Jake Nelson

From October to December 2025, a total of 340,778 passengers travelled through the updated terminal, including 111,007 in December alone. The airport now says it is expecting 1.334 million passengers by the end of the 2025–26 financial year.

The turboprop, registered VH-8QD, will operate alongside NJE’s eight-strong Embraer E190 fleet in the west, and comes as the carrier plans to add at least two more E-Jets to its fleet this year.

The 470-square-metre firefighting hub will strengthen the emergency response capabilities at Launceston, and is expected to be finished in time for the peak summer fire season later this year.

Citing “strong performance and exceptional demand”, the Flying Kangaroo will increase from the current three A330-200 flights per week to up to five in 2026–27, representing over a 50 per cent capacity increase from the current season.

The Australian Airports Association (AAA), in a pre-budget submission, said that allocating an extra five per cent of revenue per year from the $70 Passenger Movement Charge (PMC), which raises more than $1.35 billion annually, could boost border and airport processing infrastructure.

The airline, which was spun off following the Rex collapse in 2024, has commenced services to the Nifty copper mine in the Pilbara this month for Cyprium Metals following the launch of its route to Marble Bar for AIM late last year.