Summary

  • A former Spirit Airlines Airbus A319 enroute to Perth, Australia, landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) last week.
  • Qantas purchased four A319s for Network Aviation to expand service and meet demand in Australia.
  • The long delivery journey began in Puerto Rico and included stops in Honolulu and Samoa.

Plane spotters at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) were met with a rather unusual sight last week. Making its approach on Runway 25L was a freshly-painted QantasLink Airbus A319, which gracefully touched down on Thursday afternoon.

The aircraft’s arrival was its first stop during a long delivery journey from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to Perth, Australia. While the plane may sport a new livery, it is far from new – it has more than 60,000 flight hours under its belt.

“Expected to arrive progressively”

The aircraft, registered as VH-8NR, was spotted at PHX by aviation photographer Dylan Meyer. The planespotter posted a series of photos on Instagram, saying the sight was a “nice surprise.”

VH-8NR is one of four former Spirit Airlines A319s that Qantas purchased for Network Aviation, which operates under the QantasLink regional brand. Earlier this year, Qantas confirmed the development in an investment report.

“Four additional mid-life A319s have been purchased for Network Aviation and will be based in WA [Western Australia] to help meet demand from the resources sector. These additional aircraft are expected to arrive progressively during calendar 2024…”

From Spirit Airlines to the Spirit of Australia

According to ch-aviation, the VH-8NR is 19 years old and was delivered to Spirit in 2005 under the registration N505NK. It operated revenue service until August 2020, when it was stored at Pinal Airpark in Arizona due to the pandemic, according to Planespotters.net. The aircraft was removed from storage in May 2021 before returning to service two months later in July.

In April 2023, Spirit retired the aircraft. It was placed back in storage, and remained grounded for the next year. As of January 2024, the aircraft had a total of 60,125 flight hours and 28,005 flight cycles, according to ch-aviation. This past March, it was ferried to Rafael Hernández International Airport (BQN) in Puerto Rico, where it likely received a new paint job, reconfigured cabin interior, and underwent heavy maintenance. Data from FlightAware shows that the aircraft performed numerous flight tests in May.

On June 13th, VH-8NR departed on its delivery flight to Australia. It took off from BQN at 11:29 and flew for about six hours before landing at PHX at 14:43. According to Flightradar24.com, the aircraft continued its journey the following day, and left PHX for another six-hour journey at around 09:55. It crossed over the Pacific Ocean and arrived at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu at 13:19.

FlightAware VH-8NR PHX-HNL June 14, 2024.

Photo: FlightAware

The third flight of its long journey continued on Saturday, with the aircraft departing from HNL at 09:44 and flying about five and a half hours. However, with the time zone, it landed at Faleolo International Airport (APW) near Apia, the capital of Samoa, at 14:20 on Sunday. The aircraft spent about an hour on the ground before departing from APW. It took off at 15:40 on Sunday and is scheduled to arrive at Brisbane Airport (BNE) around 18:00. After landing at BNE, it will finish its delivery journey with one final flight to Perth Airport (PER).

Three out of four

VH-8NR is QantasLink’s third ex-Spirit A319 to join its fleet. The first aircraft, VH-8NP (formerly N503NK), was delivered in January of this year, while the second, VH-8NQ (formerly N504NK), arrived at the airline in April. Both aircraft, however, did not fly through PHX during their journey down under. Instead, they flew via San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK).

According to Australian Frequent Flyer, the A319s accommodate 150 passengers in a 3-3 seating configuration. They do not have Wi-Fi, in-seat power, or any business class seats. However, entertainment will be available through the Qantas entertainment app, which can be downloaded and viewed on passengers’ personal devices.

QantasLink Airbus A319.

Photo: Qantas

QantasLink’s inaugural A319 service reportedly took place on January 29th. The regional brand will deploy the four aircraft on select routes from PER to Geraldton, Broome, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Port Hedland, and Newman. Network Aviation also operates the A320 under the QantasLink brand, while other regional carriers operate the A220-300, Boeing 717, De Havilland Dash 8-200, -300, -400, and Fokker 100.


  • Phoenix Sky harbor Airport Getty

    Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

    IATA/ICAO Code:
    PHX/KPHX

    Country:
    United States

    CEO:
    Chad Makovsky

    Passenger Count :
    21,928,708 (2020)

    Runways :
    8/26 – 3,502m (11,489ft) |
    7L/25R – 3,139m (10,300ft) |
    7R/25L – 2,377m (7,800ft)

    Terminals:
    Terminal 3 |
    Terminal 4

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