Catherine Walsh's declaration that the carrier was “in the wrong” and “deeply sorry” comes despite Qantas repeatedly appealing the original decision and compensation fee amount in a case that dragged on for years.
Based at RAAF Base Edinburgh and operated by RAAF’s No.11 and No. 292 squadrons, Australia currently operates 12 Poseidon with an additional two aircraft to be delivered by the end of 2026.
ZK-NZH touched down in Brisbane shortly after 11am on Monday as flight NZ145 from Auckland, with a full load of passengers on board. The plane, which was the first Dreamliner in the world to undergo a full refit from nose to tail, then returned to Auckland to fly on to San Francisco.
The TWU has called for the airline to be fined a maximum of $121 million, which would be in addition to the $120 million in compensation it’s required to pay to 1,800 affected employees.
The spacecraft touched down at the Koonibba Test Range on Tuesday after spending 61 days in orbit, while the journey home saw the it reach speeds of Mach 25 on its descent.
The $200 million Deep Maintenance and Modification Facility is expected to facilitate the specialist maintenance of the Australian Defence Force’s Boeing 737 variant military aircraft.