The industrial action, which if approved could begin on Thursday 28 March just before Easter, would involve “withdrawal of nation-wide rescue and firefighting services for up to three hours and full work stoppages”, the United Firefighters Union of Australia (UFUA) said.

In an internal memo to Virgin staff obtained by Australian Aviation, outgoing CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the airline had made roughly $236 million in profit off the back of $2.8 billion in revenue in the six months to December 31, and had carried nearly 45 million passengers since it left administration.

From late October this year, the Flying Kangaroo will replace E190s with 737s on its Brisbane-Wellington services, adding more than 600 weekly seats, as well as seasonally increasing Brisbane-Apia flights from three to five per week until mid-January, adding more than 300 weekly seats.

Digital aerodrome services use cameras and sensors to replace traditional physical air traffic control towers, and are faster and cheaper to construct. The digital tower, operated from a new centre at Eastern Creek in western Sydney, will be the first of its kind in Australia when it opens in 2026.