Rare sight at Brisbane Airport

Due to the ongoing unrest in the Middle East, several major carriers — including Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, and Emirates — have suspended numerous international services worldwide.

As a result, Brisbane is currently hosting an unusual number of grounded long-haul aircraft. Three Qatar Airways Boeing 777-3DZ aircraft are on the ground, along with three Emirates aircraft: a Boeing 777-31H and two Airbus A380-861.

Given the rarity of this situation, my family and I took the opportunity to observe these aircraft. While it was remarkable to see such an uncommon sight at our local airport, the circumstances that brought them here are deeply unfortunate, making the experience both memorable and sobering.

    QATAR BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BER (MSN 64068)
ARRIVED AS QR898 FROM DOHA (DOH) 8 YEARS

QATAR BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BEQ (MSN 64085)
DIVERTED BACK AS VA15 HEADING TO DOHA (DOH) 8 YEARS
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

QATAR BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BEI (MSN 60335)
ARRIVED AS VA16 FROM DOHA (DOH) 9 YEARS
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861 A6-EOF (MSN 171)
EK434 ARRIVED FROM DUBAI (DXB) 11 YEARS

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861 A6-EOM (MSN 187)
EK434 ARRIVED FROM DUBAI (DXB) 10 YEARS

EMIRATES BOEING 777-31H A6ECR (MSN 35592)
EK430 ARRIVED FROM DUBAI (DXB) 16 YEARS

Here are a few aircraft I caught departing during our very brief visit.

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKD (MSN 36229)
JQ9 OFF TO TOKYO (NRT) 12 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPE (MSN 593)
QF51 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 21 YEARS

CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-951 B-32FQ (MSN 624)
MU716 OFF TO SHANGHAI (PVG) 2 YEARS