Year: 2023

The low-cost carrier confirmed in a statement that it has stopped selling direct flights between Darwin and Denpasar – which operate five times per week – from 9 October to 8 November, as Defence, which owns Darwin Airport, may have plans to upgrade the runway during this time.

The move — revealed earlier this year as part of the Defence Strategic Review (DSR) into the military — is part of a broader shake-up that will see the newly formed No. 1 Space Surveillance Unit (1SSU) assume operation of Defence’s space domain awareness capabilities.

The light plane crashed after hitting a large bird during spraying operations near Chinchilla on September 19, 2022, about eight feet above ground level. The ATSB has established that the birdstrike, which shattered the right windshield, likely caused the pilot to lose control.

Airflite was awarded the $16 million contract covering the whole aeronautical life support equipment (ALSE) life cycle after a competitive tender process, and will now cover design, development, production, operation, maintenance, and disposal.

Starting in December, the low-cost carrier will fly non-stop between Melbourne and Fiji three times per week, carrying an estimated 72,000 passengers per year. Its existing Sydney service will also be changed to three times per week from December, using the neo from October.

The carrier confirmed that the two routes are being shut down for five months following a performance review, which considered demand and forward bookings among other factors. This will allow Virgin to reallocate the aircraft and resources from these routes to services in higher demand.