The funding will be used to upgrade the runway at Whyalla Airport in regional South Australia, which was last year at the centre of the high-profile “Rexit” stoush between Rex and the local council over enhanced security screening.
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth Airports are bracing for potential post-COVID-19 highs in traveller numbers between 13 December and 27 January, with the holiday season tipped to be the busiest since at least 2019 at around 15.9 million passengers.
Airport Coordination Australia (ACA), which has handled Sydney’s slots for the past quarter century, has lost the contract to London-based Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) for the next three years, as reported by The Australian this week.
The airline, one of China’s “Big Four”, is flying four times per week from Sydney and three times per week from Melbourne using A330 aircraft, both for ten-week seasons. Daxing is Beijing’s newer international airport, and the city’s second alongside Beijing Capital.
The Gulf carrier will launch a daily service via Melbourne in December 2025 using its 777 fleet, bringing international connections out of Canberra back to two after Batik Air indefinitely suspended its Denpasar service in October.
Currently operating three times per week on the 787-9 Dreamliner, the Narita service – which recommenced in October, two weeks ahead of schedule – was originally slated to end for the season in March 2025 but will now be a permanent fixture at the airport.