Australian Aviation

Announced last year, the facility in St Peters, near Sydney Airport, houses five full-flight simulators, several fixed flight training devices (FTDs) and 10 classrooms. More equipment, including an A330 FTD and Australia’s first A350 simulator, is expected to arrive next year.

The Sydney-based company said Vertiia – which plans to eventually travel up to 1,000km powered by hydrogen – has now taken off, flown and landed more than 50 times successfully using battery power.

Virgin has also confirmed in a submission to the ACCC that codesharing with long-time partner Singapore Airlines would extend only to flights to and from Asia, though unlike with Etihad, this would not affect frequent flyer benefits.

The carrier’s CEO, Alistair Dorward, argued any support should be offered to the industry as a whole to ensure an “even playing field for all operators”.

The deal is a significant breakthrough for the Flying Kangaroo in its bid to encourage Air New Zealand flyers to switch to Qantas services.

Both companies demonstrated the helicopter’s ability to be commanded to take-off, identify the location and size of a small fire, and then accurately drop water to suppress the flames.