Jake Nelson

Flight MU571 arrived in Cairns just after midday on Thursday on board the 232-seat A330-200 B-8231. Operating four times per week, it will see 10 total flights for the Lunar New Year until 18 February, bringing 2,320 total seats into Cairns and the wider Tropical North Queensland region.

Flight JQ53 took off for Seoul at noon on Thursday aboard VH-VKK, and will serve the Seoul–Brisbane route three times per week. The JQ23/24 service from Brisbane to Osaka will commence on Friday, with four return flights per week, and will be the only non-stop route between the two cities.

Non-stop flights between the two Queensland destinations will wrap up on 29 March, though Bonza has assured passengers in Townsville and Rockhampton that it will continue to serve other routes from both cities, including to its Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast hubs.

Tickets have gone on sale for the 2024 show, slated for 16 to 18 August in Surfers Paradise, with organisers signalling plans to extend the event along the beachfront after last year’s show attracted around 250,000 people including 100,000 paying attendees.

Speaking to Australian Aviation for an upcoming podcast, Tim Jordan said the business could target a fleet of 10 aircraft by the end of the year. 

Speaking to Adam Shirley on ABC Radio this week, Dr Andrew Leigh reiterated the government’s line that allowing extra Qatar flights into major airports was “not in the national interest”, but urged the Middle Eastern carrier to bring back flights to the nation’s capital.