Jake Nelson

The inaugural flight HX17 landed at Sydney Airport from Hong Kong on Saturday aboard the A330-300 B-LHL, with the full-service carrier expanding seat capacity on the Sydney-Hong Kong route – Sydney’s third busiest international destination after Singapore and Auckland – by 20 per cent.

Israeli and Iranian airspace has been closed due to the escalating conflict between the two long-time adversaries, leaving around 4,200 Australians stranded. If repatriation flights go ahead, it would be at least the third time in three years that Australians have been evacuated from the region.

In a pre-budget submission, Regional Cities New South Wales (RCNSW), an alliance of 15 regional centres across the state, has called more broadly for a boost in infrastructure spending, but is seeking extra support for aviation.

The airport has installed four new layover bays to support Code F aircraft like the A380, as well as upgrading two existing bays for Code E aircraft such as the 777, A340, or A350, with a flexible configuration to support up to six Code E or four Code E and two Code F aircraft.

In its final report, the safety watchdog found that the crash of the Rockwell 695A Jetprop Commander light aircraft, registered VH-HPY, on 4 November 2023 was likely due to pilot hypoxia from a faulty pressurisation system of which operator AGAIR had been aware for some time.

Flight VA15 departed shortly before 3:30pm on the wet-leased Qatar Airways 777-300ER A7-BEE, a week after the launch of the first of Virgin’s restored long-haul services from Sydney on 12 June.