Qantas Retires Q300 Turboprops
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Qantas has operated its last revenue DHC-8-Q300 flight. After almost 23 years and over 39,000 flights, VH-SBV (msn 595) worked a Sydney (SYD) – Tamworth (TMW) – Sydney (SYD) rotation on August 8 before going out of service. Over the past 25 years, Qantas has operated sixteen Q300s under its QantasLink brand.
More recently, Qantas has whittled the 50-passenger Q300 fleet down to five aircraft as its transitions its turboprop services, which have used Q100, Q200, Q300, and Q400 aircraft over the years, to Q400s only.
Aside from VH-SBV, the remaining Qantas Q300s included VH-TQM (msn 604), VH-SCE (msn 602), VH-SBI (msn 605), and VH-SBJ (msn 578). However, over recent months, Qantas has steadily withdrawn the aircraft from service.
VH-SBJ flew its final revenue flight for Qantas on May 25. VH-SBI ceased revenue flights on June 2. VH-SCE ended revenue flights on July 23, and VH-TQM flew its last commercial service on July 27. Qantas subsequently ferried the aircraft to Tamworth for storage, where, for many years, it had a heavy maintenance facility for its turboprops.
Earlier this year, Canadian aircraft lessor Avmax, purchased the sixteen Q300s, along with three smaller Q200s, from Qantas. Avmax anticipates taking delivery of the last of these aircraft by the end of the year.
In one of the aviation industry’s many quirks, Avmax subsequently leased the three 34-passenger Q200s to Australia’s Skytrans (now known as SmartLynx Australia). That airline now uses the aircraft to fly the Sydney – Lord Howe Island (LDH) route.
Skytrans/SmartLynx picked up the route from Qantas earlier this year. Having divested their Q200s, Qantas said they no longer had aircraft capable of negotiating Lord Howe Island’s short runway. Now SmartLynx does so, with the same aircraft Qantas used.
Meanwhile, Qantas is replacing its Q200s and Q300s with Q400s. The airline is a longstanding operator of the type and it acquired fourteen more last year from Canadian carrier, Encore. Those aircraft are now arriving in Australia. The most recent arrival, VH-84N (msn 4483), formerly C-FWEZ, ferried into Brisbane on August 3. It is taking on VH-SBV’s former name, Devonport.
"The Q300 has paved the way for the next chapter of our turboprop operations,” QantasLink CEO Rachel Yangoyan said. “Our move to a single fleet of Q400s will improve reliability, reduce emissions per seat, and help us keep serving regional Australia for decades to come."
The next batch of Q400s expected to ferry to Australia include C-FUWE (msn 4477), which will enter into the Australian aircraft register as VH-84L; C-GVWE (msn 4485), which will re-register as VH-84O; and C-GWEG (msn 4488), which will become VH-84P.
VH-84N was the sixth of the fourteen former Encore Q400s to arrive in Australia. The first, VH-84A (msn 4447) ferried to Australia in December 2024. Since then, VH-84B (msn 4456), VH-84E (msn 4453), VH-84F (msn 4460), and VH-84G (msn 4462) have flown in. All now operate under the QantasLink brand.
Qantas says consolidating its turboprops into a single type will allow it improve reliability and provide a better recovery for customers during disruptions as well as reducing complexity and cost for the airline’s operation.