Jake Nelson

The agreement, which will last until 2039, will see Toll provide a total of eight aircraft for police, search and rescue, and aeromedical services in the state, including three fixed-wing planes and five helicopters.

Members of the RAAF, United States Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force worked together on “whole-of-force integration in complex and realistic scenarios” in the exercises, which included the RAAF’s F-35A Lightning II fleet.

Labor NSW MLC Stephen Lawrence joined Mark Jeffreson, the party’s candidate for Riverina, to collect signatures at Wagga Wagga Airport, one of Rex’s major bases. The petition follows the start of a new private sale process for the airline last month.

Jetstar flights from Ballina Byron have been cancelled and Qantas has also suspended flights in the region, while Gold Coast Airport closed ahead of the storm, which is expected to make landfall as a category 2 cyclone in the early hours of Friday morning.

The IASC’s decision clears the final major hurdle for Virgin and Qatar following the approval of Qatar’s 25 per cent stake in Virgin by the Foreign Investment Review Board and a draft determination by the ACCC that it would not oppose the potential arrangement.

Speaking at The Australian Financial Review’s 2025 Business Summit, Hudson said it was important for Qantas to overhaul its fleet given the delays in receiving its new A321XLRs and A220s. The Flying Kangaroo currently operates five A220s, with its first A321XLR to arrive later this year.