Jake Nelson

Jandakot’s new DFES Aviation Facility, expected to open by September next year, will bring WA’s Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service and Air Operations branches under one roof while supporting future growth in Department of Fire and Emergency Services aviation.

The regional carrier, which mainly operates in Queensland but has also taken over the former QantasLink service between Sydney and Lord Howe Island, commenced a weekly service from Sydney to Cobar earlier this year, with flights to continue until May.

Speaking exclusively to Australian Aviation, Alan Milne, who has returned to the PNG flag carrier after five years, said he is retaining 100 per cent ownership of East Air, which he purchased last year after leaving his post as chief executive of Skytrans.

The 33 new critical care doctors, who will be deployed to the Darling Downs, Sunshine Coast, Wide-Bay Burnett, Maranoa, North Queensland and Brisbane regions, have undergone “a week of intensive aeromedical training” at Brisbane Airport’s LifeFlight Training Academy.

The damning report from the inquiry into the shuttering of the three bases, which is slated for April this year despite outcry from staff and elected officials, concluded that Qantas had not done enough to consult with stakeholders on the closures or provide adequate support to those affected.

Australia’s second-largest airline group wrested the triple crown away from the Flying Kangaroo in January, according to the latest BITRE data, beating Qantas in on-time arrivals, on-time departures, and completion rates, again cancelling fewer than one in 100 flights last month.