Virgin Australia adds Alice Springs to Network

On the 26th March a Virgin Australia Boeing 737-8FE; VH-YFP (CN 41011) operated a special Darwin - Alice Springs rotation as VA 9000 / VA9001 prior to the commencement of regular services on that route from 30th March. Today Alice Springs formed part of the Virgin Australia network as it started its Darwin to Adelaide via Alice Springs service.
The inaugural flight operated by VH-YFH (CN 40996) a Boeing 737-8FE with a call sign of VA 1576 departed Darwin on time at 7.30am local and became airborne at 7.37am from runway 11 before heading south for Alice Springs; landing on runway 12 in Alice at 9.27 local time.

VH-YFH GETTING A WATER CANNON WELCOME

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA VH-YFH (CN 40996)
PARKED UP AT BAY 3 ALICE SPRINGS

With a departure time of 10.05am local, flight VA1740 YFH departed for Adelaide just after 10.23 and landed on runway 23 in Adelaide at 1.05pm Adelaide time. Parked up at gate 16 in Adelaide VA 1741 pushed back and taxied out for a runway 23 departure, getting airborne at 1.55pm Local, arriving into Alice Springs for the 2nd time today at 2.47pm. It wasn't on the ground long before taking to the sky's again with a flight number of 1585 at 3.42 pm and landed in Darwin on runway 29 at 5.40 Darwin time.
Sincere thanks goes to Simon Hatfield for sending me these images....