Jake Nelson

Capacity between Australia and Asia has hit its highest-ever levels, according to Flight Centre’s SME arm Corporate Traveller, with India at 346 per cent of pre-COVID figures, Vietnam at 263 per cent, and South Korea at 153 per cent.

In a newsletter to NJE staff seen by The Australian, Lim, who bought the controlling share in the airline previously held by Rex before its collapse, said NJE would need to prepare for a decline in China’s need for resources “due to sluggish exports and a decline in domestic consumption”.

Five per cent of domestic flights across all participating airlines were cancelled last month according to BITRE data, up from 2.6 per cent in February, with a hefty percentage coming from Cyclone Alfred and related airport disruptions from 5 to 11 March.

Australia’s first international passenger flight left Brisbane for Singapore on 17 April 1935 on a DH86 aircraft, carrying only two passengers on the three-and-a-half-day journey. According to Qantas, more than 273 million customers have since flown across its international network.

Opposition transport spokesperson Bridget McKenzie said a Coalition government will implement a two-year trial of cabotage from Darwin if elected, which has been met with scepticism by the airline industry.

The new three-year contract commencing this month includes airside buses not previously provided by SkyBus, as well as new on-board information displays for the buses operating to the airport’s value car parks.