Jake Nelson

The Australian Financial Review reports Hrdlicka has told senior managers she still intends to depart the company, having announced her exit in February last year. The news comes shortly after Virgin publicly ruled out chief customer officer Paul Jones as a candidate for the top job.

Construction on the 3,200-square-metre facility, expandable up to 6,400 square metres depending on demand, is already underway at the WSI cargo precinct, and is tipped to be ready by late next year when the airport is expected to open.

As part of phase 1, 92 steel columns are being craned into place for the domestic terminal’s headhouse, which will include domestic arrivals and baggage areas, airline lounges, and operational management spaces, among other important components.

Two of the Diamond DA40 XLT aeroplanes, to be housed at Sydney’s Bankstown Airport, have now arrived and been put into service after several weeks of testing, with the remaining four to join the fleet over coming months.

In response to a letter from the International Air Services Commission (IASC), Jim Wolfe, assistant secretary of the department’s International Aviation Branch, said the proposed 28 weekly flights to Doha would be permitted according to the terms of bilateral air services agreements with Qatar.

The airport has again rejected reporting by the Newcastle Herald that it is in financial trouble after an article claimed it had been forced to “go cap in hand” to Defence asking to have its rent excused, but was knocked back.