The peak bodies representing the aviation sector in Australia have called for the author of the Aviation Safety Regulatory Review (ASRR) David Forsyth to take a look at what progress has been achieved since he handed down the report in June 2014 and what further recommendations are needed. The ASRR, which was commissioned by the federal government, called for substantial cultural and structural...
A trial using the Royal Australian Air Force to deliver heavy cargo to Australian researchers in East Antarctica has been hailed a resounding success as the final flight touched down on the ice. The RAAF has flown five support missions with a C-17A Globemaster aircraft. The first left Hobart in late November. The C-17A can carry up to 70 tonnes of cargo for over 10,000 kilometres but the loa...
Clive Palmer's aviation company owes creditors more than $26 million mostly through a major debt over the company's corporate jet which he regularly used for political and business purposes. The debt, exposed in the minutes of the first creditor's meeting, indicates the aviation company will not provide any source of f...
Qantas coordinated the world’s first in-flight Tech Talk on flight flight 73 departing from Sydney to San Francisco, as part of an initiative to promote the strengths and capabilities of Australian innovators in technology and science helping them make links in Silicon Valley. Called ‘Ideas That Travel’ the Tech Talk was coordinated in partnership with TEDxSydney and...
CloudStore by Arconics, the next generation, feature-rich, scalable and cost effective Wireless In-Flight Entertainment (W-IFE) platform, has been selected by Tigerair Australia for the airline’s first short-haul services to Bali commencing March 2016. Flights between Australia and Denpasar are operated by Virgin Australia International, providing a Tigerair Australia service, and are s...
Alliance Aviation Services and Virgin Australia have announced a partnership agreement that will see them cooperate in the fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) resource charter market. “Both airlines will benefit from the ability to leverage each other’s strengths, particularly in terms of network, brand, product and service offering, and technical expertise,” the two companies said in a joi...
Aviation could receive greater ministerial attention in the federal government after the appointment of Nationals MP Darren Chester as Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Chester, the Member for Gippsland, a former journalist and currently Assistant Minister for Defence, was named as the new minister with responsibility for aviation as part of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s...
Gold Coast Airport has received the green light to begin construction on new aircraft stands and aerobridges as well as a terminal upgrade. The federal government on Friday gave its approval for the airport to start work on the airport redevelopment, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2017 and will cater for the forecast increase in visitors to the Gold Coast in 2018, when the city...
Alliance Airlines has signed a new five-year contract with Santos covering the oil and gas company’s operations in South Australia. As part of the new deal, Alliance will start jet services from Adelaide to Santos’ oil and gas operations in the Cooper Basin. “The initial requirement is for Alliance to operate between 10 and 16 services per week in its own right and to...
Virgin Australia says it plans to work its fleet harder in calendar 2016 after announcing the withdrawal of five Embraer E190s, as the airline group reaffirmed a return to profitability for the full 2015/16 financial year. The 98-seat E190 fleet will be reduced to 13, from 18 currently, by September 2016, Virgin said in its 2015/16 first half financial results on Thursday. The E190 disposals...
The US Department of Transportation looks to be nearing a decision on Qantas and American Airlines’ application to expand their existing alliance on trans-Pacific routes. While the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and New Zealand government have both given the tie-up the green light, the US DOT is still reviewing the application and in November 2015 asked the two carr...
More than a thousand aircraft and helicopters have less than a year to comply with the Australian government’s ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast) mandate. The current mandates require all flights operating under instrument flight rules (IFR) to have ADS-B, which is a satellite-based technology enabling aircraft to be accurately tracked by air traffic controllers an...
