Jake Nelson

The airline said QF7168, scheduled to depart Melbourne at 5pm for a 6:40pm arrival, would carry 485 passengers, the equivalent of almost three cancelled Boeing 737-800 aircraft that normally fly the busy route.

Qantas has pointed to what it says is a “significant improvement in punctuality”, saying it has beaten Virgin for the 17th straight month, while Rex has held up its top-of-the-table ranking in on-time departures and cancellations, and Bonza said it led the field in on-time arrivals.

In a statement announcing Air New Zealand’s half-year results, CEO Greg Foran confirmed that the new 787-9s, which will add to the carrier’s current fleet of 14 Dreamliners and feature the Skynests, are not likely to arrive until next year.

Qantas said the added transparency would vindicate its consistent denial of “slot hoarding” accusations, while Virgin and Bonza have labelled the changes “a step in the right direction”.

Ed Clark, a Boeing veteran of almost 20 years, will be replaced effective immediately by vice president of 737 delivery operations Katie Ringgold as vice president and general manager of the 737 program, and also as head of Boeing’s Renton factory in Washington State.

In a statement, the Australian Federation of Air Pilots said Simone McGurk, WA Minister for Industrial Relations, had met with a union representative to request the work stoppage not go ahead over the weekend due to the risk posed by ex-Tropical Cyclone Lincoln in the state’s northwest.