Jake Nelson

In a preliminary report, safety investigators noted that an actuator rod in VH-YQP’s landing gear had failed due to fatigue, though did not point to this failure as the definitive cause of the 29 April accident that killed a student pilot and instructor and injured nine others on the ground.

The airport is almost doubling its terminal footprint from 6,100m² to 11,750m², installing two new gates, and tripling the size of the domestic departure lounge from 1,250m² to 3,750m². The works are expected to be completed in 2027.

The inaugural flight, VA218 to Melbourne, took off from Adelaide just before noon on Tuesday with two Chihuahuas on board alongside its human passenger contingent. Adelaide has now joined Melbourne, the Sunshine Coast, and the Gold Coast as a destination for the new services.

Dubbed the “GC Surfer”, the project will use buses similar to Brisbane Metro to connect Robina to Coolangatta via Varsity Lakes, Burleigh Heads, and the Gold Coast Airport at 10-minute frequencies. It comes after the light rail extension was scrapped last year following community opposition.

Flight VA127 took off aboard 737 MAX 8 VH-8IK (similar aircraft pictured) shortly before 4:30pm on Monday, with services to operate three times per week, adding more than 40,000 seats annually. Virgin now flies to Bali from Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast.

The Timor-Leste flag carrier operated flight 8G271 from Dili to Darwin on Saturday morning, with A320 4W-AAL landing shortly after 10am. Aero Dili will fly twice per week across the Timor Sea between Dili and the NT capital.