Giving the new camera body a run

Last Thursday, I finally bought the camera body I’ve been dreaming about for ages—the Canon R6 Mark II. It comes with an R mount, but since my current camera and lenses use EOS mounts, I also had to pick up an EOS-to-R mount converter which took a few days to come in.

On Sunday we heard that three exciting aircraft were arriving in Brisbane, so my family and I headed to the airport to see these aircraft and to try out my new camera.

The three arrivals were;

• Virgin Australia Regional (VAR) Embraer E190 E2
• Nexus Dash 8 400
• United States Freedom Plane Boeing 737

The VAR E2 left Miami on the 27th of March and made its way to Perth (PER), Western Australia, where it will be based. Its journey took it from Miami (OPF) to Tucson (TUS), then to Kailua-Kona (KOA), Nadi (NAN), and on to Brisbane (BNE) arriving at 3.30pm Sunday afternoon the 31st of May. It departed Brisbane for Perth yesterday at 12:22 p.m.

Next was the Nexus Dash 8 Q400, this aircraft flew from Perth (PER) to Brisbane (BNE) via Ayres Rock (AYQ). Nexus is an established airline in Western Australia, but after winning a mining contract here in Brisbane, they flew one of the aircraft over here for when the contact kicks off today. (I apologies for the distant photo, I thought it would have come down past me, but it turned left and headed of in another direction)

The third, and last exciting arrival was the Freedom Plane, an USA Boeing 737-7BC. This aircraft was blocked so I'm not sure where it came from.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA REGIONAL EMBRAER E190-E2 VH-E2D (MSN 19020221)

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861A6-EOF (MSN 171)

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8SA VH-IJU (MSN 44223)
VA331ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 11 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4J (MSN 55409)
QLK1282 ARRIVING FROM ADELAIDE (ADL) 6 MONTHS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHM (MSN 379)
SQ265 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 6 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBS (MSN 1258)
QF53 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 14 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251NX VH-OYR (MSN 12160)
JQ59 OFF TO DENPASAR (DPS) 1 YEAR

NEXUS AIRLINES DASH 8 Q400 VH-8XC (MSN 4331)
CT602 ARRIVING FROM AYRES ROCK (AYQ) 16 YEARS

AERLINK ATR 72-500 VH-FVY (MSN840)
AL821 ARRIVING FROM CHARLEVILLE (CTL) 17 YEARS

BOEING COMPANY (FREEDOM PLANE) BOEING 737-7BC N836BA (MSN 30756)

QANTAS BOEING 737-8SA VH-XZT (MSN 44230)
QF536 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 10 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8SA VH-IJR (MSN 44219)
VA1224 OFF TO CANBERRA (CBR) 12 YEARS

QATAR AIRWAYS AIRBUS A350-1041 A7-ANC (MSN 110)
QR898 ARRIVING FROM DOHA (DOH) 7 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251NX VH-OFU (MSN 11292)
JQ566 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 3 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A321-251NY VH-OGA (MSN 12323)
QF538 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 1 YEAR

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-7FE VH-VBY (MSN 34323)
VA346 OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL) 20 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBD (MSN 513)
QF540 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 23 YEARS

Starlux is set to launch four new routes, including destinations like Sydney and Auckland.

Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s full-service carrier, has revealed plans to introduce four new long-haul destinations to its network in 2027.

At the airline’s annual shareholder meeting on the 29th of May 2026, Starlux Airlines Chair Chang Kuo-wei announced plans to roll out new routes from its Taipei-Taoyuan (TPE/RCTP) hub to Barcelona (BCN/LEBL), Zürich (ZRH/LSZH), Sydney (SYD/YSSY), and Auckland (AKL/NZAA), with the Auckland service operating as an extension of the Sydney flight.

However, these plans are still under serious evaluation, and no firm decision has yet been taken.  

If confirmed, these would be the first and only nonstop routes between these city pairs. The only other European destination that Starlux Airlines has so far confirmed is Prague (PRG), with a service set to start on the 1st of August 2026. 

On the Sydney route, Starlux Airlines will face competition from fellow Taiwanese carrier China Airlines, which also offers flights to Auckland via Brisbane. Meanwhile, Air New Zealand runs a direct service to Auckland.

At the same conference, the head of Starlux Airlines confirmed that a further US expansion is also under consideration, with Chicago, Washington, New York and Dallas being assessed as the next potential gateways in North America. Starlux already has a significant footprint on the US West Coast, where it already serves Los Angeles International (LAX/KLAX), Ontario International Airport (ONT/KONT), San Francisco International Airport (SFO/KSFO) and Seattle-Tacoma (SEA/KSEA), as well as Phoenix (PHX/KPHX), Arizona, a state in which the Taiwanese microchip industry has made large investments. 

Virgin Australia’s 150th Boeing has something special inside

Last week, I shared a story about Virgin Australia’s 150th Boeing aircraft, but after watching some video footage, I learnt it had something intriguing on board.

The jet, named ‘Lake Centenary’, began commercial service on the 28th of May 2026, with its inaugural revenue flight VA308 traveling from Brisbane Airport (BNE/YBBN) to Melbourne Airport (MEL/YMML).

It not only features a retro-inspired all-red livery but a unique cabin tribute, with the names of over 8,000 Virgin Australia team members printed on the overhead lockers.

For Virgin Australia Group CEO Dave Emerson, the aircraft reflects how far the airline has come since launching as Virgin Blue in 2000 with just two planes and a single route.

“This aircraft is a celebration of our team,” Emerson said. “Including their names is our way of recognizing how important each and every one of them is to our journey.”

Lake Centenary, VH-8VI, is the 100th Boeing 737 in Virgin Australia’s "current fleet" and the 16th 737 MAX 8 to join the airline. The first 737 MAX 8, named Monkey Mia, VH-8IA, arrived in June 2023. The 150th on the side represents Virgin Australia's 150th Boeing 737 aircraft all up.

A new Qantas special livery is coming

Following Virgin Australia's two special liveries, Qantas has unveiled a Great Barrier Reef-inspired livery on its newest Airbus A321XLR, celebrating one of Australia’s most iconic natural landmarks. The aircraft, named Coral Sea, rolled out of Airbus’ paint shop in Hamburg, Germany, on the 28th of May 2026. It is the seventh of 48 A321XLRs Qantas has on order and will be flown home to Australia by Qantas pilots in June 2026.

Qantas reached out to Airbus to request a special livery for their new A321 VH-OGG (MSN 12853) celebrating the beauty of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. They wanted to incorporate elements inspired by the TAA Trans Australia Airlines “The Friendly Way” DC9 VH-TJL from the 1980s, blending a touch of nostalgia with a tribute to this natural wonder.

Unlike Qantas’ famous Indigenous liveries like “Wunala Dreaming” and “Yam Dreaming,” this design seems to emphasize marine conservation branding over a bold, large-scale artistic makeover.

The photos above were sourced from Facebook, with photography credit to Dirk Grothe/Airways.

The hijacking of QantasLink Flight 1737

QANTASLINK BOEING 717-2BL VH-YQT (MSN 55179)

QantasLink Flight 1737 was an Australian domestic flight from Melbourne's-Tullamarine Airport, VIC (MEL/YMML) to Launceston Airport, TAS (LST/YMLT) and was subject to an attempted hijacking on the 29th of May 2003.

The Boeing 717 left Melbourne Airport at 2.50 p.m. on the 29th of May. Around ten minutes after take-off, as the crew prepared for the onboard meal service, David Mark Robinson, a passenger seated in Row 7, became agitated, stood up and began to make his way down the aisle. Producing two sharpened wooden stakes from his pocket, Robinson stabbed flight attendant Denise Hickson and flight purser Greg Khan in the head on his way to the cabin galley. Khan tackled Robinson to unbalance him, eventually succeeding despite repeated blows to the back of the head from Robinson's stakes. Several passengers (including a Canadian paramedic, Derek Finlay) helped restrain Robinson, holding him down and tying him up with materials found on board.

The plane immediately turned back to Melbourne, where Robinson was placed under arrest by Australian Federal Police. He was also found to be carrying aerosol cans and cigarette lighters, presumably to use as a flamethrower.

Khan and Hickson were taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital for treatment, and a passenger who received minor lacerations was treated at the airport by paramedics.

Despite numerous security improvements following the September 11, attacks, Flight 1737 lacked certain security arrangements. The door to the flightdeck had not been adapted to completely block access from the outside, and there was no sky marshal on board.

Qantas undertook a full security review following the incident and promised to secure the flightdeck doors on all of their aircraft by the 1st of November. The airline dismissed the suggestion of armed sky marshals on each flight as too expensive, and a full body search of passengers to detect wooden objects as unfeasible.

Qantas also made a training video regarding the incident; the crew involved were interviewed and this is shown during security training. Khan also speaks of how a passenger complained that the aircraft was returning to Melbourne, even though two crew members had suffered serious injuries and an attempt to hijack the aircraft had just occurred. Khan and other crew also report the amount of blood stains throughout the aircraft as a result of the injuries.

Since this incident, all Boeing 717 aircraft operated by QantasLink were fitted with cameras and the flight deck door was bullet proof. 

Sadly, QantasLink no longer fly the Boeing 717.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Qantaslink

Code: QF/QFA

Aircraft: Boeing 717-231

Registration: VH-VQI

Serial Number: 55095

Engines: 2 x BMW RR BR715

First Flew: 7/11/2011

Age: 21 Yrs. 6 Mts

AirAsia suspends Melbourne & Adelaide Bali flights

AirAsia is set to suspend two Australian routes to Bali as soaring jet fuel prices put pressure on airlines worldwide. 

The budget airline announced its Melbourne (MEL/YMML) to Denpasar (DPS/WADD) and Adelaide (ADL/YPAD) to Denpasar (DPS/WADD) flights will make their final trips on the 18th of June. Indonesia AirAsia’s general manager, Achmad Sadikin Abdurachman, said the move was prompted by persistently high fuel costs tied to instability in the Middle East. 

He explained that the airline needs to focus on routes that remain financially viable under current conditions. AirAsia apologized to affected customers and thanked them for their patience, noting that passengers are being contacted directly and offered earlier flights, including options via Kuala Lumpur. Crude oil prices have stayed above US$100 a barrel, with aviation fuel costs more than doubling since the U.S. and Israel began military strikes on Iran.

Few more from Brisbane Airport

Following on from yesterday’s story about the Virgin Toy Story livery, here are a few more photos from the day.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-VUT (MSN 36608)
VA447 OFF TO DARWIN (DRW) 16 YEARS

AIR CANADA BOEING 787-9 C-FGDT (MSN 37171)
AC36 OFF TO VANVOUCER (YVR) 10 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-202 VH-EBO (MSN 1169)
QF519 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 15 YEARS

UNITED AIRLINES BOEING 777-224 N77012 (MSN 29860)
UA97 OFF TO SAN FRANCISCO (SFO) 26 YEARS

CHINA EASTERN AIRBUS A330-243 B-5938 (MSN 1479)
MU716 OFF TO SHANGHAI (PVG) 12 YEARS

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES AIRBUS A321-271N RP-C9933 (MSN 8242)
PR222 OFF TO MANILA (MAN) 7 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKI (MSN 36235)
JQ23 OFF TO OSAKA (KIX) 11 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPB (MSN 558)
QF51 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 22 YEARS

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRBUS A30-343 B-8361 (MSN 1814)
CZ381 OFF TO GUANGZHOU (CAN) 8 YEARS

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LRL (MSN 072)
CX150 OFF TO HONG KONG (HKG) 9 YEARS

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-XVM (MSN 19000112)
QLK 1884 OFF TO CAIRNS (CNS) 19 YEARS

QANTASLINK DASH 8-400 VH-QOD (MSN 4123)
QLK378D OFF TO HERVEY BAY (HVB) 20 YEARS

FIJI AIRWAYS BOEING 737-808 DQ-FJN (MSN 34969)
FJ920 OFF TO NADI (NAN) 18 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-XNJ (MSN 5323)
JQ819 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 13 YEARS

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18901 (MSN 049)
CI53 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) 9 YEARS

SOLOMON AIRLINES AIRBUS A320-232 H4-SIB (MSN 2445)
IE706 ARRIVING FROM HONIARA (HIR) 21 YEARS