Jake Nelson

The low-cost carrier will operate a seasonal Brisbane–Queenstown service from June–October next year, alongside new daily flights from Hamilton–Christchurch starting 1 December 2025, and will add around 500,000 annual seats on popular trans-Tasman and NZ domestic routes.

The aircraft, which formerly flew for QantasLink as VH-YQW, will reside at Aviation Australia’s Brisbane Airport hangar, and will offer hands-on experience for students at the Qantas Group Engineering Academy. The plane saw its final flight in December last year.

Starting in November this year, Malaysia Airlines will increase Adelaide services from five to six per week, before going daily from 2 February 2026, adding more than 60,000 seats per year. The carrier will also introduce its new 297-seat A330neo aircraft on the route.

Flight BA16 from Sydney to London via Singapore, operated by the 787-9 G-ZBKL, turned around over central western NSW less than an hour into the flight after a pilot made a mayday call due to what was initially reported as a suspected fuel leak.

The flights, operating three times per week, use WA-based 150-seater A319 aircraft, with the first service touching down in Newcastle from Perth at around 1:15pm on Monday aboard VH-8NS before returning just under 90 minutes later.

VH-E2A, which will begin revenue flights for Virgin Australia Regional Airlines in October, was greeted by water cannons as it touched down in Perth on Monday following its trip from Embraer’s factory in São José dos Campos, via Texas, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Fiji and Canberra.