Jake Nelson

The airport in the NSW Hunter region has enough demand for two daily flights to Singapore and regular Pacific services, according to data from Tourism Research Australia. A report by the airport indicated passengers would want to fly from Newcastle to hubs such as Singapore for onward travel.

As part of an open tender process, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts is seeking “impactful new projects”, which can be run through to June 2026, to promote female participation in the sector. Bids are open until 8 May.

Business groups have called for cheaper road solutions to ensure the new airport has ground connectivity when it opens in 2026, while also expressing worries on the progress of the Bradfield “aerotropolis” that will provide homes and businesses near WSI.

Neil Scales, director-general of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads from 2012 to 2023, will mediate the ongoing stoush between Melbourne Airport and the Victorian state government over the rail link, which was last year delayed past its planned 2029 opening date.

Twice-weekly A321neo flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays commenced earlier this month and will run until 26 October, with an additional Thursday service to begin on 25 June. The previous Cairns–Auckland service ended in October last year.

Stage 4 of the Gold Coast light rail, a 13-kilometre stretch linking Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta via the airport, was previously estimated at $2.7 billion, but now is expected to cost up to $7.6 billion, with Gold Coast City Council expecting to foot 11 per cent of the final bill.