Jake Nelson

Flight QF782 from Perth, operated by the 737-800 VH-VXJ, touched down 17 minutes behind schedule after the pilot performed a go-around to avoid the Nepalese national, who police say trespassed near the live runway, while two other aircraft were prevented from taking off.

The low-cost carrier will replace A320-200s with A321neo LRs between Brisbane and Canberra from April to October this year, each of which offers up to 52 additional seats per flight. It will be the first time Jetstar has operated the new aircraft into Canberra.

The aeromedical provider, which recently invested in new AW139 rescue helicopters, said it assisted 8,838 people last year – up 4.2 per cent on 2024 – translating to one every 59 minutes. Its helicopter crews completed 3,857 missions, while its jet crews helped 1,014 people.

The airline, which began operating between Cairns and Hamilton Island in November – reviving a former QantasLink route – now says on its website that the twice-weekly flights are being replaced by “personalised services”.

Australia’s western gateway saw 18.026 million travellers in the 2025 calendar year, up from 16.9 million in 2024 and more than 15 million in 2023. This included all-time highs for international (5.4 million), regional (6.4 million), and interstate (6.2 million) passengers.

All three occupants of the experimental Morgan Cougar Mk 1, VH-LDV – 20-year-old pilot Luke Smith; his younger brother Ben, 16; and cousin Dusty Daly, 15 – were killed when it crashed into a paddock near West Sale Airport on 16 November 2024.