Register #396 | Another dangerously slow quarter

Once again, Virgin Australia has continued to grow its fleet steadily each quarter. Two additional 737-800 jets have been added to the register, VH-IJR and -IXK, headed for Virgin. Both jets were formerly operated by SilkAir and Singapore Airlines, and at the time of writing, the planes remain on the ground in Singapore ahead of delivery to Australia. Last quarter, we discussed the offload of Rex’s Boeing 737s following the collapse of its capital city domestic network. The fall left the fate of one particular tail number – VH-REX – in a state flux.

The apt registration of VH-REX has been held by two prior aircraft in Rex Airlines’ fleet. First, in 2010, -REX was appointed to a Rex Saab 340, before being transferred to one of its first Boeing 737s in early 2021. With the collapse of Rex’s 737 arm, Virgin Australia has swooped in to take over the lease, and it appears so far that the tail number will remain untouched. Ironically enough, VH-REX was one of the several 737s that Rex acquired amid Virgin’s massive restructuring in 2020 and 2021 during its own administration processes … make of this what you will. Another former Rex 737, VH-RQP, also shifted hands to Virgin this quarter.

Elsewhere, in an ode to its commitment to regional operations, Qantas has taken delivery of two more De Havilland Dash 8 Q-400 aircraft for its QantasLink subsidiary Sunstate Airlines. VH-84A and -84B were delivered to the airline in December 2024 and January 2025, respectively, with a further two “mid-life” Dash 8s expected to join the airline imminently. Both the newly delivered planes are among the youngest in the Dash 8 fleet at 11 years old – making them nearly 10 years younger than the oldest planes in the fleet. Qantas announced the impending deliveries in June 2024, as the older Dash 8 Q200 and Q300 are gradually phased out.

Qantas took delivery of another senior Airbus A319, to be operated by Network Aviation on its FIFO runs in Western Australia. The 19-year-old plane entered the register as VH-8NV and was ferried from Puerto Rico on 7 January, stopping over in Phoenix, Hawaii, Samoa, and Brisbane and finally landing in Perth on 12 January. This plane, like the entire Network Aviation A319 fleet, had a previous life with Spirit Airlines in the USA, where it served the low-cost carrier for over 10 years.

Meanwhile, another curious A319 entered the register this quarter. VH-L7A, a 22-year-old jet, has made a splash as the first A319 bound for Skytrans. Avia Solution Group (ASG) purchased Skytrans in early 2024 with the specific intention of cashing in on Australia’s booming wet lease opportunities in the regional market. It is such contracts that saw Alliance Airlines grow at such a rate, it resulted in Qantas desperate to get its hands on the company and its assets. While the company only has one firm order to date, Skytrans plans to utilise “up to 20” Airbus A320 family jets to bolster its regional wet lease capacity, in addition to its existing Dash 8 fleet.

Speaking of, and as we have come to expect, Alliance Airlines has welcomed another two new E190 planes into its fleet, VH-A2A and VH-A2C. For those keeping up at home, this now brings the regional wet-lease leader to a total of 52 E190s. Of these, 37 are currently in service, while an additional 15 have been leased and are parked overseas and awaiting delivery. A further backlog of 12 jets is on order, with specifics on deliveries still to be confirmed.