Jake Nelson

The simulator, which can be configured for either 737-700 or 737-800 aircraft, was moved to Sydney in March last year from its former home at Ansett Aviation Training (AAT) in Brisbane. It has now been purchased by lending firm Navinci for an undisclosed sum, with plans to add a second.

The Dash 8-Q400 VH-8QC and Embraer E190 VH-8EB bring the airline’s total fleet to 26, including 11 Q400s and eight E190s. It will use the new planes to service its growing Queensland operations and bolster its operating base in WA.

The Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA) argued that taking a one-size-fits-all approach to customer protections would have “the potential to impact regional and remote communities across Australia in adverse ways including increases in prices or reduction in services”.

In a valedictory post on LinkedIn, Hrdlicka, who first announced her departure more than a year ago, noted the carrier’s achievements since COVID-19. She is due to step down as CEO on 14 March, though she will help support the transition for the next few months.

Comprising $8 million in government funding, matched by funding from WSI, the Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund comes as tickets are slated to go on sale for flights to and from the airport later this year ahead of its scheduled opening in late 2026.

Described by the government as a “missing link” on Sydney’s rail network, the future corridor would connect Bradfield – and, by extension, Western Sydney Airport – with Leppington in the city’s southwest, providing an alternative to the northbound metro line which will terminate at St Marys.