Melbourne Airport has increased its share of all Australia-Asia passenger traffic from 15 per cent in 2000 to 25 per cent in 2013, while Sydney Airport’s share fell from 45 to 35 per cent over the same period, according to a research paper published in the University of Melbourne’s Journal of Transport Geography. ‘The fortunes of air transport gateways’ researc...
“On your next flight, why not pass the time as you learn a new skill whilst flying above the clouds?” Virgin Australia asks as it launches its latest inflight entertainment innovation: short hour-long modules on a variety of subjects delivered via its wireless streaming inflight entertainment system. “Are you interested in learning a new skill, but just don’t seem to fin...
Thanks largely to a revitalised and business-focused Virgin Australia, Perth Airport is now home to what is possibly the best domestic terminal in Australia; Virgin’s T1 Domestic Pier. Over 4,200 people were involved in the construction of T1 Domestic. The project took 1.8 million man-hours, resulting in a concourse that stretches 250 metres; longer than the height of WA’s largest s...
Here’s a stat that illustrates how Qantas International has turned the corner – for the month of October 2015, the number of passengers Qantas carried on its international operations to and from Australia grew by over five per cent, according to latest government data. The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE)’s latest monthly ‘International...
Regional Express (Rex) has resumed services to Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria after CASA closed the runway there to aircraft larger than 5,700kg MTOW on December 16 “Recent runway repairs removed the runway length restriction yesterday and have enabled Rex to deploy its lighter Chieftain aircraft (operated by its subsidiary Air Link Airlines) as a shuttle service between Mor...
Singapore Airlines seems set to start Canberra’s first long-haul international services with a four times weekly service from its hub at Changi Airport, which will continue as a tag flight to the New Zealand capital Wellington. The SQ service, expected to be announced by Singapore Airlines chief executive Goh Choon Phong next week in Canberra, according to the Australian Financial Review, wi...
Hong Kong Airlines operated its inaugural Hong-Kong-Gold Coast-Cairns-Hong Kong service on the weekend. The new thrice-weekly extended season of charter flights will operate through until March including the Chinese New Year period, the peak travel season for the Chinese market. The flights depart Hong Kong for the Gold Coast on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings, returning to Hong Kong via...
There's a new way to fly Australia's busiest air routes without standing in long lines to check in. A company called Airly is offering unlimited private flights between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney for members who pay a monthly fee. But aviation experts say the start-up is doomed to fail because it's never been a better time to fly regular commercial domestic jets around...
You've probably never thought too much about how to quickly transport a 10-tonne plane engine, but Qantas has the answer. Just strap it to the wing of a Boeing 747. Qantas Flight 63 took off from Sydney with an extra Rolls Royce turbofan attached to the left wing between an inner engine and the plane's body. The engine was not powered; it just came along for the ride to Johannesburg,...
The Royal Australian Air Force is spending more than $90 million to convert luxury corporate jets into state-of-the-art spy planes. PM can reveal the high-tech surveillance aircraft are due to come into service at the end of next year. Here's defence reporter Andrew Greene. ANDREW GREENE: The Gulfstream G550 is a luxury corporate jet boasting the ability to fly more than 12 hours nons...
Minister for Infrastructure Warren Truss approved the latest masterplan for Hobart Airport in the days before Christmas. Central to the plan, under which the airport maps out how it will address forecast passenger growth over the next 20 years, is the planned extension of the airport’s runway (12/30) to 2,751 metres. “Approval of this plan allows for the construction of the...
Cobham Aviation Services says it has been awarded two new contracts for one existing and one new fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) client. The new contract is with Karara Mining, providing eight flights a week in support Karara’s iron ore operations 105nm south-east of Geraldton in mid-west Western Australia. The short 30 minute flight from Perth features a reduced cabin service, reducing the we...
