Summary

• Qantas aircraft have the most flight hours, with an Airbus A330-300 leading the pack at 83,911 flight hours.
• Other airlines like Coulson Aviation Australia and Virgin Australia also have aircraft with high flight hours.
• Australia's regional and domestic aircraft accumulate more flight cycles than Qantas' widebodies due to shorter flights.

Given Australia's geographic location, the country receives some of the world's longest non-stop flights, connecting its airports to some of the most distant cities in Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

As such, aircraft flying to and from Australia rack up thousands of flight hours over their lifetime, sometimes flying for nearly 18 hours non-stop. Unsurprisingly, Qantas' widebodies' have accrued the most flight hours as they are deployed on the airline's intercontinental routes. However, when it comes to flight cycles, the aircraft performing the shorter domestic hops have accrued the most.

Qantas aircraft have the most hours

According to data from ch-aviation, Sydney-based Qantas has the aircraft with the most flight hours on record. In fact, the top 13 aircraft all belong to the national carrier. The aircraft with the most flight hours is an Airbus A330-300, registration VH-QPE. It has racked up 83,911 flight hours across 12,184 cycles at the time of the last measurement (August 2023). VH-QPE has been in Qantas' fleet since June 2006.

The rest of the top ten comprises Qantas' A330-300s. VH-QPC has the second-highest number of flight hours, at 83,279. However, it has more cycles than VH-QPE at 12,708. The third A330-300, VH-QPA, had accumulated 83,237 flight hours across 12,831 cycles at the time of the last measurement.

The airline's A330-200s also have thousands of hours under them and significantly more cycles than the -300s. The aircraft with the most hours is VH-EBC, with 74,589 across 17,761 cycles. VH-EBA, on the other hand, has amassed 73,637 hours with 17,747 flight cycles.

The best of the rest

After Qantas' widebodies, the rest of the top 20 represents a slightly more diverse picture, with other airlines present. The narrowbody with the most flight hours is a Boeing 737-300, operated by Coulson Aviation Australia. It has retained its American registration N138CG, as it previously flew for Coulson's US division. Operating as a water bomber, the 737 has accumulated 68,535 flight hours.

Some of Virgin Australia's narrowbodies have also accumulated a significant number of hours. Its most flown aircraft is a 737-800, registration VH-VOO, with 66,969 hours to its name. It is a 21-year-old aircraft, delivered to Virgin Australia in September 2003.

Alliance Airlines has a 31-year-old Fokker 100, which has flown a total of 62,867 hours as of December 2022. New South Wales-based Rex's most-flown aircraft is a 21-year-old 737-800, registration VH-RQC. It had amassed 62,043 flight hours across 25,140 cycles when it was last measured.

What about flight cycles?

Australia's regional and domestic aircraft are much more frequently used than Qantas' widebodies as they do not have to be in the air for over half a day. Some of the country's most-used aircraft had completed over 65,000 cycles at the turn of the decade and have undoubtedly added a lot more by now. Cairns-headquartered regional carrier Skytrans Airlines is the place to go regarding Australia's busiest active aircraft by cycles flown.

Although data from 2023 is not available, among its most-used aircraft is a 32.7-year-old DHC-8-100, registration VH-QQC. It has completed over 69,530 cycles as of November 2021. It is still active today, flying from Cairns and Brisbane to various destinations. Interestingly, this particular aircraft stands out, given that, at nearly 33 years old, it is one of Skytrans' youngest planes.

Next-highest is VH-QQG, with over 62,730 cycles, followed by VH-QQB, which has amassed more than 61,512 cycles. Skytrans currently has a fleet of seven aircraft, comprising five DHC-8-100s, one DHC-8-300, and one Q300. Also appearing on the list of most-used Australian aircraft is Coulson's 737, which has over 55,000 cycles.

Did you know that Australia had aircraft with so many hours and cycles? Perhaps you've even flown on one of them? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!