferried in from Greensboro, North Carolina. VH-HYX operated its first flight for Ansett on July 11 as AN60 from Melbourne to Brisbane. Both VH-HYX and its sistership VH-HYY are owned by GATX Aircraft Leasing and they were previously operated by Onur Air of Istanbul, Turkey, as TC-ONA and TC-ONB respectively. On April 29 TC-ONB departed Istanbul for the TRIAD plant at Greensboro, North Carolina while TC-ONA followed on May 6. It is interesting to note that prior to TC-ONA becoming VH-HYX and TC-ONB becoming VH-HYY the two aircraft were allocated US registrations N491GX and N490GX respectively. Most of the activity in the Ansett Australia fleet in this period however centres around the Fokker F28. In the early morning darkness at Perth Airport on June 27 F28-4000 VH-FKO hit F28-4000 VH-FKI while the former was being pushed out of the hangar. As a result of damage sustained VH-FKI was out of service for five days while VH-FKO will reportedly be out of service until later in the year. As a consequence of the Perth incident F28-3000 VH-EWG, which had been in storage at Melbourne, returned to service with Ansett on July 1.

VH-EWG was withdrawn from service on July 13 after operating AN265 from Mackay to Brisbane. On July 17 VH-EWG was ferried from Brisbane to Melbourne where it was again placed in storage. F28-4000 VH-EWD operated its last flight for Ansett on July 7 as AN267 from Rockhampton to Brisbane with the aircraft then being ferried to Melbourne on July 10 for storage. F28-4000 VH-EWA operated its last flight for Ansett on July 16 as AN375 from Kununurra to Broome and Perth with the aircraft then being ferried to Melbourne on July 20 for storage. F28-1000 VH-FKE, which was the last of its type in the Ansett fleet, was withdrawn from service in Perth in late July. VH-FKE was then prepared for delivery to Canadian Regional Airlines/Time Air of Alberta, Canada. In early August VH-FKE departed Perth for Darwin on the first leg of its delivery flight to Saskatoon, Canada. By mid August the Ansett Australia F28 fleet status was as follows: F28-3000 VH-EWF, -EWG; F28-4000 VH-EWA, -EWD all in storage at Melbourne. F28-4000 VH-EWB, -EWC, -FKI, -FKJ all in service based in Perth. F28-4000 VH-FKO unserviceable in Perth. Fokker 50 VH-FNC departed Melbourne on July 27 for Alice Springs and Broome on delivery to Skyways of Linkoping, Sweden. On entry into service with Skyways VH-FNC will join the former Ansett Fokker 50s VH-FNF and VH-FNG now operating with Skyways as SE-LED and SE-LEC respectively. Ansett Australia leased Boeing 747-312 N121KG from Singapore Airlines from July 21 to July 28 to cover planned maintenance on its Boeing 747-312 VH-INK. Ansett Australia added Seoul, South Korea to its international network in July with the commencement of a twice weekly service from Sydney. The inaugural Ansett Australia AN825 from Sydney to Seoul on July 2 was operated by Boeing 747-312 VH-INK.

Charrak Air Adds Second Electra to Fleet

Charrak Air took delivery of its first Lockheed Electra freighter N360Q at Cairns on April 23 with the aircraft entering service the following day. Since then N360Q has settled down to a weekly pattern of operations which takes the Electra from Cairns to Honiara and return and from Cairns to Honiara and Brisbane and return. In the period April 23 to July 15 N360Q had flown some 257 trouble free hours with Charrak Air. On July 4 N360Q operated a charter for Freeport Indonesia to Timika in Irian Jaya. From Cairns the Electra initially positioned to Mackay where it picked up a load of machine parts. N360Q then returned to Cairns to complete its shipment before heading for Timika. In late August N360Q was to be placed on the Australian register as VH-CHD and at the same time Charrak Air planned to add a second Electra freighter to its fleet. Exciting as this news is it gets even better as the second Charrak Electra is none other than the former VH-RMA which operated with the Ansett organisation between February 59 and October 84. On October 12 of that year the Electra now registered N356Q but using the callsign ‘Ansett 1’ departed Melbourne for Nadi on the first leg of its delivery flight to TPI International Airways of Miami. Since then the former VH-RMA has operated with freight companies in the United States, Europe and Africa. In February 88 TPI leased N356Q to Air Bridge Carriers in the UK with the Electra making its first trip across the North Atlantic. In November 89 the registration of the Electra was changed from N356Q to N355WS and in August 90 N355WS was flown to Banjul, Gambia on lease to World Airline Gambia. This lease was short lived however and by the following December N355WS was back with TPI in Miami. In April 92 N355WS was noted in storage at Opa Locka, Florida and the same month it was sold to the JBQ Aviation Corp. In October 92 JBQ again registered the Electra N356Q before it crossed the North Atlantic the following month to join Air Bridge Carriers. During its stay in Europe the Electra was also leased to Channel Express, DHL, Fred Olsen and Hunting Cargo. By April 95 N356Q was back at its Opa Locka base where it was painted in the colours of Renown Aviation. Prior to its lease to Charrak Air N356Q was flying freight for Renown Aviation, a subsidiary company of JBQ Aviation, from Miami to the islands of the Caribbean.

King Air Fleet Update

The Queensland Government Police Air Wing has taken delivery of King Air 350 ZS-NAV msn FL-29 with the aircraft first noted at Brisbane on July 14. Currently the Queensland Police Air Wing operates King Air 200 VH-SGT and this 350. It is interesting to note that the King Air 200 VH-SGT is the longest serving aircraft of its type in Australia with the aircraft being registered to the Queensland Government in July 75. Maroomba Air Services of Perth added King Air 200 VH-SMT to its fleet in June. As RP-C22 this King Air had been in Perth for some months after being taken as a trade in by Hawker Pacific on King Air 350 N1555E msn FL-118. Hawker Pacific has sold King Air B200C N82410 msn BL-140 to the Indonesian Director General/Air Communications with the aircraft planned for delivery in August. RFDS/NSW King Air B200s N8254H msn BB-1416 and N773AM msn BB-1430 which were delivered to Bankstown on June 27 (Traffic/August) will be registered VH-MSH and VH-MSM respectively. Learjet 35A N145GJ msn 35-145 was noted at Brisbane on July 17 prior to its delivery to Pel-Air Aviation in Sydney. National Jet Systems was advertising its Westwind II VH-NJW for sale in the national press in early July. Skywest Aviation Westwind Seascans VH-LLW and VH-LLY were noted parked at Jandakot in late July while a decision is made on their future.

Pacific Island News

Island Airways of Madang have added BN-2A-20 Islander P2-CBA to its fleet. This aircraft was previously operated by MAF as P2-MFF. Milne Bay Air/MBA DHC-6-300 Twin Otter P2-MBB was destroyed on July 9 when it crashed near Mendi on a charter flight from Bosavia. The pilot and 18 passengers onboard the Twin Otter were killed. P2-MBB was a relatively new aircraft in the MBA fleet having been delivered to Port Moresby in October 95. Regional Airlines took delivery of DHC-6-300 Twin Otter P2-KSR in early August. As N720CA the Twin Otter ferried into Cairns from Honiara on June 26 (Traffic/August). Regional Airlines is a new name on the airline scene in PNG however the registration of the aircraft suggests they are part of KSS Aviation of Kainantu. Vanair has added EMB-110P1 P2-VAD ‘Township of Vanimo’ to their fleet. The Bandeirante, which was previously operated by Airlines of Tasmania as VH-WPI, was noted at Cairns on June 10 on its delivery flight to Vanimo.