Jake Nelson

Flight DL11 from LAX touched down at 7:30am on Friday aboard N527DN, the first A350-900 operated non-stop by a major American airline to Melbourne. Flights will operate three times per week on the 275-seater A350 fleet.

Instructors at eight sites across Queensland, NSW, and Victoria took industrial action on Friday, saying negotiations for Experience Co’s first-ever enterprise agreement have stalled for nearly 10 months, and that the company would “trade away the industry’s reputation for profit”.

Starting in March, the low-cost carrier’s Dunedin and Hamilton services from the Gold Coast will each go from three to four flights per week, with each seeing load factors of more than 90 per cent on many flights.

Skyway, a joint venture between BMD Group and CPB Contractors, will carry out a major works package on the 3,000-metre runway, including earthworks, access roads, runways and taxiways, ground lighting, and other necessary infrastructure.

While Qantas’ regional arm will retain its separate AOC structures and accountabilities, the airline will now be reporting to Svensson instead of former CEO Rachel Yangoyan, who has moved to the newly-created role of chief technology, AI and transformation officer effective immediately.

The inaugural JQ101 service took off from Brisbane on Wednesday aboard A321neo LR VH-OYW, with three return flights to operate every week, increasing to four between the end of January and the end of March. It follows the launch of Perth–Manila flights at the end of November.