Adam Thorn

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, have for the first time spoken about their gruelling work evacuating Australians and visa holders from Kabul airport last month.  

The country’s COVID response minister, Chris Hipkins, said on Wednesday it was “unrealistic” to expect a decision in the next few weeks.

The ultra-low allocation is likely a result of Australia’s small arrival caps, which are set to lower again as COVID positive residents take up hotel rooms usually allocated for international arrivals.

The Board of Airline Representatives of Australia (BARA) said there has been “limited engagement” with governments to adapt COVID mitigation measures to accommodate more than a handful of arrivals at airports.

Aviation enthusiast Rod Knights has completed his 12-year mission to recover A20-714, which ditched in the lake during a low training flyover in 1950.

The event will celebrate the achievements of two years’ worth of inductees, including ‘Father of the RAAF’ Sir Richard Williams; Australia’s first female pilot for a major airline, Deborah Lawrie; and Basil South Brown, a co-founder of East West Airlines.