Australian Aviation

The green light marks the final regulatory hurdle that needed to be cleared and follows the Australian Space Agency granting the company a launch licence in November. 

Fifteen months after the first aircraft commenced flying in 2023, the completion of essential testing, evaluation and training activities has occurred alongside the establishment of a robust fleet support and maintenance system.

The airport in northern Tasmania saw 159,032 passengers in January 2025, while 2 January was its busiest-ever day with 6,114 passengers, the first time it had handled more than 6,000 passengers in a single day. It comes after 2024 was Launceston’s best calendar year on record.

As Rex languishes in voluntary administration, and the government hints it may even buy the airline, Australian Aviation peeks into its archives to find out how we got here.

In its latest Domestic Airline Competition report, the consumer watchdog found flights on services between metropolitan cities were 90.4 per cent full in November 2024, the highest since January 2019, when the ACCC’s data began.

ACL manages slots at 75 airports around the world, such as London Heathrow and Dubai, and is owned by a consortium including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and easyJet. It will replace Airport Coordination Australia (ACA), which has handled Sydney’s slots for the past quarter century.