Jake Nelson

Thursday 18 September saw 2,799 flights, the highest since 2019, with Brisbane setting an all-time record at 617 movements on 26 September driven by school holidays and major football finals, according to Airservices Australia’s Australian Aviation Network Overview report for last month.

The BETA ALIA CX300, currently registered N401NZ, took off from Tauranga Airport on Friday morning for its inaugural test flight. It will be based in Hamilton, then move to Wellington in December for another two months.

Flight VA733 on Thursday was the first service to allow pets to be transported in the cabin, with the trial to run until 30 January 2026 so feedback can be gathered from passengers. The airline aims to have the option rolled out across all domestic flights by late next year.

Sixteen-year-old Byron Waller landed at Brisbane Airport at 12:46pm on Wednesday, having flown 41,700km in his Sling TSi VH-ZMD over 67 days following his departure on 9 August. He was accompanied by three different flight instructors over the course of the journey.

In an op-ed in The Courier-Mail, Gert-Jan de Graaff said faster international processing is needed to help passengers cross the border more quickly, with better public transport also a must to accommodate both current visitors and future growth.

Speaking to ABC Radio in Adelaide, Angus Mitchell confirmed that the ATSB is investigating an exhaust fire on Wednesday and a mid-air engine shut down on Saturday, both on Rex flights to Broken Hill, but said they did not necessarily indicate a wider problem with the airline’s fleet.