Jake Nelson

Part of Bankstown’s $60 million Aviation Hangar Project Major Development Plan (MDP), the project will see the construction of two new hangars and associated facilities, which will support up to 10 GA operations in the southwest Sydney region.

Starting February next year, the smaller jets will operate flights from the Sunshine Coast to Sydney and Melbourne, replacing the 737s that currently operate these routes.

Queensland Fire Department has secured an extension to the contract of its Large Air Tanker aircraft until the end of the 2026–27 fire season, with four additional services also made available until the end of the 2028–29 bushfire risk period.

The aircraft, Embraer’s 1,900th E-Jet delivered since the family was launched in 2004, is expected to arrive in Australia soon in preparation for the commencement of Virgin Australia Regional Airlines revenue flights in Western Australia next month.

The changes, to come in from 26 October, will see 350,000 extra seats from Adelaide to Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, increasing the airline’s Adelaide capacity by 19 per cent over the same time last year.

The Flying Kangaroo will extend the seasonal service by eight weeks, with flights set to run from 3 May to 23 October, with flights boosted from three to four per week during peak season. This will add 44 extra services in total to the route, or almost 10,000 seats.