Several minor injuries were sustained during the evacuation of VH-ZRK on 5 April 2022, which had two flight crew, a flight attendant and 23 passengers on board for a flight to King Island, while some passengers exited the plane with their bags.

Based at RAAF East Sale in Victoria, the RAAF’s Pilatus PC-21 fleet has a total of 49 aircraft and has been in use by the Air Force for more than seven years, having replaced both the ageing Pilatus PC-9/A advanced trainer, which was in service since 1988, and the CT-4B Airtrainer, which was used for basic training.

The business could have opted for a lift-off date this month but has shifted the plan back to 2025 to complete “final testing and verification activities” and hand its team a break over Christmas.

The airport will see a number of new international routes commence in coming months, including a seasonal Cathay Pacific service to Hong Kong on 17 December, a Jetstar route to Christchurch, and a Fiji Airways route to Nadi, both starting in April.