Retired QantasLink Fokker 100 takes up residence at Australia’s HARS Museum
After more than 32 years in the air – and thousands of flights connecting remote communities across Western Australia – QantasLink Fokker 100 has touched down for the last time. Rather than heading for storage or scrappage, the retired aircraft has arrived at a renowned Australian aviation museum where it will be preserved.
The aircraft joins other classic Qantas aircraft already displayed at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) in Shellharbour, New South Wales, including a Boeing 747 and a vintage Boeing 707 once owned by Hollywood actor John Travolta.
Former QantasLink Fokker 100 arrives at HARS Museum
After a final flight across Australia from Kalgoorlie (KGI) on 17 August, the Fokker 100 registered VH-NPU and carrying the name ‘Meekatharra’, arrived at Wollongong-Shellharbour Airport (WOL) later that same day – the home of HARS.
The recently retired 100-seat aircraft has been donated by QantasLink to HARS, where it will join its collection of civil and military aircraft as a public exhibit. VH-NPU is the latest Qantas-owned aircraft to be donated to HARS, after a Boeing 747-400 VH-OJA, which was donated to the museum in 2015.
According to a Qantas statement, VH-NPU is the second former QantasLink Fokker 100 aircraft to be retired to HARS, after another example (VH-NHO) was sent to the organisation’s Parkes Museum in Western Australia in February this year.
The Fokker 100 flew for over 32 years in total
VH-NPU began flying for QantasLink in December 2016 and was the final F100 to be added to the fleet. The aircraft previously flew for American Airlines and later for Austrian Airlines, having first flown in March 1994.
The aircraft has flown more than 11,250 hours for QantasLink, carrying around a million passengers across regional Western Australia and as a critical support of the resource industry, operating ‘fly-in-fly-out’ flights to remote airfields across the state.
“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 future generations of aviation enthusiasts,” said QantasLink’s CEO Mark Dal Pra.
A retired QantasLink Fokker 100 has found a new home at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) in Shellharbour, NSW. #aviation #aerospacehttps://t.co/DLyGBUwBni pic.twitter.com/JibyQzV9yx
— Australian Aviation (@ausaviation) August 18, 2026
“HARS has become a natural home for some of our retired aircraft, helping keep important parts of Australian aviation history alive. As we farewell the F100 and prepare to welcome new aircraft into the fleet, we are grateful to the volunteers who will ensure its story continues to be shared,” he added.
Meanwhile, HARS president and chief pilot Bob De La Hunty commented that the museum was honoured to have been entrusted by QantasLink to preserve its Fokker 100s. “Our volunteers are passionate about keeping these stories alive and allowing visitors to experience these remarkable aircraft up close,” he said.
HARS is seen as a vital link connecting modern-day Australians and the country’s rich aviation heritage. The addition of the Fokker 100 will help the museum continue its legacy of education, tourism, and the preservation of Australian aviation heritage, said the mayor of Shellharbour, Chris Homer.
“HARS continues to attract visitors from across the country, and every new addition to its collection helps share the stories of Australian aviation with future generations while supporting local tourism and our visitor economy.”
The next generation for QantasLink in Western Australia
QantasLink’s ageing fleet of F100s is gradually being replaced by Embraer E190 aircraft operated by Alliance Airlines on routes across Western Australia.
The Brazilian-built regional aircraft offer the airline improved reliability, better fuel efficiency, and enhanced customer comfort. The first E190 is expected to arrive in Perth in September.
QantasLink’s broader Western Australian network currently operates more than 600 flights per week to over 25 regional destinations, along with routes to Darwin, Newcastle, Hobart, Christmas Island, and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
Its current Western Australian fleet includes 40 aircraft across the Fokker 100, Airbus A319, and Airbus A320 types.
In the meantime, HARS is becoming well known among aviation enthusiasts as a final resting place for former Qantas planes. Alongside the Boeing 747-400, earlier this year, the museum also received the Boeing 707-138 registered N707JT, originally owned by Qantas and later acquired by the actor John Travolta.
The 707 was donated to HARS by Travolta in 2018 after it was found that the aircraft could not be flown from the US to Australia due to corrosion issues. The plane was later shipped to Australia in parts, where HARS engineers are currently in the process of reassembling the aircraft for future display.
