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VH-VUJ in Virgin Australia livery with other aircraft at Sydney in 2017. (Seth Jaworski)
Register #399 | 540 jets change hands in strongest quarter this year
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Christmas has come early in Australia’s commercial aviation scene, with the strongest quarterly results seen for 2025. Over 540 jets were added or traded across the CASA register this quarter, a massive mark of confidence after four consecutive quarters of shaky footing. The CASA register grew by a net number of 21 planes this quarter, the largest jump we’ve seen in over a year. That growth comes despite the loss of 76 registrations this quarter, suggesting renewed confidence in the market – or perhaps old St Nick has arrived early for some?
It was certainly a boon of a quarter for Airbus, with 18 newly registered aircraft recorded in Australia since the beginning of August, including three from its Airbus Helicopters division. A notable addition to the register this quarter, two Airbus A330-300s, dry-leased from Vantaa-based airline Finnair, have now been registered as VH-QPK and -QPL, respectively, to be temporarily operated by Qantas. Earlier this year, the two planes were spotted at Chateauroux Airport in France, newly sporting the iconic red tail, ahead of their delivery to the Australian giant, for a period of “up to” three years. The deal is intended to serve as a stopgap solution for Qantas, as it awaits the delayed delivery of several Boeing 787 Dreamliners. You can read more about the deal and the existing Qantas-Finnair wet lease agreement over in the Traffic column.
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