Hannah Dowling

The two-seat kit-built Acroduster II had taken off from Caloundra in the Sunshine Coast when witnesses reported the aircraft “descended very quickly” shortly after 9:20am. It is currently not known what caused the crash.

New Economy Lite fares will start from just $59 one-way between Sydney and Byron Bay, putting it on a par with low-cost rival Jetstar. It comes despite the closure last year of budget subsidiary Tigerair.

Western Australia could soon move to introduce unprecedented border controls with NSW, and has introduced new restrictions on arrivals from New Zealand.

PM Morrison said the initial flight of just 26 people included Australian citizens, Afghan nationals with Australian visas, and one foreign official, despite the C-130J’s 128-person capacity.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced overnight that the whole country would be placed into ‘level four’ restrictions for three days, following one reported case of COVID-19.

Qantas has announced it will soon require all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including frontline and corporate staff.