Year: 2026

The aeromedical provider, which recently invested in new AW139 rescue helicopters, said it assisted 8,838 people last year – up 4.2 per cent on 2024 – translating to one every 59 minutes. Its helicopter crews completed 3,857 missions, while its jet crews helped 1,014 people.

On this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake and David wade into the eternal stoush over airport charges and examine the arguments on either side – as well as what the airports need all that money for.

The airline, which began operating between Cairns and Hamilton Island in November – reviving a former QantasLink route – now says on its website that the twice-weekly flights are being replaced by “personalised services”.

The new aviation training academy, funded by the Australian government and delivered by Aviation Australia in Townsville, is set to play a key role in building Australia’s future Defence workforce, with the first cohort of 35 maintenance engineer trainees having begun their apprenticeships on Monday, 19 January.

Australian utilities and critical infrastructure have yet to face anything approaching a domestic cyber incident enabled by drones; however, the country cannot afford to rest on its laurels, according to a new report from the University of Canberra.

Australia’s western gateway saw 18.026 million travellers in the 2025 calendar year, up from 16.9 million in 2024 and more than 15 million in 2023. This included all-time highs for international (5.4 million), regional (6.4 million), and interstate (6.2 million) passengers.