Outgoing chairman of the Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA), Michael Bridge, has fired a broadside at government bureaucrats and politicians about the stifling effects of over-regulation on regional aviation Bridge told attendees at the annual RAAA convention this morning that commercial aviation was one of Australia’s most over regulated and constrained industries. “Frank and
Despite months of heated rhetoric and duelling plans to bolster domestic capacity, Qantas and Virgin Australia have apparently thought better of a fare war as they seek to preserve their bottom lines. The Australian Financial Review reports that flight cancellations at both carriers spiked during August and September as they sought to bolster load factors.
An RAAF air traffic controller has been suspended after placing two Qantas aircraft on conflicting flightpaths over Darwin last week, according to the ATSB. The safety regulator is investigating the “loss of separation assurance” between the Qantas 737 and QantasLink 717, which occurred when the arriving 717 was told to descend through the same level
Tiger Airways will fly from Melbourne to Mackey starting in December as the budget carrier also extends its Melbourne-Cairns services through the summer season. The four times weekly Mackay services are to commence on December 18 with tickets going on sale today. Cairns services, which re-launched in April, will be extended through next March. Tiger
Codeshare arrangements between Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines from Adelaide are being extended to 12 destinations in Europe and the UK. Subject to regulatory approval, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Rome and Zurich will be added, with reciprocal lounge and frequent flyer benefits applying to the new services. Virgin Australia
In a move that may spell unease for the recently consummated relationship between Qantas and Emirates, Qatar Airways has ended months of speculation by announcing its membership of oneworld. Its membership will add 15 new destinations and three countries to the alliance network, bringing the total to 856 destinations and 159 countries served by the
