VH-SIF Starts Working For Virgin Cargo

[Grahame Hutchison]

Virgin Australia Freight - VH-SIF First Flight

BAE 146-200 VH-SIF made its first flight today under a Virgin Australia flight Code - VOZ9568 To Melbourne with a flight time of 59min.
The aircraft was parked at the DHL Facility (Bay 91?) with the rear Cargo Door open until well past its scheduled departure time of 1335L. Eventually
the door was closed, and the aircraft made a quick taxi along Golf and Bravo to the Bravo 1 Holding Point. There was a significant hold because of
arriving and departing traffic, and they finally started rolling at around 1445L.

With the cargo door being open at the Bay, it was hard to tell if this was a revenue service, or just positioning to Melbourne.

Sydney Weather: Passing showers - shooting with an umbrella.

[Bob C]

Great photos Grahame ; thanks for sharing.

Cheers

Bob

[NathanJ]

Training flights I believe... Flying MEL-BWU-BNE-TSV-CNS today.

Convair 580 vh-pdw has been operating cargo flights for VA.

A poster on another forum believes airwork 733F zk-tle will commence working for VA cargo.

A330s have been operating overnight cargo flights PER-MEL-PER.

[Greg Hyde]

maybe of interest

http://australianaviation.com.au/201...raft-take-off/

[Nigel C]

We still had the Convair operating last night's Velocity freighter.
Any ideas when the 146 will become active?

[Grahame Hutchison]

Nigel, VH-SIF was to enter service on the 5th, then that slipped to the 11th July. At the moment there looks to be an issue with the aircraft in Cairns (unconfirmed). I have a FlightAware Alert in place, and there has been no Flight Plan lodged at the moment.

When VH-SIF starts operating for Virgin Australia, it will do Cairns-Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne and return.

[NathanJ]

That article also mentions airwork zk-tle as operating for VA but appears still to be flying for toll priority as per flightaware, flightradar etc.

[Robert.M]

Great photos Grahame!

Looks like Alliance VH-FKO (callsign VOZ9577) Fokker F50 is operating for VA Freight?

[NathanJ]

VH-SIF currently heading CNS-BNE.

[Grahame Hutchison]

VH-SIF has done its first VA Freight run tonight, Cairns-Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne, as VA9564, VA9566, VA9568. Then straight back to Brisbane.