Latest news and insights from Australia’s airports

Virgin announcement: The future of regional operations

Virgin Australia still sees a long-term future for its regional operations and is looking for alternative ways of servicing airports affected by its decision to axe ATR turboprops as part of its wider restructuring. That was some of the solace that could be taken from the Virgin Group’s grim announcement that it would add to the 6000 job cuts already announced by Qantas by shedding 3000 staff as part of restructure ...

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Sydney’s strategy to get Australia moving again

Sydney Airport is keen to take on a critical role in getting Australia’s shell-shocked tourism industry moving again with what chief executive Geoff Culbert describes as “a sustainable and scalable strategy”. The nation’s busiest airport moved quickly to protect its workers and balance sheet as government travel restrictions due to the coronavirus demolished 98 percent of its passenger traffic. It had been hoping COVID-19 would follow the track of the 2002 SARS ...

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Sunshine Coast paves way for boost to region

Even the darkest COVID cloud has a silver lining and for Sunshine Coast Airport it’s the long-awaited commissioning of a new runway designed to open the popular Queensland destination to the world. The new Code E runway can handle widebody jets, such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, capable of directly connecting the region to new destinations in Asia and ends operational constraints for domestic and trans-Tasman operators. Boeing 737s and ...

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Airport working with island residents who are ‘really hurting’

King Island’s world-renowned produce means it punches well above its weight when it comes to global recognition but getting governments to acknowledge the unique status of its airport is proving more difficult. The Bass Strait island airport has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic but its pleas for government assistance to help cover operating losses have so far fallen on deaf ears. The island is not alone in having to bear ...

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Historical roots shape Narromine’s aviation future

As war hero Captain Gordon “Skipper” Wilson landed his two-seat Avro 504K at Narromine in 1919 he would have had no conception of what would unfold there over the next century. Wilson was one of the first military pilots to engage in civil aviation after World War 1 and brought a taste of the new industry to the NSW regional town on 22 September as part of a tour promoting the ...

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New name breathes new life into Shellharbour Airport

An attractive new name and a new revamp are breathing fresh life into one of the NSW south coast’s signature airports. Shellharbour Airport – previously known as Illawarra Regional Airport – has already made the commercial change to its new name. But on 7 November, it also becomes official with the UN-based International Civil Aviation Organization and Australian aviation authorities. The airport south of Sydney, which today is widely known as the ...

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World Routes to put South Australia on global stage

More than 3000 aviation delegates will flood into Adelaide in September to celebrate an event that is not just a first for Australia but an event that will directly contribute $20 million to the local economy. The World Routes conference also brings to South Australia a hotbed of networking that will sow the seeds for longer-term relationships that can add millions more. World Routes is a huge event on the global aviation ...

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Double the passengers, double the fun at Whitsunday Coast Airport

There’s something fishy going on at the Whitsunday Coast Airport and passengers are loving it. A giant 30,000-litre aquarium in the arrivals and departures lounge has become home to more than 100 reef fish. The 10-metre-long tank boast four tonnes of moulded coral with a unique heart-shaped rock forming the centre piece. The unique project, designed to showcase the region’s world-famous Great Barrier Reef attractions, aims to get visitors into holiday mode as ...

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‘Hashtag Perth’ shakes dullsville tag

In the early 1970s, West Australian tourism authorities used what was then the latest technology to produce a campaign that rocked the state. It combined a multi-screen visual feast of the West’s spectacular scenery with some serious sonic firepower and the driving music of Pink Floyd’s “One of These Days”. The show toured regional areas and it left some of those who saw it sufficiently pumped that it was recently a topic ...

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Brisbane Airport consolidates U.S. gateway status

It will be the fourth longest passenger flight in the world and it will connect the third largest cities in two countries, opening up a new market for Australia and Queensland. The new, four-times weekly Brisbane to Chicago service is generating excitement at both ends of the route and helps consolidate Brisbane’s status as a gateway to North America. In addition to its 14,326km Chicago route, Qantas is also adding a three-times ...

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