Jake Nelson

In a post on LinkedIn, the Flying Kangaroo said fuselage sections and wings have now been joined on the aircraft, with the tail also installed this past week. It comes after the first of the new aircraft left the initial assembly line in November.

The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) has excoriated Experience Co and its subsidiary Skydive Australia, which the union says has applied to the government to hire 37 cheaper overseas workers while axing its local training program. The company says it is not looking to replace local workers.

The airline, which specialises in FIFO, charter and wet-leasing operations, still expects a full-year profit of between $35 and $40 million before tax, and plans to gradually phase out its Fokker 70 and 100 fleet. It comes after the airline appeared to be revisiting its contract with QantasLink.

In its Australian Aviation Network Overview report for January 2026, Airservices said broader trends are pointing towards continued improvement in air traffic management, with service variations down 65 per cent on the previous year.

Around 70 instructors for Skydive Australia, part of Experience Co, walked off the job at eight sites around Australia over the weekend seeking better pay and conditions. It followed similar industrial action in December over stalled enterprise agreement negotiations.

A report from a University of Queensland economist, commissioned by the Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance, has asserted that banning night flights would cost only around $10 million per year, but could generate at least $50 million in “health and economic benefits”.