Jake Nelson

Speaking at the Australian Airports Association conference in Brisbane, Hrdlicka said Virgin operating its own long-haul international services would be “at least six or seven years away”, but that the wet-lease arrangement would likely see Virgin pilots and cabin crew working on Qatar flights.

The Fijian flag carrier will operate three return 737 MAX 8 services between Cairns and Nadi per week starting 10 April, marking the first non-stop service between Fiji and northern Queensland.

The “Somewhere Over the Tasman” campaign features Fisher meeting and befriending a young girl travelling solo on an Air New Zealand flight, which the airline says is designed to highlight its “famous Air New Zealand hospitality”.

Announced last year, the facility in St Peters, near Sydney Airport, houses five full-flight simulators, several fixed flight training devices (FTDs) and 10 classrooms. More equipment, including an A330 FTD and Australia’s first A350 simulator, is expected to arrive next year.

Virgin has also confirmed in a submission to the ACCC that codesharing with long-time partner Singapore Airlines would extend only to flights to and from Asia, though unlike with Etihad, this would not affect frequent flyer benefits.

The tool, used to turn an engine compressor on VH-OQI during borescope inspections, is believed to have been left inside during routine maintenance on 6 December 2023 and was not found until a scheduled maintenance check at LAX on 1 January 2024, almost a month later.