The cuts will begin on 30 October and include services from Sydney to Orange, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour.
It significantly follows Qantas scrapping its own deadline entirely and Rex going further by automatically putting the money back into customers’ bank accounts.
The gala event – held by Australian Aviation’s sister brand Defence Connect – saw 30 trophies presented and included an address by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko.
Vanessa Hudson admitted in a video message that the Flying Kangaroo has not “delivered the way [it] should have”, and pledged to overhaul customer policies, make Qantas more passenger-friendly and rebuild Australians’ trust in the national carrier.
A Malaysia Airlines A330-300, 9M-MTL (similar aircraft pictured), overran runway 34 at Melbourne on 7 September, while a Bamboo Airways 787-9, VN-A819, overran it on 18 September. Each occurrence took place at night.
The airport will expand its Terminal 2 apron, build a new maintenance hangar for Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA), and develop a new aviation support precinct, at an estimated total cost of approximately $90 million.