Jake Nelson

Under the proposed system announced on Wednesday, Sydney would be allowed 85 flight movements per hour instead of 80 for a maximum of two hours on days where major disruptions occur, which would result in fewer cancellations and overnight delays.

Labor says its reforms will increase transparency around slot allocation, hold airlines accountable for “misuse” of slots and introduce a “recovery period” after major delays.

The Transport Workers’ Union has urged Virgin owner Bain Capital to keep its promises to ground staff, cabin crew and pilots under whichever CEO replaces Hrdlicka, while the Australian Services Union said the passing of the torch allows for a “reset” with customer service staff.

The shock announcement comes as the carrier, currently owned by US investment firm Bain Capital, prepares to re-list on the stock market for the first time since it went into administration during the pandemic. The board will now begin a global search for her replacement.

The 24-hour rolling strikes, which were to end on Thursday, will now continue to at least Sunday 25 February as a survey of Australian Federation of Airline Pilots members showed 85 per cent did not agree Network’s management “actively and adequately address FRMS issues”.

The Kiwi carrier, which in 2023 posted a full-year profit after “several turbulent years”, said in guidance to investors that it expects earning before tax in 2023–24 to be between NZ$200 million and $240 million, including $20 million in COVID-19 credit breakage over the second half.