Jake Nelson

Starting 15 June, VA1-2 and VA7-8 flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Doha will resume following their earlier cancellation, though other services will remain cancelled for another three months. Virgin has said it is offering “flexibility” for guests who may wish to change travel plans.

Australia’s largest gateway saw 4.57 million international passengers in the three months to 31 March, up 5.8 per cent on the first quarter of 2025, with total passengers up 3.6 per cent year-on-year to 10.78 million, while domestic increased 2.1 per cent to 6.20 million.

In partnership with Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, flight NZ101 from Auckland to Sydney at 7am on Saturday honoured a serviceperson on every seat, with the Last Post being played at the boarding gate prior to departure.

The man, identified by the ABC as 57-year-old Keiron Beau James Hedges, was arrested in Perth on Wednesday following the alleged incident at the main international terminal, and appeared before Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The latest BITRE data showed that 81.9 per cent of Qantas and QantasLink flights took off on time, and 80.1 per cent arrived on time in March, compared to 78.7 per cent and 77.7 per cent, respectively, for Virgin Australia and VARA, though Virgin continued its lead in completion rates at 98.2 per cent.

The changes, to come into effect from 9 July, will affect all flights in the Sydney area, including from Sydney Kingsford Smith, WSI, and Bankstown Airport. The new flight paths were developed in conjunction with Airservices Australia, and were approved last year.