Jake Nelson

Ray Merrill, 101, donated a signed letter from General Dwight Eisenhower – later the 34th US president – as well as framed photos and a biography to the base, which have been placed on display in the officers’ mess.

Parafield, which was Adelaide’s first airport and is now the main general aviation aerodrome for the city, expects to expand its airfield infrastructure, as well as continue industrial and commercial development, in the first eight years of the plan to 2031.

Ten people, including the pilot, were on board VH-NWJ when it reportedly overshot the runway and crashed into bushland on the remote resort island at around 7:30am on 8 January. All nine adults and one 14-year-old girl escaped the overturned Cessna and were airlifted to Cairns Hospital.

The low-cost carrier, which was granted its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) on 12 January 2023, has since completed what it bills as the largest network rollout in Australian aviation history. It now flies 38 routes to 21 destinations in five states and territories.

Alaska Airlines flight 1282 to Ontario was forced to return to Portland after a plug door blew out at 16,000 feet, causing depressurisation as well as minor injuries to passengers. The plane, N704AL, was brand new, having only been delivered on 31 October.

Sydney has forecast 2.6 million passengers through its terminals over the three weeks from 14 December to 3 January, while Melbourne is expecting more than 4.2 million between 20 December and 29 January, and Brisbane is tipping 3.7 million between 1 December and 28 January.