Jake Nelson

The police force will lease a Pilatus PC-24 and upgrade its existing PC-12 fleet, with the twin-engine PC-24 expected to halve the current travel time from Perth to towns such as Kununurra while being able to land on unsealed outback airstrips.

Darwin–Singapore, which was slated to launch in December using Embraer E190s, will instead launch in March 2025 using the A220s. The news comes as Qantas rolls out a new route from Brisbane to Palau, alters some key routes to the US and Asia-Pacific, and brings two A380s back into service.

Speaking to The Australian this week, Australian and International Pilots Association president Tony Lucas said the deal – which would see Qatar operate flights to Doha under the Virgin Australia banner – is a “workaround of bilateral agreements” and of Australian jobs.

The memorandum of understanding will see Wisk, a subsidiary of Boeing, and Airservices collaborate and share expertise on autonomous air mobility, with an estimated 1 million air taxi flights per year expected by 2043. Wisk is aiming to have air taxis in Brisbane by the 2032 Olympic Games.

In its Australian Aviation Network Overview report for September 2024, Airservices pointed to favourable weather conditions as one factor in the reduction of total ground delay hours September.

In this special Australian Aviation video, Adam, Jake and Ben watch race footage from the victorious Australian Army Drone Racing Team – as well as some behind-the-scenes clips showing the racers in action.