It comes as Boeing warned earlier this year that if current trends continue, the global industry will be short of 600,000 pilots by 2040, with the problem thought to be particularly acute in Australia.

Just days after it announced its international travel ban would be extended to mid-December, the government has revealed a new plan to drop the ban as early as November, following the introduction of a fit-for-purpose vaccine passport.

The team at RMIT lab demonstrations show that 3D printed catalysts could potentially be used to power hypersonic flight while simultaneously cooling the system.

The country’s COVID response minister, Chris Hipkins, said on Wednesday it was “unrealistic” to expect a decision in the next few weeks.