After years of faithful service, the final QantasLink Boeing 717 flight has touched down in Hobart for the very last time.
20-year-old aircraft VH-YQS arrived in the Tasmanian capital on Wednesday morning for a final farewell before taking off for the last time just after midday.
As dozens of planespotters gathered at the airport, the aircraft sat beside its successor, the Airbus A220, ready for its sentimental send-off.
The retirement of the QantasLink Boeing 717s began earlier this year with VH-NXI, the first of its type to be registered and flown in Australia.
It joined the Qantas Group for Jetstar two decades ago and operated the first flight between Melbourne and Launceston on the day the airline started flying in May 2004.
The removal of the 717 type from Australia has also meant the loss of the aircraft VH-YQW named ‘The Tassie Devil’, featuring a unique decal of Tasmanian devils.
It was introduced when Boeing 717 services commenced on the Melbourne to Hobart route in June 2014.
Qantas has confirmed that there are only three more days left to see the 717 in Australian skies.
Flight QF1562 will leave Launceston for Sydney at 2:30pm on Saturday, marking the end of an era and the last commercial flight for the aircraft in the country.
