Australia’s Skytrans ferries out A319, one jet left in fleet

By Andrew Curran.

ACMI operator Skytrans Australia has ferried out a passenger-configured A319-100, leaving it with just one jet aircraft alongside its Dash 8 propellor fleet.

VH-L7A (msn 01779) departed Brisbane (BNE) on April 24 for delivery to Croatia-based passenger and charter airline, Trade Air. The aircraft arrived in Rijeka (RJK) on April 26, routing via Darwin (DRW), Johor Bahru (JHB), Kolkata (CCU), and Dushanbe (DYU).

During its time with Skytrans, VH-L7A most recently operated irregular fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) services for Mineral Resources, typically flying a weekly Brisbane - Wodgina (QBW) – Ken’s Bore (KYB) -Brisbane rotation.

“Skytrans Australia can confirm that one of the A319 aircraft has been redelivered following a planned adjustment of fleet deployment,” a spokesperson for Avia Solutions Group told Aero South Pacific. Ireland-based Avia Solutions Group acquired Skytrans in early 2024.

Skytrans’ remaining A319-100, VH-L7C (msn 01740), had also been operating weekly FIFO flights between Queensland and Western Australia for Mineral Resources. However, VH-L7C flew to Denpasar (DPS) in early April, where it remains.

In recent months, Mineral Resources has expanded its in-house airline, MinRes Air, to four Airbus jets, most recently ferrying in an A320-200 in March.

Avia Solutions Group's Australian ACMI plans flatline

Following its acquisition, Avia Solutions Group outlined plans to grow its Australian operations, citing strong potential in the market and indicating it would deploy surplus aircraft there during the European low season.

There had been talk of basing between five and ten narrowbody Airbus jets in Australia. However, only two A319s were deployed. Early charter work was sporadic, consisting mainly of ad hoc leisure and sports charters, before securing the Mineral Resources contract.

Even with this work, the two A319-100s remained underutilised, often parked at Brisbane Airport between their weekly rotations to Western Australia.

“ACMI jet operations are currently being aligned with market demand in Australia, taking into account seasonal patterns,” the spokesperson said. “This reflects Avia Solutions Group’s broader approach of flexibly allocating capacity across markets in line with demand and seasonality.”

Skytrans continues to operate Dash 8 fleet

Skytrans Australia also operates a fleet of nine Dash 8 turboprops, specifically five DHC-8-100s, two DHC-8-200s, and two DHC-8-300s. These aircraft are used on a mix of scheduled passenger services and charter operations, including regular FIFO flights between Rockhampton (ROK) and Labona (QBL) for Carmichael Mines, and twice-daily RPT services between Sydney (SYD) and Lord Howe Island (LDH).

Other Avia Solutions Group existing or future airlines include Bratislava (BTS) based AirExplore; Germany-based Arcus Air Logistic; Vilnuis (VNO) based Avion Express; Valletta (MLA) based Avion Express Malta; Bangkok (DMK) based BBN Airlines Thailand; Vilnuis-based KlasJet; Kuala Lumpur (KUL) based Ascend Airways Malaysia; São Paulo (GRU) based Avion Express Brasil; Jakarta (CGK) based BBN Airlines Indonesia; and Istanbul (AYT) based BBN Airlines Türkiye.

Earlier this week, Avia Solutions Group announced it would shut down London Gatwick (GTW) based Ascend Airways and return its six aircraft to their respective lessors.

The company cited several factors behind the decision, including geopolitical tensions, rising fuel prices, structural challenges in the European ACMI market, and a lack of reciprocal wet leasing rights for UK airlines.

Photo: Skytrans Australia.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com