Airstrips in remote communities across the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and NSW will be given grants of $5,000 to $3 million to upgrade their facilities by 2026 as part of the government’s Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program.

In a statement, Vanuatu’s flag carrier said the country’s government is considering putting the airline into voluntary administration, with Ernst & Young called in to offer advice. Air Vanuatu codeshares with Qantas on services between the island nation and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

A model aircraft store has told Australian Aviation it has seen a surge in demand since the stricken airline called in administrators last week, with a significant portion of sales from the carrier’s base on the Sunshine Coast. 

Inbound Australian travel to New Zealand is at 83 per cent of pre-pandemic, compared to the overall average of 80 per cent, according to figures cited by Auckland Airport; however, this is well below countries such as the US, UK and India, which are above pre-pandemic levels.