Australian Aviation

Opposition transport spokesperson Bridget McKenzie said a Coalition government will implement a two-year trial of cabotage from Darwin if elected, which has been met with scepticism by the airline industry.

The new three-year contract commencing this month includes airside buses not previously provided by SkyBus, as well as new on-board information displays for the buses operating to the airport’s value car parks.

Virgin’s regional arm, which primarily operates in Western Australia, did not cancel any of its 194 flights last month, compared to 5.5 per cent cancellations for Virgin mainline services and 5.4 per cent for the group as a whole in a month heavily impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

The carrier will add a third daily Kuala Lumpur service for each airport starting in August, with Sydney to be served by A330-300s and Melbourne to be progressively served by A330neos. It comes ahead of the beginning of an “open skies” agreement with Malaysia in 2026.

This season has seen around 3,000 drops by both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, up from 1,399 hours in the previous period, which the state government has attributed to longer and larger fire incidents.

For nearly 40 years, Safran Helicopter Engines Australia has been supporting helicopter operators across Oceania by providing tailored engine maintenance and management solutions. Based at Bankstown Airport, Sydney, the company offers local support while benefiting from Safran’s global expertise as as a leader in-aviation manufacturing, maintenance and support.