Year: 2025

The Finnish carrier will operate the new Melbourne route using its A350 fleet, which features business, premium economy, and economy seating. Flights will commence on 26 October subject to government approvals, with passengers able to book to Bangkok or all the way to Helsinki.

Between them, the major Australian airlines are expecting to fly more than 13 million passengers over the Christmas holidays, while November saw the strongest monthly year-on-year growth for Australian aviation in 2025, with load factors reaching 85 per cent according to Airservices.

On the final regular Australian Aviation Podcast for this year, Jake and David reflect on what 2025 brought and what 2026 is set to bring – and wish you all the best for the holiday season.

The airport, more than 1,500km north of Perth, is seeking to become the only regional gateway in Western Australia to host international routes to destinations such as Singapore and Bali, with previous services to Broome and Port Hedland having been axed.

In this extract from her book, Michelle Huntington tells the harrowing tale of her close encounter with a mid-air lightning strike – and how her training brought her home safely.

Since its first long-haul international flight from Kuala Lumpur to the Gold Coast in 2007, AirAsia X – a subsidiary of the larger AirAsia Group – has become one of the staple carriers of the Asia-Pacific region. CEO Benyamin Ismail sat down with Jake Nelson for a fireside chat on its evolving model and how it weathered the COVID-19 storm.