New Lease of Life

As we approach the end of the crisis, new airliners appear on the register

With the Australian aviation industry in meltdown, along with the rest of the world, it is interesting to note the number of jet airliners that are shown in the New Allocation listing in this issue. Network Aviation has added two Airbus A320s to its fleet, VH-UVK and VH-UVP, both sourced from Singapore. VH-UVK made its maiden flight from the Airbus Toulouse facility on 14 October 2004 using French test markings F-WWDR. It was sold to Boullioun Aircraft Leasing and delivered to JetStar Asia on 1 December 2004 marked as 9V-JSA. Now with Air Lease Corporation and registered to Network Aviation it is being used on the QantasLink Western Australian route network. The aircraft entered service on 25 January on the Perth to Karratha route but did not have a very auspicious start as it returned to Perth with a mechanical issue only a short time into the flight. Its second flight, on 31 January, again to Karratha and back went without a hitch but the same day it attempted a Perth to Kalgoorlie flight it and again returned to Perth with a mechanical issue. 

VH-UVPs history is a little more complicated, starting life as F-WWBQ with its first flight at Toulouse on 7 November 2005. It was delivered to the International Lease and Finance Corporation on 25 November and was then leased to JetStar Asia as 9V-JSH. It was transferred to JetStar Airways in Australia only three months later and became VH-VQA. Eight months later it was back with JetStar Asia as 9V-JSH before becoming VH-UVP and joining VH-UVK in the Network Aviation fleet.