Qantas began its series of farewell flights to its 747 fleet on Monday when VH-OEJ departed Sydney at 10:15am for a one-hour tour of the city.

A Qantas Boeing 737-838 received the traditional welcome when it landed on the Gold Coast from Sydney minutes before the Queensland border opened at midday.

In this episode of Australian Aviation, hosts Phil Tarrant and Adam Thorn delve into the implications of the lockdown on domestic travel, new developments in the Virgin saga, and Qantas’ early retirement of its ‘Queen of the Skies’ 747.

The extra service means that the airport is now welcoming almost as many flights as before the pandemic began due to its location in an open state.