Jake Nelson

Dramatic footage captured by planespotters showed what looked like large chunks of tarmac being thrown up behind VH-EBD as it took off from runway 03 to operate flight QF71 to Singapore at around noon on Sunday. The runway surface is reported to have been freshly laid.

The carrier, one of China’s “big four” airlines, will operate three 787-8 Dreamliner flights to Guangzhou per week starting 12 December, returning to Adelaide following a four-year break after it paused services in March 2020 due to COVID-19.

From June 2025, Jetstar will fly three times per week from the Gold Coast to Hamilton and Dunedin, as well as up to four times per week from Sydney to Hamilton.

The MAX 8 aircraft are expected to be delivered from the second half of 2025, with Boeing still having not received certification for the larger MAX 10. The change brings Virgin’s total MAX 8 order from 14 to 26, with eight having already arrived.

Canberra will be the first airport in Australia to use digital aerodrome services (DAS), which allow for 360-degree remote air traffic management via cameras and sensors positioned at the airfield. The 18mm galvanised steel mast installed this month is a step towards DAS coming online next year.

The 3,000-metre runway, planned to open in 2031, will be built in parallel to the existing north-south runway and 1.3 kilometres to the west. Its opening will allow for simultaneous take-offs and landings, which the airport says will increase capacity and reduce delays.