What Was A QantasLink Airbus A319 Doing At Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport?

Plane spotters at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) were treated to a rather unusual sight last week: A freshly painted QantasLink Airbus A319 was approaching runway 25L and landing gracefully on Thursday afternoon.

The plane’s arrival was the first stop on a long journey from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to Perth, Australia. The plane may have a new paint job, but it’s by no means new and already has more than 60,000 flight hours logged.

“It will arrive gradually.”

The plane, registered VH-8NR, was photographed in Phoenix by aviation photographer Dylan Meyer. In a series of photos posted to Instagram, Meyer wrote in the caption: “The view “A pleasant surprise.”

VH-8NR is one of four ex-Spirit Airlines A319 aircraft that Qantas has purchased for Network Aviation, which will operate under the QantasLink regional brand. Qantas confirmed the development in an investment report earlier this year.

“Network Aviation is purchasing four additional mid-life A319s to be deployed to Western Australia. [Western Australia] “This is to meet demand from the resources sector. These additional aircraft are due to arrive in stages throughout 2024…”

Spirit Airlines to Spirit of Australia

according to ch-AirlinesVH-8NR is a 19-year-old aircraft, delivered to Spirit Airlines in 2005 under the registration number N505NK. It was in paid service until August 2020, when it was stored at Pinal Airpark in Arizona due to the pandemic. Plains PottersThe aircraft was removed from storage in May 2021 and returned to service two months later in July.

In April 2023, Spirit Airlines retired the aircraft. It was again stored and remained grounded until the following year. According to CH-Aviation, as of January 2024, the aircraft had logged a total of 60,125 flight hours and 28,005 flights. In March of this year, the aircraft was ferried to Rafael Hernández International Airport (BQN) in Puerto Rico, where it is believed to have been repainted, the cabin interior rebuilt, and undergone extensive maintenance. Flight Aware It is understood that the aircraft conducted numerous flight tests in May.

On June 13, VH-8NR departed for its delivery flight to Australia, taking off from BQN at 11:29 and landing at PHX at 14:43 after a flight of approximately six hours. Flightradar24.comThe plane then continued its journey the next day, departing Phoenix at approximately 9:55am for another six-hour journey across the Pacific Ocean, arriving at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu at 1:19pm.

The third leg of the long journey continued on Saturday, when the aircraft departed Honolulu Airport at 9:44am and flew for approximately five and a half hours. However, due to time zone conflicts, the aircraft landed at Faleolo International Airport (APW) near Samoa’s capital, Apia, at 3:20pm on Sunday. The aircraft spent approximately one hour on the ground before departing APW. The aircraft is scheduled to take off at 4:40pm on Sunday and arrive at Brisbane Airport (BNE) around 5pm. After landing at BNE, the aircraft will complete its delivery journey with a final flight to Perth Airport (PER).

3 out of 4

VH-8NR is the third ex-Spirit A319 to join QantasLink’s fleet. The first aircraft, VH-8NP (formerly N503NK), was delivered in January this year, while the second, VH-8NQ (formerly N504NK), arrived at the airline in April. However, both aircraft did not pass through PHX during their journeys to Australia, instead flying via San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK).

according to Australian frequent flyerThe A319 can accommodate 150 passengers in a 3-3 seating configuration. There is no Wi-Fi, in-seat power or Business Class seating. Entertainment will however be provided through the Qantas Entertainment app, which can be downloaded to passengers’ personal devices.

Photo: Qantas

QantasLink’s first A319 flight reportedly took place on January 29. The regional brand will deploy four aircraft on select routes from PER to Geraldton, Broome, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Port Hedland and Newman. Network Aviation also operates A320s under the QantasLink brand, while other regional airlines operate A220-300s, Boeing 717s, de Havilland Dash 8-200, -300, -400 and Fokker 100 aircraft.