50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

Australia aviation news

Flying conditions improve to allow Virgin, Jetstar flights from Bali

Better flying conditions in the vicinity of Bali Airport has allowed Virgin Australia and Jetstar to operate some daylight flights from Indonesia back to Australia. Jetstar has scheduled 11 recovery flights on Thursday, which will operate in daylight hours, while Virgin has planned three flights from Bali to Australia. “Flying conditions are forecast to remain favourable, with the late...

Sydney Airport to Welcome Hainan Airlines in December

Sydney Airport is set to welcome its sixth new airline this year when Hainan Airlines commences services from Xi'an to Sydney in December. Hainan Airlines' twice-weekly Xi'an-Sydney service will commence on December 24 until the end of the peak northern winter season in late March 2016, subject to government approval. The route will be operated by an A330-200 aircraft with 222...

American to start Los Angeles-Auckland in partnership with Qantas

American Airlines will start daily flights between Los Angeles and Auckland from June 2016 with Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners in partnership with alliance partner Qantas. The announcement was made in Wellington on Wednesday by American chief executive Doug Parker and Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce. “Growth in the Asia Pacific region is critically important to American Airlines,&rdqu...

Jetstar moves into Tullamarine’s new Terminal 4

Jetstar has joined Tigerair Australia at Melbourne Tullamarine’s new Terminal 4. The Qantas-owned low-cost carrier set up shop in the new terminal, which features 36 automated checkin kiosks and 18 bag drop units, as well as a larger departures lounge and more shopping and food choices, on Tuesday morning. Jetstar will have priority access to 12 gates at Terminal 4, compared with four...

Photographer Richard Green killed in EC135 helicopter crash

Renowned Australian landscape and nature photographer Richard Green, his wife Carolyn and friend John Davis were killed when Green’s Airbus Helicopters EC135, VH-GKK,  crashed in mountainous terrain while the trio were returning to Sydney, having departed from Breeza Station, south-west of Tamworth, on November 7. When the distinctively painted EC135 failed to arrive a...

Qantas and Virgin say credit card surcharges don’t recover full cost of processing payments

Consumers are not the only ones being stung with paying by credit card, with Australia’s two major carriers telling a Senate committee their surcharges and booking fees recover less than the reasonable the cost of processing credit card payments. Qantas group executive for government and international affairs Andrew Parker said credit and debit card processing costs were “...

ATSB to raise crashed Pel-Air Westwind jet from ocean

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will raise an Israel Aerospace Industries 1124A Westwind that crashed near Norfolk Island in 2009, as it re-opens an investigation which was criticised for not having recovered the aircraft's recorders. In an update on its website, the ATSB says that it has contracted Pacific Maritime Pacific Maritime Group to assist in the recovery of...

Alliance plans to keep Fokkers flying for next decade

Alliance Aviation Services says it has plans to ensure its all-Fokker fleet keeps flying for the next decade. The primarily fly-in/fly-out and charter operator has 15 Fokker 100s, eight Fokker 70LRs and five Fokker 50 turboprops, having sold two Fokker 100s to Virgin Australia in the past year that were surplus to requirements. Alliance managing director Scott McMillan said th...

Virgin, Jetstar cancel all Bali services on Monday

Jetstar and Virgin Australia have cancelled all flights to and from Bali on Monday after both carriers decided conditions were unsafe for flying due to the ash cloud from the nearby Mount Rinjani volcano. Virgin said on Monday the latest advice from its team of meteorologists, senior pilots and the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) showed conditions in the vicinity of Bali/Denpasar Airpo...

Jetstar schedules three Bali recovery flights

Jetstar says improved conditions around Bali Airport will allow the low-cost carrier to operate three recovery flights to the Indonesian tourist destination on Friday. Passengers on the two Bali-Perth flights and one Bali-Melbourne service, which are scheduled for daylight hours on Friday, will be contacted by email and SMS, Jetstar said in a statement. The airline also cautioned that the fl...

Australian Airports Association calls on government and CPSU to end disruption at airports

The Australian Airports Association (AAA) has called for the federal government and union representing the Australian Border Force (ABF) to hammer out a deal that would bring an end to the disruption for international travellers. ABF staff were due to hold a 24-hour strike starting at midnight on Monday November 9, the latest in a series of work stoppages in recent times as the Community and Pu...

Qantas to go daily on Perth-Singapore

Qantas will boost its Perth-Singapore flights to daily and add extra services between Sydney and Hong Kong over summer as the airline continues its Asian expansion with increased fleet utilisation and a flexible schedule designed to cater to peak demand. Launched with five services a week in June, Qantas will add an extra two flights a week on the Singapore-Perth route from December 1 to offer...