January 2021 – AviationWA

Royal Flying Doctor Service Western Operations to take delivery of PC-12NG VH-LWO

VH-LWO Pilatus PC-12/47E (MSN 1935) registered to Pilatus Flugzeugwerke, at Stans, Switzerland - 5 January 2021. Awaiting delivery to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Western Operations), based at Jandakot Airport, Western Australia. It was initially registered HB-FXU to Pilatus on 16 December 2019, built for another customer who seems not to have taken delivery. Instead registered VH-LWO on 23 December 2020. Photo © Stephan Widmer (with permission)

Royal Flying Doctor Service Western Operations to take delivery of PC-12NG VH-LWO

David Eyre 7 January 2021

7 January 2021 (UPDATED 5 February 2021) © David Eyre (Photos © Stephan Widmer – with thanks) Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Western Operations took delivery of its final...

Airline Services

Rex prepares to compete with Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin; first Boeing 737-800 delivered

David Eyre 6 January 2021

6 January 2021 © David Eyre Rex (Regional Express Airlines) announced in May 2020 that it intended to compete with Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia by leasing 10 narrow-body jets...

VH-EBC Airbus A330-203 (MSN 506) of Qantas, named 'Surfers Paradise', at Perth Airport – 22 November 2019. Flight QF409 to Melbourne, preparing for departure from bay 12, Terminal 4, at 5:23am. Photo © David Eyre.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: Impacts on Qantas Group

David Eyre 6 January 2021

6 January 2021 © David Eyre Delayed delivery of Boeing 787s and A321neos; Airbus A380 fleet stored for three years In May 2020, Qantas announced it would delay delivery...

VH-XFC (MSN 1293) named 'Mooloolabah Beach' and VH-XFD (MSN 1306) named 'Bells Beach', Airbus A330-243 of Virgin Australia, at Perth Airport – 5 December 2018. VH-XFD is pushing back for departure as VA556 to Sydney at 10:38am. Photo © David Eyre.

Virgin Australia and Tigerair: a difficult 2020

David Eyre 1 January 2021

1 January 2021 © David Eyre Virgin Australia suffered the most challenging year in its history during 2020, starting with financial losses, travel bans during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,...