Hannah Dowling

The competition, which the airline has dubbed ‘VA-X and Win’, will offer millions of Velocity frequent fly points, as well as dozens of free business class flights.

Queensland on Wednesday night upgraded its NSW border ban to include all of Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and Shellharbour. 

The news marks a quiet end to Queensland’s previous contentious policy that specified it would only ease border restrictions following 28 days of no unlinked cases via community transmission.

First responders said the pilot was lucky to be alive after his single-engine light plane, VH-CWK, crashed into trees, and nosedived to the ground, about 1km north of the airport just after midday.

An international flight attendant that tested positive to COVID-19 in Brisbane over the weekend is said to have contracted the virus from another flight attendant while both completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Alliance Airlines has said it hopes to triple its annual flight hours after taking delivery of all 30 Embraer E190 aircraft, ordered at a discount last year, as it bolsters its position in the wet-lease market.