Long awaited special livery comes to Brisbane

Thursdays and Saturdays are usually slow and uneventful at Brisbane Airport, but yesterday my wife and I went there for several reasons.

Not only was Philippine Airlines bringing in an A330 instead of the usual A321, and Fiji bringing in their A330 instead of the usual 737 Max 8, but we also had the Terra Avia 747 arriving from Auckland. The main highlight, though, was China Southern bringing in their A350 with a stunning livery. This aircraft has visited Brisbane 5 times, but usually around 9:10 p.m., making this it's very first daylight arrival.

It was great to see this aircraft here during the day.

The weather was wild yesterday. We arrived too patchy blue skies and no wind, then the wind picked up and the rain came, only to stop again. This cycle happened three times while we were there.

AVCAIR LEARJET 60 VH-AVL (MSN 60-286) 21 YEARS

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-UYZ (MSN 19000222)
QLK1841 ARRIVING FROM ROCKHAMPTON (ROK) 18 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKB (MSN 36228)
JQ9 OFF TO TOKYO (NRT) 12 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YFX (MSN 41013)
VA775 OFF TO CAIRNS (CNS) 8 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-X3B (MSN 4772)
JQ834 OFF TO PESSERPINE (PPP) 14 YEARS

QANTASLINK DASH 8 400 VH-QOB (MSN 4116)
QLK404D OFF TO EMERALD (EMD) 20 YEARS

ALLIANCE FOKKER 70 VH-NKU (MSN 11555)
QQ2835 ARRIVING FROM MORANBAH (MOV) 30 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737 MAX 8 VH-8IA (MSN 65045)
VA175 OFF TO NADI (NAN) 2 YEARS

LINK AIRWAYS FAIRCHILD METRO 23 VH-VEK (MSN DC-845B)
SW4 ARRIVING FROM BUNDABERG (BDB) 32 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHV (MSN 475)
SQ255 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 5 YEARS

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRBUS A350-941 B-308T (MSN 318)
CZ382 OFF TO GUANGZHOU (CAN) 6 YEARS

SMARTLYNX AUSTRALIA AIRBUS A319-112 VH-L7A (MSN 1779)
QN963 OFF TO KENS BORE (KYB) 23 YEARS

FIJI AIRWAYS AIRBUS A330-243 DQ-FJT (MSN 1394)
FJ921 ARRIVING FROM NADI (NAN) 13 YEARS

AIR CANADA BOEING 787-9 C-FRSA (MSN 37175)
AC36 OFF TO VANCOUVER (YVR) 9 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251NX VH-OFE (MSN 9540) 3 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VXF (MSN 29553)

QF621 OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL) 24 YEARS

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LRM (MSN 075)
CX165 ARRIVING FROM HONG KONG (HKG) 9 YEARS

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18908 (MSN 121)
CI53 ARRIVING FROM TAIPEI (TPE) 8 YEARS

QUEENSLAND POLICE BEECH KING AIR VH-8TT (MSN FL-1293) 4 YEARS

LINK AIRWAYS SAAB 340B VH-VEP (MSN 340B-377)
SF34 OFF TO COBAR (CAZ) 30 YEARS

AERLINK ATR 72-500 VH-FVY (MSN 840) 
AT75 ARRIVING FROM MORANBAH (MOV) 17 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPG (MSN 603)
QF61 OFF TO TOKYO (NRT) 21 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4F (MSN 55340)
QLK1547 ARRIVING FROM TOWNSVILLE (TSV) 1 YEAR

TEXEL AIR BOEING 737-86N ZK-TXF (MSN 36804)
TFX92 ARRIVING FROM NORFOLK ISLAND (NLK) 15 YEARS

AIR NIUGINI BOEING 767-341 P2-PXV (MSN 30341)
PX4 OFF TO PORT MORESBY (POM) 26 YEARS

QANTAS A330-202 VH-EBC (MSN 506)
QF516 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 23 YEARS

QUEENSLAND POLICE BEECH KING AIR 360 VH-8PH (MSN FM-117) 1 YEAR

TERRA AVIA BOEING 747-409 ER-BAS (MSN 24311)
T84713 OFF TO HONG KONG (HKG) 34 YEARS

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES AIRBUS A330-343 RP-C8789 (MSN 1504)
PR222 OFF TO MANILA (MNL) 12 YEARS

Airlines that have gone from 2020 - 2026

Following yesterday’s news about Air Calédonie filing for bankruptcy, I started wondering how many airlines have gone under over the years. Unfortunately, there have been hundreds, so I decided to focus on just the last six years.

Between 2020 and 2026, the aviation industry has been through some major turbulence, driven by the global pandemic and changing economic landscapes. Some airlines shut down completely, while others reorganized under Chapter 11 or merged with competitors to stay afloat.

Here’s a list of airlines starting from today and going back in time.

2026–2025

Many regional and budget airlines have been facing challenges lately, dealing with higher operating expenses and mounting debt.

• Spirit Airlines (USA): Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in late 2024; it emerged in early 2025 with plans to rebrand as a premium carrier.
• Silver Airways (USA): A Florida-based regional airline that ceased all operations in June 2025 after a failed restructuring.
• PLAY (Iceland): The low-cost carrier ceased operations in September 2025 after failing to consolidate its model.
• Braathens International Airways (Sweden): Suddenly closed its jet-operating charter division in September 2025.
• Ravn Alaska (USA): After being rescued in 2020, it ceased all operations again in August 2025.
• Voepass (Brazil): Grounded in March 2025 following serious operational and financial issues.
• Wizz Air Abu Dhabi: Announced it would close its Abu Dhabi subsidiary in September 2025 due to a difficult operational environment.

2024

This year was marked by a number of high-profile failures and significant brand mergers.

• Lynx Air (Canada): Ceased operations in February 2024 due to intense market competition.
• Bonza (Australia): An ambitious low-cost carrier that shut down in April 2024.
• Vistara (India): Ceased independent operations in November 2024 following its merger into Air India.
• Air Malta: Formally ceased operations in March 2024 and was replaced by a new state entity, KM Malta Airlines.
• CSA Czech Airlines: A historic carrier that ceased its own operations in October 2024, becoming a holding company for Smartwings.
• Nordica (Estonia): Filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations in November 2024

2023–2021

• Flyr (Norway): Launched in 2021 but folded by early 2023 due to shifting travel patterns.
• Aeromar (Mexico): Declared bankruptcy in 2023 after failing to recover from the pandemic.
• GoFirst (India): Filed for insolvency in 2023, citing cash flow issues and engine failures.
• Alitalia (Italy): The longtime flag carrier ceased operations in October 2021, succeeded by ITA Airways.
• Air Namibia: Filed for bankruptcy and ceased all operations in February 2021.

2020

The first wave of the pandemic caused dozens of airlines to collapse or quickly restructure.

• Flybe (UK): Initially entered administration in March 2020 (later relaunched and folded again in 2023).
• Air Italy: Suspended operations and entered liquidation in February 2020.
• Compass Airlines & Trans States Airlines (USA): Regional feeders for Delta and United that shut down in April 2020.
• Tigerair Australia: Retired in 2020 during the voluntary administration of its parent, Virgin Australia.
• NokScoot (Thailand): Liquidated in June 2020 due to low travel demand.
• Germanwings: Permanently closed by parent Lufthansa in April 2020.

Air Calédonie files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, cancels all flights

National carrier Air Calédonie has filed for bankruptcy protection in regional French courts.

AIR CALEDONIE ATR 72-600 F-OZLI (MSN 1380)

Air Calédonie, the flag carrier of the remote French overseas territory of New Caledonia, has been dealing with nearly two months of protests sparked by the decision to relocate its base from the capital, Nouméa, to a farther airport. The airline operates in a remote South Pacific territory made up of over 130 small islands. For many residents, it’s a vital link to hospitals, grocery stores, and other essential services.

After months of protesters blocking airfields at several airports across different islands, Air Calédonie hasn’t been able to operate its scheduled flights and has put 220 employees on a leave of absence in mid-March.

A representative told the media that without resuming service, the airline's cash reserves "will be depleted by early April. With no resolution reached, Air Calédonie filed for the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under French law on the 27th of March, per RNZ, and it seeks permission to resume certain domestic flights under court protection.

If the proposal is rejected, the airline goes into receivership, whereby its assets will be placed under the control of an independent third party.

The airline said the flight cancellations left "almost three hundred families" stranded and expressed hopes of resuming operations once its proposal is approved by a judge.

Société Calédonienne de Transports Aériens, officially known as, Air Calédonie, started out as Transpac on the 9th of December 1954. It’s the domestic airline of New Caledonia, a French collectivity, with its headquarters at Magenta Airport (GEA/NWWM) in Nouméa. From there, it runs regular passenger and cargo flights to destinations within the territory. The airline is jointly owned by the Government of New Caledonia (52.45%), Loyalty Islands Province (26.21%), North Province (14.55%), South Province (5.16%), private investors (1.10%), and Air France (0.53%).

On the 9th of February 1961, financial support was granted to Transpac's Board of Directors by the regional government, and Transpac was renamed to Air Calédonie.

This article is all about Air Calédonie, the domestic airline of New Caledonia, NOT Air Calin International.

AirJapan will be shutting down operations tonight.

AIR JAPAN BOEING 787-8 JA801A (MSN 34488)

All Nippon Airlines low-cost brand, AirJapan, will cease all operations at the end of today. Launched two years on the 9th of February 2024, the airline was created to serve medium-distance Asian destinations like Bangkok, Seoul, and Singapore using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The final scheduled passenger services departed from Singapore and Bangkok to Tokyo Narita on the 29th of March 2026.

The closure is part of a restructuring plan by ANA Group to operate only two primary brands: the full-service All Nippon Airways and the low-cost carrier Peach Aviation. In an official statement, ANA Group explained the decision will help maximize profitability and competitiveness amid global aircraft delivery delays and supply chain problems.

 "To optimise the allocation of the group's resources, ANA Group decided to suspend the AirJapan brand. Its aircraft and human resources will be consolidated into the ANA brand's operations to expand its international business," the company stated. The legal company of Air Japan will continue to function and will operate flights exclusively on behalf of the mainline ANA brand.

Qatari 777's depart Brisbane

Last night, we saw that the YouTube channel we follow, Only Plane Network, was live from Brisbane Airport as the Qatari 777s, which had arrived eight days ago, and were rumored to be staying for a while, were departing.

Flightradar24 had them down as departing between 10.15 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.

As it was 8:45 p.m., I was torn between staying in or heading out.

Knowing they would all be departing, the true avgeek in me took over, and so my daughter and I headed to the airport, arriving there around 9:40 p.m.

When we arrived, I learned that one wouldn’t be leaving until 4:30 a.m. Later, more news came in that another was delayed until the morning. Still holding out hope, I thought A7-BEG, the new Formula One livery, might depart at 11:15 p.m., but sadly it was confirmed that none of them would leave tonight. All were rescheduled to depart between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m.

Then, at 6:15 a.m. this morning, I woke to find all three still here on the ground, with one taxiing out.
I can't tell you how frustrated I was.

These are the days I wish I collected stamps instead. 🤣 🤣 🤣

A7-BEL departed at 6.21

QATAR AIRWAYS BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BEL (MSN 64063)
QR3165 OFF TO DOHA (DOH) 8 YEARS

A7-BEG departed at 6.41

QATAR AIRWAYS BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BEG (MSN 60333)
QR3039 OFF TO DOHA (DOH) 10 YEARS

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LQF (MSN 413)
CX157 ARRIVING FROM HONG KONG (HKG) 5 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4D (MSN 55298)
QLK1286 ARRIVING FROM ADELAIDE (ADL) 1 YEAR

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VZU (MSN 34187) 14 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VGR (MSN 4257) 16 YEARS

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18905 (MSN 073)
CI54 OFF TO TAIPEI (TPE) 9 YEARS

ALLIANCE FOKKER 70 VH-QQR (MSN 11564) 30 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-X3B (MSN 4772)
JQ151 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) 14 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-8IH (MSN 66650)
VA50 ARRIVING FROM DENPASAR (DPS) 1 YEAR

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251 VH-OYK (MSN 11960) 1 YEAR

At the time of writing this, A7-BAQ was still on the ground