Individually, Qantas saw an on-time departure rate of just 65.1 per cent in October according to BITRE data, compared to Jetstar at 66.4 per cent and Virgin at 68.9 per cent; however, QF designated services as a whole – which includes QantasLink – had on-time departures of 72.7 per cent.

An investigation by the transport safety watchdog determined that the Robinson R44 VH-IDW, which was on a mission to collect crocodile eggs near the King River in February 2022, likely ran out of fuel while Wilson was in a sling line below the helicopter, causing the engine to stop.

The aircraft, VH-DZJ (pictured), collided with another S-211 in mid-air approximately 12km west of Mount Martha in southeast Melbourne and went down, while the other aircraft, VH-DQJ, returned safely to Essendon. Pilot Stephen Gale and cameraman James Rose are presumed dead.

CASA will work with Airservices Australia to reclassify the space around Ballina and establish an approach control service by 12 June 2025, followed by a new digital aerodrome control service no later than 27 November 2025.