The airline announced on Friday that it will bring forward its planned return to flights from Australia to Singapore, Fiji, Johannesburg, Phuket, and Bangkok, as well as introduce a brand new direct route between Sydney and Delhi.

Australian Aviation can reveal two of the airline’s widebody 787-9s have been recently performing dozens of apparent ‘training’ laps around NSW in the run-up to the big day, including VH-ZNE – nicknamed Skippy.

Jane MacMaster, the chief engineer at Engineers Australia, said a lack of professionals has become such an issue that it is now mentioned to her at “almost every meeting”.

Flight Centre’s managing director Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner said the Queensland government’s border roadmap shows elements of “xenophobia” towards certain Australians.