Jake Nelson

Flight JQ163 took off from Gold Coast Airport at 6:15am on Wednesday aboard the A320-200 VH-VQF, with services to operate three times per week on a mix of A320ceo and A320neo aircraft. It comes days after Jetstar launched services to Hamilton from Sydney.

In a statement reported by Indian newspaper The Tribune, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said its recent inspections had thus far found no issues with the 787s themselves or with their maintenance, which were all in compliance with safety standards.

Starting 26 October, the airline will increase from 11 to 14 weekly return services between Perth and Hong Kong, and from 12 to 14 between Brisbane and Hong Kong, both year-round.

In a statement, Transport Minister Catherine King said EY Australia would ask the Federal Court to extend its convening period – currently slated to end this month – to December, and indicated further financial support would be provided if the extension is granted.

Conducted in partnership with Toll Aviation, the Remotely Piloted Aeromedical Clinical Systems (RPACS) trial was aimed at improving operational speed and safety in remote or hard-to-reach areas, with seven paramedics from critical care and special operations trained to operate the drones.

As reported by The Australian Financial Review, Angus Hewitt of financial services firm Morningstar wrote in a note to clients that the company “does not think Australia will only have two airlines forever” and said the planned IPO is “too expensive”.