Jake Nelson

Flight NZ261 landed in Adelaide at 9:30pm on Tuesday aboard the A320neo ZK-NHB, taking off again for Christchurch shortly after 7:15am on Wednesday. Flights will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays until 27 March 2026, adding around 15,000 seats on the route.

The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) 737 Large Air Tanker N138CG “Marie Bashir” touched down on the runway shortly after 8:30am on Tuesday following a short flight from nearby RAAF Base Richmond to take part in a multi-agency, full-scale aerodrome emergency exercise.

Despite its new focus on ACMI services, the airline says its regular passenger transport flights are here to stay, having recently taken over the Lord Howe Island route from QantasLink.

Scurrah, who led Australia’s second-largest airline group from 2019 until his resignation in 2020 following its COVID-19-induced collapse into voluntary administration, will take the helm at Fiji’s national carrier on 1 November as current CEO Andre Viljoen steps down.

Backed by Victorian government investment, the facility – as flagged in January – will be able to handle 100,000 tonnes of freight per year, and is equipped with “advanced scanning technology” that will speed up cargo processing.

The screening point for Qantas passengers has five security lanes equipped with Standard 3 Rapiscan CT technology, which allows laptops and aerosols to be kept inside bags, as well as larger tubs for personal items and automatic tray return.