Qantas has performed its final scheduled passenger service from Melbourne on its Airbus A380 fleet, marking the end of an era – and reduced booking options for premium passengers.
The Transport Workers’ Union says Virgin has delivered “record profits” in recent years, with former owner Bain Capital extracting $2.7 billion from the airline since purchasing it from administration in 2020, and that the firm should “reinvest the profits back into the workforce who helped deliver them”.
Flight JQ185 took off from Perth for Christchurch at 8:30am on Tuesday, operated by the A321neo LR VH-OLQ. Jetstar will fly three times per week on the route until April 2027, adding more than 37,000 seats and competing with an upcoming Air New Zealand service.
Flight JQ140 left Christchurch at 9:13am aboard the A320 VH-X3J, arriving at Kingsford Smith shortly before 10:30am local time before returning as JQ141 at 12:30pm. The service, operating four times per week, will add almost 40,000 seats annually between Sydney and the South Island.
Finnair flight AY145 landed in Melbourne at 7:14am on Monday aboard the A350-900 OH-LWO, making Melbourne the only airport in Australia currently served by a European Union airline.
Flight NZ165 was the first to touch down at WSI, landing ahead of schedule at just before 7:30am aboard the A320neo ZK-NHC, with the return NZ166 service departing for Auckland just after 9:15am. It comes after Jetstar began domestic services on Sunday.