Register #402 | Cracking the CASA code

Meanwhile, Qantas saw several new aircraft hit the register, most of which were routed towards its regional operations. The most unusual is a 17-year-old Airbus A330-300, registered VH-QPM, which has also been spotted performing test flights without the iconic Qantas red kangaroo tail. Previously in Finnair’s fleet, sources suggest this plane will not see its final rebrand until at least early 2027; however, it will soon begin passenger operations from Sydney to Honolulu, Tokyo, and Manila. It appears to be the third aircraft involved in the redrawing of Qantas’ long-standing wet-lease arrangement with Finnair, which has since been swapped for a longer-term dry lease of aircraft.

Speaking of wet-lease mix-ups, Qantas has also taken delivery of three Embraer E190 jets, bound for regional subsidiary Network Aviation. Registered as VH-E9A, -E9B, and -E9C, they mark the first Qantas-owned E190 metal to operate under the QantasLink banner. Qantas has held a successful five-year wet-lease agreement with Alliance Airlines for use of the smaller airline’s E190s and its staff, all donned in QantasLink livery. However, Alliance recently announced it will reduce the number of aircraft on offer to Qantas under its COVID-19-era wet lease agreement by at least seven planes. Alliance has revealed in the past that its deal with Qantas was negotiated under very different operating circumstances, and while once profitable, the agreement as it stands was no longer financially viable – it appears a new deal has been reached, with details yet to be shared at the time of writing. Last up for the Qantas Group this quarter is an Airbus A320neo, VH-A5F, to be delivered to Jetstar – the 10th of 13 currently on order.

For flight training, Sydney Flight College saw four new Piper aircraft registered – two single-engine PA-28 Cherokee and two PA-44 Seminole twin-engine trainer aircraft, while in GA, 15 new amateur-built aircraft were successfully registered. Impressive!

Meanwhile, for EMS, the Royal Flying Doctor Service has seen five brand-new Pilatus PC-12 PRO aircraft added to the register. The RFDS says its new PC-12 PRO fleet, based in Jandakot, offers “enhanced speed, range, efficiency and safety”, and has dubbed the aircraft a “flying intensive care unit”. The new planes form part of a $60 million fleet renewal, which will lead to the gradual retirement of the organisation’s older PC-12 fleet by 2030. Pilots and medical crews are currently undergoing specialised training ahead of their aircraft’s launch into operational service later in 2026.

You know me, I’m always a sucker for a very apt aircraft registration, so I simply couldn’t look past the rego VH-KEY, a privately owned Beechcraft A36 Bonanza, being swapped into the name of a local limited company, ‘Key Bonanza’. Some digging revealed that the plane was previously operated by the Perth-based charter company FlyWest Aviation. However, there’s very little information available about Key Bonanza, who they are or what they do. So I suppose I’ll simply have to wonder: what came first – the company or the registration? Perhaps we’ll never know.