Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has written a withering newspaper column about rival Rex, mocking its “empty aircraft” that are so old the “propellers are literally falling off”.

Boeing confirmed this week that RUAG Australia is set to become the nation’s first business to gain certification to undertake repair work on the E-7A Wedgetail Air Cycle Machines (ACM).

The news comes days after the airline launched flights between Canberra and Sydney, adding to its recent expansion into the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

Australian Aviation’s Rob Finlayson was on hand to capture the moment the first commercial flight from New Zealand landed in Hobart since 1996.