Jake Nelson

Figures for March 2026 released by the International Air Transport Association showed an 0.6 per cent drop in global international demand from March 2025, with capacity down 6.2 per cent. It comes after Airservices found Australian traffic through the Gulf fell by 77 per cent year on year.

The Diamond DA42 Twin Star, believed to be registered VH-YQP, crashed into a hangar at around 2pm on Wednesday, killing both people on board and injuring several on the ground in the subsequent fire, with 10 taken to hospital.

The International Air Services Commission (IASC) has awarded the Flying Kangaroo unrestricted capacity to Canada for 99 years, including its subsidiaries and codeshare arrangements with partners such as American Airlines and WestJet.

Starting 15 June, VA1-2 and VA7-8 flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Doha will resume following their earlier cancellation, though other services will remain cancelled for another three months. Virgin has said it is offering “flexibility” for guests who may wish to change travel plans.

Australia’s largest gateway saw 4.57 million international passengers in the three months to 31 March, up 5.8 per cent on the first quarter of 2025, with total passengers up 3.6 per cent year-on-year to 10.78 million, while domestic increased 2.1 per cent to 6.20 million.

In partnership with Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, flight NZ101 from Auckland to Sydney at 7am on Saturday honoured a serviceperson on every seat, with the Last Post being played at the boarding gate prior to departure.