Jake Nelson

The upgrades, partly funded by a $55 million grant from the federal government, will see Newcastle overhaul its international terminal, including passenger and border processing facilities, to better support international flights to and from the airport.

Partnering with flight training provider Inbound Aviation, the Newcastle-based airline – which operates a fleet of 19-seat British Aerospace Jetstream 32 turboprop aircraft servicing regional routes around NSW and the ACT – will take on its first cadets in late August.

The Vietnamese low-cost carrier will introduce daily flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City, and up its frequency from two to three return flights from Brisbane per week using its A330 fleet.

The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) has told Australian Aviation that its members have encountered “chronic” and “systemic” staffing problems at Airservices dating back to before COVID-19. It comes after reports emerged earlier this year that there were 340 instances of “uncontrolled airspace” from June to April 2023, with Airservices admitting to “staff availability issues”.

Mayor Phill Stone said the airline was “ignoring the facts of the situation” and added the business’ proposed terminal renovations would have been unfeasible.

The low-cost carrier confirmed in a statement that it has stopped selling direct flights between Darwin and Denpasar – which operate five times per week – from 9 October to 8 November, as Defence, which owns Darwin Airport, may have plans to upgrade the runway during this time.