Jake Nelson

The kiosks, procured by the airport in an agreement with Australian Border Force, will boost incoming passenger capacity by 640 per hour and are part of a larger order of 40 SmartGates to be installed by early next year.

Using its WA-based 150-seater A319 fleet, Qantas’ regional arm will begin a new route from Perth to Newcastle three times per week on 8 September, and restore its former Perth–Hobart service three times per week from 26 September.

Senator McKenzie, who was a critic of the Labor government’s aviation policy and pushed for EU-style “pay-on-delay” laws during the government’s first term, has signalled a continued focus on aviation in her second stint as the opposition’s transport spokesperson.

The flight, which lifted off on Wednesday morning Australian time, successfully reached space unlike the explosions of both the seventh and eighth test flights shortly after liftoff earlier this year, following hardware adjustments by SpaceX prior to the flight.

As reported in The Australian, the national council of the TWU has resolved to work to secure a multi-employer agreement for ground crew, and to explore similar arrangements in other sectors. The news follows protest action by the TWU against working conditions at Swissport.

The low-cost carrier is upgauging from A320s to A321neo LRs on the route between June and October this year, which will add a total of 4,500 extra seats over the entire season. Melbourne is Townsville’s third busiest destination, with 90 per cent of seats full over last year’s winter.