Qantas this week donated a retired Fokker F100 regional jet to Australia’s Historical Aircraft Restoration Society for long-term preservation and display.
The jet, nicknamed “Meekatharra,” entered service with QantasLink in 2016 and was the final F100 to be added to the regional carrier’s fleet. It was recently flown to Shellharbour Airport, where it was delivered to HARS.
This is the second F100 donated by Qantas to the restoration society; another was delivered to HARS’ Parkes Museum in February.
The carrier said Meekatharra will sit alongside Qantas’ first Boeing 747- 400, which was donated in 2015. That aircraft, known as “City of Canberra,” is one of HARS’ most visited attractions.
Qantas is phasing out its F100s in favor of the Embraer E190, which officials described as more reliable, fuel efficient, and comfortable for passengers. The first of the carrier’s E190s will be delivered to Perth next month.
“Meekatharra played an important role connecting regional communities across Western Australia for close to a decade, and we’re thrilled it will now be preserved by HARS for the future generations of aviation enthusiasts,” QantasLink CEO Mark Dal Pra said in a news release.
Introduced in the 1980s, the F100 was for a time a popular regional jet, with operators including American Airlines, US Airways, and Swissair. Most carriers began to retire their F100s in the 2000s, but the type endured in Australia, mainly due to QantasLink and Alliance Airlines. Other current operators include Iran Air and Air Niugini, the flag carrier of Papua New Guinea.
