The charter and FIFO carrier saw a statutory net profit after tax of $82.1 million, down 4.9 per cent on its record profit in 2023-24, though revenue from operations was $760.9 million, up 19.4 per cent. The carrier also saw a fifth straight annual record in total flight hours, with 113,621.

Defence Minister Judith Collins and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters confirmed the investment decisions of $2.7 billion, with the MH-60R Seahawk the preferred option to replace the existing maritime helicopters. The Airbus A321XLR aircraft will replace the ageing 757 fleet.

The aircraft previously completed testing earlier this year, in which a single human operator onboard a RAAF E-7A Wedgetail was able to successfully control two Ghost Bats in a mission against airborne targets.

In the June meeting minutes, obtained by The Australian under freedom of information laws, Department of Home Affairs assistant secretary (aviation security) Matthew Pedler told airport operators that the alleged incident was the worst since a disrupted Sydney bomb threat in July 2017.