Adam Thorn

An ATSB report revealed the pilot didn’t follow visual flight rules and entered an area where visibility was reduced to just 10 metres. When the tree was spotted, it was too late to steer away.

The airline suspended all international flying, including to New Zealand, on 30 March 2020. It has already restarted services to Bali and Fiji and will soon fly to Vanuatu and Samoa.

In what could be interpreted as a swipe at problems with the Spartan, the department said lessons had been learned from previous major acquisitions.

The country’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, urged the US and Australia to abandon what it branded an “outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality” and “narrow geopolitical mindset”.   

The proxy group ISS has told its members that the CEO’s targets aren’t “sufficiently challenging” ahead of a crucial meeting on Friday.

Washington will build dedicated facilities in the NT, including a ‘squadron operations facility’ and parking areas to accommodate the aircraft.