Jake Nelson

Flight VA148 was forced to divert to Invercargill after flames were seen shooting from the engine shortly after takeoff. The airport’s assertion does not necessarily rule out a bird strike, and the 737-800, VH-YIV (pictured at Sydney in 2018), remains in Invercargill as of Tuesday.

The trio of Bell 429s will be assigned to the South-East Queensland fleet from 3 July, replacing a pair of older helicopters. Two have already arrived, with the third undergoing final testing before delivery, and will allow increased patrol opportunities across the region.

Mayor Rosanna Natoli has written to Queensland Premier Steven Miles asking for help from the state government, saying the Sunshine Coast had benefited considerably from Bonza’s presence since its launch in January 2023. Sunshine Coast Airport was the carrier’s first of three hubs.

Christine O’Reilly, who has held positions at organisations such as BHP, Stockland, Transurban and Infrastructure Victoria, will replace Peter Hay at APAC – owner of both Melbourne and Launceston Airports – as of 1 October. Hay has served as APAC chair for the last five years.

The passenger service, from Queenstown, was diverted to Invercargill with the airline confirming it is aware of the incident.

Flight JD385 from Hangzhou touched down in Melbourne just after 4:20am on Tuesday, operated by the A330-200 B-1043. Hangzhou is now the eighth mainland Chinese destination with direct service to Melbourne, and joins Beijing Capital Airlines’ existing route to Qingdao.