Adam Thorn

The three-times-weekly service will use the Flying Kangaroo’s widebody A330s and rival Garuda Indonesia, which currently flies the same route twice a week.

Australian Aviation photographer Lenn Bayliss was on hand to capture the moment the widebody, VH-VPD, departed Toowoomba.

In a rare opinion piece, Alan Joyce also reveals the Flying Kangaroo is almost back to 100 per cent of pre-COVID domestic capacity.

Australian Aviation is publishing in full this opinion piece by the Flying Kangaroo’s chief executive on the airline’s recent improved performance.

The incident, which involved 35 people onboard, resulted in no injuries despite a similar balloon collision in the same area killing 13 in 1989.

VH-LQG departed the Queensland capital at 12:39 pm before turning around over Rainbow Beach, 120km from Hervey Bay, to return home.