Australian Aviation

The sustainment contract will create over 75 new jobs in Nowra at Sikorsky Australia’s maintenance and logistics support facility, building on its existing workforce of 200.

The regional Queensland airline, which was last year purchased by global aviation firm Avia Solutions Group, received its first A319, registered VH-L7A, in mid-December. Its second – to be registered VH-L7C – arrived at the end of last month.

The two Sydney-bound flights from Melbourne and Brisbane on Friday were crewed entirely by LGBTQIA+ staff members and allies, including both flight and cabin crews, and featured mid-air DJ entertainment and drag performances.

Across Australia, a combination of cost-of-living pressures and a reduction in business travel has led to domestic travel stagnating in the last few years.

Labor last year put on hold plans to buy a fourth squadron of F-35s and said it would instead redirect some of that investment towards long-range missiles.

Southern Launch, which operates the site, confirmed Varda’s W-2 spacecraft touched down using a parachute at 1:02am local time and was monitored on the way down with tracking telescopes.