Jake Nelson

Speaking to Australian Aviation 15 years on from QF32, which saw an engine on board Qantas A380 VH-OQA explode shortly after take-off from Singapore, Captain Richard de Crespigny said that while the superjumbo is less efficient than it could be, it is nonetheless “critical” for carriers like Emirates.

The Black Hawks, based in Gingin and commencing operations on 20 December, are the second of two pairs that will operate around the state. They join a firefighting fleet of 38, which also includes the Large Air Tanker, based in Busselton, and other rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.

The carrier, one of China’s “big four”, will fly three times per week between Perth and Guangzhou using 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, providing a total of 85,800 inbound and outbound seats per year. The news comes after the return of its existing seasonal service at the beginning of the month.

In a letter to creditors seen by Australian Aviation, administrator EY Australia confirmed that the deed of company arrangement implemented last month is now complete, and all shares in the Rex Group have been handed over to Air T.

Starting 11 June, flights will operate three times per week every Monday, Thursday and Saturday on 737 MAX 8 aircraft, offering connections through Fiji to and from North America via Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and Vancouver.

In its final report into the incident on 21 July, which saw a fire break out in overhead bins on board flight VA1528 from Sydney to Hobart, the ATSB found that a power bank in a passenger’s backpack had failed and entered a dangerous “thermal runaway” state.