The World of Aviation

Adelaide-based Central Operations of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has taken delivery of the first of five new Pilatus PC-12 aeromedical aircraft. The $7 million aircraft has been described as a “flying intensive care unit” with its new-technology emergency medical equipment. Central Operations has begun the replacement of five ageing PC-12s, with the first

Regional Express (Rex) plans to resume regular public transport (RPT) flights between Sydney and Cooma from March 2016 with its 34-seat Saab 340s. The flights will operate on weekdays, departing Sydney at 0800 and arriving in Cooma at 0905. The return service is scheduled to leave the Snowy Mountains regional centre at 0935 and land

Virgin Australia chief executive John Borghetti says he expects travel to Bali will rebound once the disruption from the ash cloud from the Mount Rinjani volcano clears up. Thousands of Australians have found themselves stranded in Bali in recent weeks, with both Virgin and Jetstar, as well as a number of other carriers, cancelling flights

Virgin Australia chief executive John Borghetti says the airline group is on track to return to profitability in the current financial year, reaffirming previous guidance. Borghetti told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting in Brisbane on Wednesday that Virgin was continuing to gain more higher-yielding customers and was “well advanced in reaching our goal

Virgin Australia is extending the use of its Airbus A330-200 widebodies on international routes, with services to Fiji from Melbourne and Brisbane to start in June 2016. The A330 began flying internationally in April when Virgin deployed the aircraft on the Sydney-Nadi route on Saturdays during busy travel periods. As with the Sydney service, A330 flights

Qantas has received a welcome 95th birthday gift in the form of a return to an investment grade credit rating that chief executive Alan Joyce describes as a “welcome endorsement” of the hard work from everyone at the airline in recent times. Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s on Tuesday upgraded its long-term corporate credit and