29 March 2025

120 ‘Desert Giants’ Squadron

You may have missed

Cathay Pacific switches Perth – Hong Kong services to Boeing 777-300ER from Airbus A350 B-KQU Boeing 777-367ER of Cathay Pacific Airways at Perth Airport, Western Australia - 31 October 2023. **Change of type - Boeing 777-300ER replacing Airbus A350-900/1000 on Hong Kong - Perth services** Flight CX171 from Hong Kong on approach to runway 21 at 10:37pm. The Boeing 777-300ER replaces the Airbus A350 previously used on this service. Photo © Nick Stubbs-Ross

Cathay Pacific switches Perth – Hong Kong services to Boeing 777-300ER from Airbus A350

31 October 2023
Air New Zealand resumes Boeing 787 Auckland – Perth services, replacing leased Wamos Air A330 ZK-NZE Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner of Air New Zealand in special all black livery, at Perth Airport - 29 October 2023. Air New Zealand resumed operating Auckland services using its own aircraft from today. ZK-NZE is seen departing as NZ176 to Auckland on 29 October. To enable Air New Zealand to build capacity while bringing other stored aircraft back online after the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline had wet-leased (aircraft plus crew) Airbus A330-243 aircraft from Spanish airline Wamos Air from 15 November 2022 to 28 October 2023. Wamos Air A330-200 EC-NCK was flown to New Zealand on 10 November 2022 and entered service on the Perth route from 15 November 2022, operating daily as NZ173 from Auckland and departing as NZ174. It operated its final Perth-Auckland service on 27 April 2023 and was replaced by EC-NBN until 28 October 2023. Photo © John Slabbert

Air New Zealand resumes Boeing 787 Auckland – Perth services, replacing leased Wamos Air A330

29 October 2023
ANA resumes Tokyo – Perth services JA893A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner of ANA, at Perth Airport, Western Australia - 29 October 2023. **Resumption of passenger services to Perth by ANA today** Flight NH881 at bay 153, Terminal 1, after arriving from Tokyo-Narita at 7:49pm. It departed as NH882 at 10:31pm. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, ANA suspended Perth services, with their final passenger service on 30 March 2020 (they operated some freight services in January 2021). They have now resumed daily services. Photo © John Slabbert

ANA resumes Tokyo – Perth services

29 October 2023
Firefighting aircraft in Western Australia: October 2023 – April 2024 N1073W/HELITAK 671 Bell 214B-1 BigLifter of McDermott Aviation, at Warradale Park, Landsdale, Western Australia - 29 January 2022. Drawing water from the lake, while fighting a bushfire to the west of Tonkin Highway in Bullsbrook. Operated on firefighting duties in the summer fire season, for the Western Australian Government under the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Fitted with a 2,700-Litre Isolair 'Tsunami' belly tank. Photo © David Eyre.

Firefighting aircraft in Western Australia: October 2023 – April 2024

15 October 2023