Qantas Farewells Australia's First Boeing 717

Yesterday Qantas marked an end of an era saying goodbye to it's very first Boeing 717.

QANTASLINK BOEING 717-2K9 VH-NXI (MSN 55054)

VH-NXI (Previously VH-IMP) was the first 717 registered in Australia and holds a special place in the Qantas Group's modern history. This aircraft was rolled out of the Boeing Long Beach plant in November 1999 and entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register on the 6th of April 2000, 

joining the fleet of Impulse Airlines and carrying registration VH-IMP (MSN 55054-5013).

It was powered by 2 BMW Rolls Royce RB715A-130 engines.

It operated its first revenue service on the 5th of June 2000

Following the takeover of Impulse Airlines, the 717-200 moved into the QantasLink fleet in May 2001 before joining the Jetstar fleet, operating the new airline's first flight in May 2004.

In January 2006 it was reregistered as VH-NXI and for the last sixteen years, the 717-200, named Blue Mountains after the world-heritage-listed national park in New South Wales, has flown on regional and domestic routes for QantasLink. Over two decades, it has operated more than 29,000 flights and carried more than 1.6 million passengers for Qantas and Jetstar.

Over the coming years their entire 717 fleet will be retired, with the Airbus A220-300 set to replace the outgoing jets, starting with the first delivery later this year.

This aircraft is the third Boeing 717 to leave the fleet and is due to leave Australia in mid-June before being sold to another major carrier. Qantas said that, because of the aircraft's limited range, it will have eight fuel stops on its journey to its new home in North America, including stops in the Philippines, Japan and Alaska.

All of QantasLink's twenty 717s are being replaced by 29 Airbus A220s as part of the Qantas Project Winton fleet renewal program. The first A220 is expected to arrive later this year, and then the first of 20 Airbus A321XLRs will follow in late 2024.