Jake Nelson

In a report from S&P Global Ratings, data from 22 airlines in the region including Qantas and Air New Zealand, which all together account for around 85 per cent of Asia-Pacific market capitalisation, showed “close to 5,700 aircraft on order and over US$300 billion in capital commitments”.

The low-cost carrier’s inaugural Colombo flight, JQ5, took off from Melbourne just after 12:30pm on Tuesday aboard the 787-8 Dreamliner VH-VKA. Jetstar is the first Australian airline to operate the route, and will compete with SriLankan Airlines.

Airnorth’s Embraer E190 VH-XFC flew a SpaceX recovery team to Christmas Island on 15 August for a crew change following Starship Flight 13’s splashdown in the Indian Ocean. According to the airline, Christmas Island is “one of the most complex destinations Airnorth plans and operates to”.

The charter and FIFO carrier requested a trading halt on Monday morning, to last until Wednesday or until an announcement is made about capital raising, following reports in The Australian Financial Review over the weekend that a plan may be in the works.

The Japanese carrier will bring more than 26,000 additional inbound seats to WA between 25 October 2026 and 27 March 2027 following the success of its first daily seasonal service between December 2025 and April 2026.

Detailed on the safety watchdog’s website, the report from an “experienced Air Traffic Controller” expresses concerns that the Sydney Terminal Control Unit (TCU) is “not ready to safely manage the impending complex airspace and procedure changes” implemented in July.