Jake Nelson

In its Australian Aviation Network Overview report for July 2026, Airservices said the Australian aviation industry has entered Financial Year 2026-2027 with “resilient demand and steady economic conditions despite ongoing global uncertainty”.

The current enterprise agreement covers around 120 engineers represented by Professionals Australia at Qantas’ headquarters in Mascot, who have unanimously voted to lodge the ballot with the Fair Work Commission as they seek a “reasonable pay offer”.

Part of the 2026-27 State Budget, the funding will support RFDS operations across regional, rural and remote parts of NSW, including primary care, dental, mental health, retrieval services and patient and clinician transport.

The partnership with China’s Eastern Airports Group (EAG) provides a “practical framework for exploring future aviation links” while “supporting tourism, education, research, trade and cultural exchange between Canberra and Jiangsu Province”.

The three-month trial from 22 September to 22 December will see new Tuesday services added on Airnorth’s Perth-Alice Springs route, while a Tuesday Darwin-Tennant Creek service will be added on 1 September, extending through to Alice Springs from 22 September.

The low-cost carrier, which initially planned to fly four times per week to the Gold Coast starting 25 October, says it has seen strong demand that has prompted it to increase its services to daily, two months before Western Sydney International Airport opens to passenger traffic.