Virgin Australia has been given the green light to commence ticket sales for its proposed Hong Kong flights after the nation’s competition regulator granted interim authorisation for an alliance with HNA Group and its affiliated carriers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said on Monday it had granted interim authorisation to the alliance. “Interim authorisation commences immediately
Cathay to be Perth’s first Airbus A350 operator
Perth Airport will receive its first Airbus A350 service from the end of October when Cathay Pacific deploys the next generation widebody to the West Australian capital. The oneworld alliance member will switch its daily Perth-Hong Kong rotation from the Airbus A330-300 currently to the A350-900, continuing a trend of upgauging its Australian network with
HATS on track despite six month delay
Boeing Defence Australia says the JP 9000 Phase 7 Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) program remains on track to begin training new student pilots and aircrew from early 2018, despite early delays with the project. The Defence Portfolio Budget Statements 2016-17 notes that the HATS project, which is acquiring 15 Airbus EC135 helicopters plus a new training
Regional Express to withdraw four aircraft after loss of propeller incident
Regional Express (Rex) says it will immediately withdraw four aircraft with propeller gearboxes and shafts of the same series as that of its Saab 340B which lost a propeller during a flight to Sydney. The incident took place on Friday, when the propeller from the right hand engine of Saab 340B VH-NRX, which was operating
Sydney Airport says passenger numbers flat in February
Sydney Airport experienced flat passenger numbers in February, as an improvement in international travellers was offset by fewer people flying domesticly. The airport handled 3.284 million passengers in February, compared with 3.287 million in February 2016, with the comparison with the prior year was affected by February 2016 being in a leap year. International passengers rose 4.2 per cent to 1.222
Qantas searching for next big idea
Qantas is on the hunt for the next big ideas in aviation. The airline said on Monday it was giving “start-ups, scale-ups and digital disruptors” the opportunity to work with it on a 12-week project to come up with innovations relating to the travel experience both in the air and on the ground. Qantas chief
