A retired QantasLink Fokker 100 aircraft completed its final flight on August 17, flying from Kalgoorlie (KGI) to Wollongong-Shellharbour Airport (WOL) to take up residence at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) museum. The 100-seat regional jet, registered VH-NPU and named "Meekatharra", was donated by QantasLink to join the museum's collection as a permanent public exhibit.
The aircraft represents the second former QantasLink Fokker 100 donated to HARS, following another unit registered VH-NHO that was sent to the society's Parkes Museum in Western Australia in February. Based in Shellharbour, New South Wales, HARS maintains a collection of historic civil and military aircraft, including a previously donated Qantas Boeing 747-400 (VH-OJA) and a classic Boeing 707.
VH-NPU performed its first flight in March 1994 and previously operated for American Airlines and Austrian Airlines before joining QantasLink in December 2016 as the final Fokker 100 added to its fleet. During its service with QantasLink, the regional jet logged over 11,250 flight hours and carried roughly one million passengers across regional Western Australia, including fly-in-fly-out operations for the local resource sector.
QantasLink Chief Executive Officer Mark Dal Pra noted that the aircraft played a critical role connecting regional communities across Western Australia for nearly a decade and expressed satisfaction that HARS would preserve it for future generations. HARS President and Chief Pilot Bob De La Hunty added that museum volunteers are dedicated to keeping aviation stories alive and allowing visitors to experience the aircraft up close.
QantasLink is progressively replacing its aging fleet of Fokker 100s with Embraer E190 (ICAO type code E190) regional aircraft operated by Alliance Airlines. The airline expects the first replacement E190 jet to arrive in Perth in September, bringing improved fuel efficiency, operational reliability, and enhanced customer comfort to routes across Western Australia.
