Rare visitor to Brisbane airport

Yesterday, I ended up making two trips to Brisbane Airport. The first was at 1 p.m., when I heard about a rare sight on the tarmac—a Western Global Airlines Boeing 747. Brisbane usually only sees one 747-8 a week from Cathay Pacific, and Western Global never stops here, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to check it out.

DASSAULT FALCON 7X VH-CRW (MSN 292) 6 YEARS

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

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4F (MSN 55340)
QLF1592 OFF TO HAMILTON ISLAND (HTI) 1 YEAR

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18918 (MSN 239)
CI53 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) YEARS
SPORTING THE CARBON FIBRE LIVERY

EMBRAER PHENOM 330E VH-NJR (MSN 50500774)

FOKKER F28-1000 VH-XNG (MSN 11038)

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VYH (MSN 34180)
QF529 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 20 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKH (MSN 36233)
JQ65 OFF TO BANGKOK (BKK) 11 YEARS

ALLIANCE FOKKER 100 VH-UQC (MSN 11468)
VA1104 OFF TO NEWCASTLE (NTL) 32 YEARS
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

WESTERN GLOBAL AIRLINES BOEING 747-446 N344KD (MSN 26344)
KD8411 OFF TO HONOLULU (HNL) 33 YEARS

Our second trip was around 5:15 p.m., when my wife and I arrived to pick up our daughter, who was flying in from Melbourne at 8 p.m. We arrived early as I wanted to make the most of the golden hour and get in some night photography practice.

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VZB (MSN 34196) 
QF540 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 17 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YIZ (MSN 40702)
VA344 OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL) 11 YEARS

AIRCALAN AIRBUS A320-271N F-ONEA (MSN 11882)
SB150 ARRIVING FROM NOUMEA (NOU) 2 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VGY (MSN 4177)
JQ634 ARRIVING FROM AVALON (AVV) 16 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251NX VH-OYW (MSN 12183)
JQ820 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 1.4 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VYK (MSN 34183) 
QF624 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 20 YEARS
SPORTING THE 'PRIDE IS IN THE AIR' LIVERY

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VGF (MSN 4497)
JQ825 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 15 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A321-271N ZK-NHC (MSN 8833)
NZ204 OFF TO CHRISTCHURCH (CHC) 7 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHV (MSN 475)
SQ266 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 5 YEARS 

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A321-27ANX ZK-NNB (MSN 8542)
NZ148 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL) 7 YEARS 

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHN (MSN 385)
SQ245 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 6 YEARS 

QANTAS BOEING 787-9 VH-ZNI (MSN 66073)
QF15 OFF TO LOS ANGELES (LAX) 6 YEARS

Qantas increases airfares due to high cost of fuel

Qantas has announced it will raise airfares due to a sharp jump in jet fuel prices tied to the escalating Middle East conflict, joining a growing number of airlines around the world adjusting ticket prices. The airline has confirmed that fare hikes will mainly affect long-haul international routes with the highest fuel use. 

Qantas confirmed it is actively studying options to expand capacity on existing European routes in the coming months, potentially adding extra frequencies or deploying larger aircraft to meet growing passenger demand. Rather than launching entirely new routes, the airline is focused on redeploying existing aircraft capacity where it is needed most.

Passengers are also increasingly choosing alternative connections to Europe via the United States, Asian cities or Johannesburg through Qantas' partner network to avoid the Middle East region.

On the other hand, Air New Zealand announced broader airfare increases on the same day, pointing to the widespread industry impact of surging global energy prices. 

Fuel typically represents one of the largest single operating costs for any airline, making price sensitivity to oil markets particularly acute on long-haul services.

China halts refinery exports, cuts jet fuel supply to Australia

Australia’s biggest provider of jet fuel has cut exports, leaving the country’s airports with an uncertain future.

China has reportedly ordered refineries to halt exports in a move that could cut critical jet fuel supplies to Australia.

Australia is almost entirely dependent on jet fuel from overseas, with Chinese refineries alone making up 32 per cent of imports in 2025.

While no public announcement has been made, Asia Pacific oil pricing chief at data firm Argus Aldric Chew said on Friday that Chinese authorities told refineries not to load cargoes that had not cleared customs by March 11, the Australian Financial Review reported.

Mr Chew cited emails from Chinese authorities to a trading firm.

NewsWire understands the Albanese government is mulling a response, with one source saying it was not wholly unexpected while another said it caught the Canberra off-guard.

The Chinese move comes amid murmurs Australia’s other major sources, such as South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, could also impose run cuts on their refineries.

NewsWire understands the government is not concerned about March’s deliveries but watching closely what happens in April and beyond.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Two U.S. Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker involved in incident- one crashes

A U.S. military KC-135 refueling plane has crashed in western Iraq in an incident involving two aircraft, according to the Pentagon. Six crew members were on board, it is believed they are deceased, but there was no official word on their condition.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday that the incident happened in friendly airspace and was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, while the second one landed safely after declaring a mayday call.

This marks the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft to crash as a part of Operation Epic Fury. Last Monday, the U.S. military also confirmed that three F-15E Strike Eagles were downed in a friendly-fire incident involving Kuwait, but all 6 crew members safely ejected. 

The Pentagon said more information would become available as "the situation develops" and asked for patience as more details were gathered "to provide clarity for the families of service members."

Aircraft Information: Damaged

Owner/operator: United States Air Force - USAF

Aircraft: Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker

Registration: 63-8017

MSN: 18634

Aircraft Information: Crashed

Owner/operator: United States Air Force - USAF

Aircraft: Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker

Registration: 62-3556

MSN: 18539

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased during this difficult time.

Air India flight closes runway due to hard landing

AIR INDIA BOEING 777-337 VT-ALU (MSN 36319)

Thailand's Phuket International Airport temporarily closed its main runway yesterday morning after an Air India Express Boeing 737 MAX 8 made a hard landing, damaging its landing gear and disrupting arriving flights.

At 11.28 a.m local time on Wednesday, Air India Express flight IX938 operating the Hyderabad (HYD/VOHS) - Phuket (HKT/VTSP) route suffered an incident on the runway at Phuket International Airport.

The problem was reportedly caused by a detached wheel, which is believed to have resulted from a very hard landing.

Following the incident, Phuket International Airport announced a temporary closure of the runway in order to remove the aircraft and carry out safety checks on the runway before flight operations could resume. It was initially estimated that the process would take around six hours.

As a result, all flights scheduled to land at Phuket International Airport were required to hold in nearby airspace, while some were diverted to alternate airports.

All 133 passengers disembarked the aircraft whilst on the runway and transported to the terminal by buses. 

An image posted on social media showed part of the aircraft's landing gear, with a wheel missing, in direct contact with the runway, with a long, swerving skid mark on the tarmac.

Aircraft Information 

Airline: Air India

Code: IX/AXB

Aircraft: Boeing 737 Max 8

Registration: VT-BWQ

Serial Number: 43836

Engines: 2 x CFMI LEAP-1B

First Flew: 4th October 2019

Age: 6.5 Years 

Plane spotting from Albert Park and Tullamarine

Over the weekend, my daughter went to the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne. She captured some shots of the aerial display at the event for me, and then before her flight home on Monday, she snapped a few more photos for me from Tullamarine. Even with just a small pocket camera, I think she did a great job, and I’m really grateful for her efforts.

QATAR AIRWAYS BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BES (MSN 64089) 7 YEARS

QATAR AIRWAYS BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BEJ (MSN 60336) 9 YEARS

QATAR AIRWAYS BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BES (MSN 60331) 10 YEARS

QATAR AIRWAYS BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BEO (MSN 64065) 8 YEARS

THAI AIRWAYS AIRBUS A350-941 HS-THO (MSN 351) 6 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A380-842 VH-OQD (MSN 026)
QF93 OFF TO LOS ANGELES (LAX) 17 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES BOEING 777-312 9V-SWB (MSN 33377)
SQ237 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 19 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 787-9 ZK-NZQ (MSN 39296)
NZ1331 ARRIVING FROM AUCKLAND (AKL) 7 YEARS

SHANGHAI AIRLINES BOEING 787-9 B-1112 (MSN 637070
MU738 OFF TO SHANGHAI (PVG) 7 YEARS

ATLAS AIR BOEING 747-47UF N492MC (MSN 29253)
QF7589 FLYING FROM AVALON (AVV) TO SYDNEY (SYD) 27 YEARS

XIAMEN AIR BOEING 787-9 B-7836 (MSN 63042)
MF804 OFF TO XIAMEN (XMN) 8 YEARS

LATAM AIRLINES BOEING 787-9 CC-BGM (MSN 38771)
LA804 OFF TO SANTIAGO (SCL) 9 YEARS

Huge thanks to my daughter for taking the time to snap these amazing shots.