Jake Nelson

The Bell aircraft, owned by McDermott Aviation, were battling a fire near Porto Germeno in Greece when the rotor of one appeared to strike the underside of the other, causing the lower helicopter to crash in flames, while the other flew away after dumping its load of water, according to video footage.

A total of 9.96 million passengers travelled through Sydney’s terminals in Q2 2026, down 0.7 per cent on the same period in 2025, but half-yearly passenger traffic was up 1.5 per cent on 2025 levels, with growth in Asian routes helping offset the slump in Middle East demand.

In this premium Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake talks to author Melanie Hill about how she brought the high-speed, high-stakes world of air races to life, as well as how her book “Jett Cooper” could inspire more young people to a career in – or alongside – the skies.

A total of 1,478,925 people travelled through Launceston’s terminal in 2025–26, up 3 per cent on the previous year, with January the busiest month in the airport’s history. A total of eight monthly records were beaten over the last 12 months.

The Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council developed the procedures, which include minimum drop heights, after the ATSB’s findings around the crash of a Boeing 737-3H4 Fireliner, N619SW (similar aircraft pictured), on 6 February 2023.

The operator of Gold Coast, Townsville, Mount Isa and Longreach airports recorded 8.4 million total passengers in the 12 months to the end of June, up half a million on the previous year, with Gold Coast Airport seeing the most substantial growth, up 7.7 per cent on FY25 to 6.5 million.