Australian Aviation

In a Q&A session at the AFR Infrastructure Summit on Tuesday, the Minister said she “did not take the commercial interests of either Qantas or Virgin into consideration” when making the decision, and continued to stress that it was based on “the national interest”.

This milestone achievement marks major progress as Northrop Grumman and the RAAF proceed towards delivery of the first aircraft in 2024. The first flight lasted approximately six hours and 24 minutes and included a range of tests, namely airworthiness evaluations such as engine, flight control and fuel system checks.

Passengers on IndiGo’s Singapore flights will now be able to connect seamlessly on Qantas flights to Melbourne, with Sydney, Perth and Brisbane connections to also come online in the next few weeks.

Dubbed Indoor Live View (ILV), the technology – compatible with both Android and iOS – will provide arrows, directions, and distance markers on passengers’ phone cameras to guide them to gates, retail outlets, baggage claim, restrooms, and other points of interest. Wheelchair-accessible options and audio directions will also be available.

The return A320 service will operate three times per week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, adding around 1,100 seats per week between the two cities. When combined with Jetstar’s existing Sydney route, the airline will carry up to 3,800 passengers per week to and from Hervey Bay.

This milestone flight marks the first, public successful flight of a sixth-generation combat aircraft, with Northrop Grumman describing the aircraft as the world’s “first sixth-generation aircraft” and a major step change for the US Air Force’s global strike capabilities.