Jake Nelson

The airline has commenced its summer schedule, which triples its Melbourne–King Island services to nine per week; it also flies return between King Island and Burnie/Launceston 12 times per week.

Simon Westaway, who was executive head of corporate relations at Jetstar from 2004 to 2011, has also worked for Impulse Airways and Tourism Australia. He replaces James Goodwin, who left the AAA in a surprise announcement in July.

Pilots from both the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) and Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) voted against the deal, which included a two-year wage freeze followed by annual increases of 3 per cent, as well as a $5,000 “Recovery Boost” payment.

The revelation will add to scepticism that the deal for Qatar to acquire a stake in Virgin is being done to circumvent rules preventing it from flying more services out of Australia.

The issue with the airline’s South Korean booking website last week resulted in some trans-Tasman economy fares as far out as September 2025 going for as low as 6,100 Korean won (under $7), while business fares were seen from 12,500 won ($14).

Qantas Freight will occupy a 24,000-square-metre cargo operation at WSI, including around 14,000 square metres of warehousing. The hub will be capable of servicing Qantas’ new and upgraded A330 and A321 freighters when it opens alongside the rest of the airport in 2026.