Register #397 | Trade wars pump the brakes on aircraft sales

Qantas also added one more Airbus A320neo, bound of course for Jetstar as VH-A5E, and two more A319s, VH-8NU and -8NW, headed to the regions with Network Aviation. Speaking of Airbus A319s, Skytrans saw its second A319 join the ranks of the CASA register as VH-L7C. This jet lived its former life in Italy, flying with Air Italia – and later ITA Airways – since 2002. If you’re not up to date, Skytrans, purchased by Avia Solution Group in 2024, is a new Queensland-based challenger airline, trying to make a name for itself in the regional wet-lease market. The second plane touched down in Australia in early March, as the airline celebrated the official procurement of its Air Operator’s Certificate from CASA. For now, the airline will use its A319s to perform ad-hoc charter flights for various clients, while looking to secure longer-term wet lease contracts with the big players Qantas and Virgin. Such a contract would see Skytrans using its own planes and crew, as well as being responsible for its insurances and maintenance, to perform flights on behalf of another airline, usually paid on an hourly basis.

It’s a model that proved exceptionally profitable during the COVID-19 pandemic for Brisbane-based Alliance Airlines, which has grown its fleet of Embraer E190 E-jets again this quarter to 52 planes, spread across its seven operational bases in Adelaide, Cairns, Perth, Townsville, Darwin, and Rockhampton. Alliance is waiting on the delivery of 10 more E-jets, two of which fell onto the register this quarter as VH-A2B and -A2F. Both were successfully delivered just this month. If you tune into this column regularly, you may remember my mention in November of a peculiar trade of metal between Alliance and Darwin-based rival Airnorth. It appears now that Alliance has leased four E190 jets to Airnorth, under an ongoing dry lease agreement. While the planes still bear the Alliance livery, under this agreement, Airnorth is responsible for all staffing, scheduling, maintenance and insurance. It marks an almost unabashed display of confidence from Alliance, which continues to downscale its traditional charter and tourism operations in favour of its strong and profitable FIFO, wet lease and dry lease contracts.

For the deregistrations, it would appear that all of the Rex Boeing 737 planes that were set to leave the country have now done so, with the removal of VH-8JS and -8KH. Meanwhile, the last of Qantas’s 767 freighter fleet has left our shores to begin a new charitable life in the USA – if you’re interested, you can read more on both of these points over in this issue’s Traffic column. Meanwhile, there are now two fewer British Aerospace 146 aircraft in Australia with the retirement of VH-HZU and -IJZ by Pioneer Air. There are now fewer than 10 BAe146s – all freighters – left throughout the country, operated for now only by Pioneer and National Jet Express.

Many stories can be told about the array of aircraft, registrations, and owner/operators of the CASA register – truth be damned. With that, dear readers, you all know, if I see something that tickles me, I simply have to bring it to these pages. And tickle me this did. There is – what I can only assume to be – several naughty husbands in Dubbo who have teamed up together to get their hands on a new Robinson R44 Raven II, operated under the collective name Don’t Tell The Wives. In case any of said wives happen to be reading this, I won’t reveal the numerical value of a brand new R4II, but if you find yourself interested, you can certainly do so. The helicopter, registered VH-TC5, was added to the register in February and appears to have been delivered shortly thereafter. Since then, these sly husbands appear to be taking her out for a daily spin. Lads, I deeply respect the sentiment, and aside from this very public call-out, this I promise you: I won’t tell the wives.