Register #394 | Demand and attrition both high for the quarter

For Qantas’ budget arm Jetstar, two Airbus A320s were removed and transferred to Singapore, to now fly for Jetstar Asia (of which Qantas owns 49 per cent). On the growth side, Jetstar will soon see another A320neo and A321neo delivered to its Melbourne hub, having been added to the register as VH-A5A and VH-OYU, respectively, but not yet delivered.

Meanwhile, the last of the first eight Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets bound for rival Virgin Australia has entered the register as VH-8IH, after the seventh jet, VH-8IG was delivered in June. Another six MAX 8s are now expected to be delivered by year-end after the airline increased its MAX 8 order in November 2023. The once-embattled, now thriving airline is also expecting to welcome the as-yet uncertified larger MAX variant, the MAX 10, to its fleet in 2025, and put its hand up to take over the lease on 3 of fallen airline Rex’s Boeing 737s – though this deal is yet to be solidified.

By August, four of now-defunct Bonza’s six Australian-registered 737 MAXs have been removed from the register, to be transferred overseas. VH-UIK (the first of the airline’s jets, formally named Bazza, -UJK (Sheila), -UJT (Shazza), and -UKH (Malc) have all now been returned to their lessors on foreign shores, bound for a new life in Poland. You can learn more about their fates over in Traffic.

Elsewhere, it appears Australia has a one-in, one-out policy for the wide-body Boeing 767. After Qantas retired its passenger 767s in 2014, it retained just one to continue freight operations under its subsidiary Express Freighters. This plane was quietly retired back in May, however, was only just moved into long-term storage in Alice Springs on 8 August, and removed from the register, along with one of its 737Fs, VH-XMR.

Not to fear, though, for a new 767 has now popped onto the register as VH-FKX, operated by Sydney-based Tasman Cargo Airlines on behalf of DHL. The 14-year-old jet has previously served with DHL’s UK arm under the registration G-DHLG, however was re-registered and entered into service Down Under on 19 June. Since then, it has mostly been utilised to transport cargo – often racehorses – between Sydney, Auckland and Christchurch.

In the general aviation world, the Royal Flying Doctors Service Central Operations has welcomed two new Pilatus PC-12 NGX aircraft to its fleet, registered VH-FNT and VH-FSF, which will service South Australia and the Northern Territory. New PC-12s were also registered to Dubbo-based charter airline Air Link, and Katherine-based corporate charter and freight airline Tindal Air.

Additionally, VH-UCO, an amateur-built 70 per cent scale version of a Hawker Fury dubbed Issac’s Fury II, has been removed from the CASA register, to be instead governed under RAAus regulations as 19-2246. Current owner Craig Laithwood has worked tirelessly since 2021 to return the plane, which hadn’t flown since 2005, back to flightworthy status. VH-UCO finally took to the skies again in September 2023. Well done, mate!