Year: 2026

In a post on LinkedIn, the Flying Kangaroo said fuselage sections and wings have now been joined on the aircraft, with the tail also installed this past week. It comes after the first of the new aircraft left the initial assembly line in November.

The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) has excoriated Experience Co and its subsidiary Skydive Australia, which the union says has applied to the government to hire 37 cheaper overseas workers while axing its local training program. The company says it is not looking to replace local workers.

The airline, which specialises in FIFO, charter and wet-leasing operations, still expects a full-year profit of between $35 and $40 million before tax, and plans to gradually phase out its Fokker 70 and 100 fleet. It comes after the airline appeared to be revisiting its contract with QantasLink.

In its Australian Aviation Network Overview report for January 2026, Airservices said broader trends are pointing towards continued improvement in air traffic management, with service variations down 65 per cent on the previous year.

Airbus-backed high-altitude platform specialist AALTO HAPS has confirmed that Australia is the preferred location for the next launch and landing site of its Zephyr solar-powered stratospheric aircraft, as the company moves to build a domestic payload and research ecosystem to support future operations.

Deliveries are slated to begin in 2029 and will include two weapon systems trainers, an enhanced integrated cockpit systems trainer, loadmaster part-task trainer, and upgrades to the RAAF’s virtual simulation and virtual maintenance trainers.