MAY 20, 2025. SOLOMON ISLANDS

Still No Start to Upgrade of Nusatupe Airport

Construction of the Nusatupe Airport (GZO) terminal upgrade in the Solomon Islands' Western Province is yet to start because of ongoing land tenure issues

MAY 19, 2025. AUSTRALIA

Skytrans Axes Torres Strait Cessna 208B Flights

Skytrans has abruptly ended its scheduled Cessna 208B Caravan services in the Torres Strait. The changes primarily affect flights to and from Horn Island (HID).

Tonga’s Lulutai Airline Skating on Thin Financial Ice
MAY 16, 2025: Tonga's Minister for Public Enterprises Paula Piveni Piukala says that Lulutai Airlines is financially and operationally struggling and has asked for a TOP2 million pa'anga (USD830,500) top-up to keep flying.
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Qantas Partners to Import Sustainable Aviation Fuel
MAY 15, 2025: Qantas has marked the largest-ever commercial importation of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) into Australia, importing nearly two million litres this week.
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Air Niugini Invests in Pilot Cadets
MAY 14, 2025: Air Niugini has sent four pilot cadets to a training academy in Adelaide, Australia, as part of an in-house program to overcome a pilot shortage.
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Batik Air to Start Flights to Dili in June
MAY 13, 2025: Batik Air Malaysia will commence twice-weekly roundtrips between Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and Dili (DIL) on June 6, 2025, becoming the fourth international airline to fly into Timor-Leste and the only airline operating on the Malaysia - Timor-Leste country pair.
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Union Says Qantas Short Haul Enterprise Agreement a Mixed Bag
MAY 12, 2025: The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) say undertakings provided by Qantas will improve work conditions for short-haul pilots, including pay increases for some.
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News briefs

MAY 20,2025: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's latest Domestic Airline Competition Report has found that Australia’s two largest airline groups have both recorded strong financial results for the first half of 2024-25.

MAY 16, 2025: Lincoln Pan, a non-executive director of Regional Express Holdings Limited, trading as Regional Express (REX), has resigned from the board.

Read the Australian Stock Exchange notice here

MAY 14, 2025: The Canadian Transportation Agency has approved an application by Skytraders to operate non-scheduled charter flights between Australia and Canada.

Read the CTA approval here.

MAY 13, 2035: Recently re-elected Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has re-appointed Catherine King as Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Her remit includes Australia's aviation sector.

Read the press release here.

MAY 9, 2025: New Zealand's Whakatāne District Council has declined a request from Air Chathams to financially subsidise the Whakatāne (WHK) - Auckland (AKL) route, with the mayor, Victor Luca, saying it was not up to council to run the airline.

Read the Radio New Zealand story here.

MAY 6, 2025: The Tongan Government, via the Tonga Airports and Port Authority, will take over baggage and cargo management at Tonga's airports to combat drug trafficking. A switch from private contractor to government will involve a six month transition period.

You can read the full newspaper article here.

MAY 6, 2025: Nauru Airlines has reappointed AERgO International as its exclusive general sales agent for the airline's charter services.

Read the full statement here.

May 1, 2025: Air New Zealand has issued new 2030 emissions guidance, saying it expects to cut net "well-to-wake" greenhouse gas emissions from jet fuel by 20 - 25% by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.

You can read the full announcement here.

April 29, 2025: Malaysia Airlines and Melbourne Airport have signed an MOU at the MATTA Fair 2025 regarding the introduction of a third daily flight to Melbourne in October 2025.

Read the full press release here.

April 28, 2025: The Nauru Government says Nauru Airport (INU) will restrict most flights flights to evening to early morning hours until mid-June while runway resurfacing work continues.

Read the government announcement here.

April 22, 2025: The Vanuatu Government has formally requested assistance from the New Zealand Government to help revive Air Vanuatu.

Read the news report here.

April 18, 2025: Qantas has filed an application with the International Air Services Commission (IASC) to place Air France AF and Finnair AY flight codes on its flights between Australia and Tokyo Haneda (HND).

Read the IASC application here.

Qantas 1H 2025 Business Report

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Route updates

MAY 19, 2025: Asiana Airlines will extend its seasonal A380-800 flights between Sydney (SYD) and Seoul (ICN) from October 6, 2025, to March 1, 2026.

MAY 19, 2025: Qantas is indefinitely suspending flights on the Brisbane (BNE) - Proserpine (PPP) route effective October 25, 2025.

MAY 15, 2025: Qantas will commence four times per week B737-800 flights between Adleiade (ADL) and Auckland (AKL) on October 31, 205.

MAY 15, 2025: Air China will increase its five weekly roundtrips between Beijing Capital (PEK) and Sydney (SYD) to daily services between July 14 and August 15, 2025.

MAY 15, 2025: Korea's t'way Air will commence twice-weekly B737-8 flights between Cheongju (CJJ) and Denpasar (DPS) from September 25, 2025.

MAY 12, 2025: Batik Air Malaysia will begin thrice-weekly A330-300 flights on the Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Sydney (SYD) city pair on December 6, 2025.

MAY 12, 2025: Airnorth will run a second weekly jet service between Cairns (CNS) and Groote Eylandt (GTE) every Monday between June 2 and October 20, 2025.

MAY 9, 2025: Singaporean low-cost airline Scoot will increase its Singapore (SIN) - Perth (PER) roundtrips from 12 to 14 times per week, effective August 4, 2025, and Singapore - Sydney (SYD) roundtrips from 10 to 14, effective October 5.

MAY 8, 2025: Qantas will increase its four times per week B787-9 Melbourne (MEL) - Dallas (DFW) - Melbourne flights to daily between December 9, 2025, and January 30, 2026.

MAY 8, 2025: Air New Zealand is suspending its A320neo operated Christchurch (CHC) - Gold Coast (OOL) flights on November 1, 2025, through April 2, 2026. The reflects ongoing demand and market conditions as well as aircraft shortages at the airline.

MAY 7, 2025: Aircalin will add a third weekly Noumea (NOU) - Bangkok (BKK) - Paris (CDG) roundtrip, effective November 17, 2025. SB500 will depart Noumea and SB501 will depart Paris on Mondays in addition to Wednesdays and Saturdays.

MAY 7, 2025: Link Airways advises it will resume its Canberra (CBR) - Coffs Harbour flights on September 18, 2025. The twice-weekly flights will operate on Thursdays and Sundays.

MAY 9, 2025. AUSTRALIA

Qantas Wants to Codeshare With Air France on its Paris Flights

Qantas wants to put the Air France AF flight code on its flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle saying the arrangement will allow Air France to provide additional connectivity to Australia via Qantas’ non-stop services

MAY 8, 2025. PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Multi Million Dollar Hoskins Airport Upgrade Gets Underway

An eighteen-month USD12.7 million upgrade of Hoskins Airport (HKN) in Papua New Guinea’s West New Britain province has commenced.

MAY 7, 2025. AUSTRALIA

Cathay Cargo Swaps Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport for Brisbane

Cathay Cargo will end its weekly B747-8 freighter flight to Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport (WTB) in mid-June. Instead, it will begin servicing Brisbane Airport (BNE).

MAY 6, 2025. NEW ZEALAND

Qatar Airways Swapping to B777-200LRs on Auckland Route

Qatar Airways is changing the aircraft type operating its daily Doha (DOH) – Auckland (AKL) flights. Between June 1, and October 24, 2025.

MAY 5, 2025. NORTHERN MARIANAS ISLANDS

More Delays to Start of Micronesian Air Connection Services

MAY 5, 2025: The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has asked Guam-based Szabo Aerospace to provide additional information before it will grant a commuter air carrier certificate for Szabo to begin operating scheduled passenger flights around the Northern Marianas Islands.

MAY 2, 2025. AUSTRALIA

Qantas Trims Finnair A330 Wet Leases

Qantas has stopped operating an A330-300 wet-leased from Finnair because of long-running industrial unrest among Finnair pilots.

MAY 1, 2025. VANUATU

China Southern Airlines Tests Port Vila Flights

China Southern Airlines has operated the first of two trial flights to Port Vila (VLI) as part of the Chinese Government's push into the Southwest Pacific.

Security Concerns See PNG Air Axe Mendi Flights - Again
APRIL 30, 2025: PNG Air has suspended flights to Mendi (MDU) after a security incident last week at the remote southern highlands airport.
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Aviation Minister Says Fiji Passes ICAO Safety Audit
APRIL 29, 2025: Fiji’s Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister for Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka told parliament on
April 27, 2025, that the country had passed a recent international aviation
security audit.
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Jetstar to Start Gold Coast – Denpasar Flights
APRIL 28, 2025: Jetstar will begin
three times-per-week flights between the Gold Coast (OOL) and Denpasar (DPS) on
August 1, 2025.
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What Happened to Rex’s B737-800s?
APRIL 25, 2025: Insolvent Australian airline Regional Express (Rex) had nine B737-800s in its fleet when it filed
for voluntary administration in July 2024. Rex’s B737s have since met a mixed fate.
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Aero Dili’s A319 Inducted Into Service
APRIL 24, 2025: Aero Dili has quickly put its first A319-100 and second only aircraft into revenue service and it is now working all four Aero Dili routes.
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Malaysia Airlines Returning to Brisbane
APRIL 23, 2025: Malaysia Airlines
will return to Brisbane (BNE) in November 2025, two and a half years after suspending services.
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Vanuatu Again Hitting up Airbus for Forfeited Pre-Delivery Payments
APRIL 22, 2025: Vanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and
Economic Management, Johnny Koanapo, will fly to France next month to try to extract forfeited pre-delivery payments from Airbus stemming from a cancelled A220 order.
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Daily China Southern Airlines Flights For Brisbane
APRIL 17, 2025: China Southern Airlines will increase its flights on the Guangzhou (CAN) – Brisbane (BNE) to daily on June 10, 2025.
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Qantas to Resume Perth – Auckland, Perth – Jo’burg Flights
APRIL 16, 2025: Qantas will resume two international routes from Perth (PER) in late 2025. The airline will resume Perth – Auckland (AKL) flights on December 7 and Perth – Johannesburg (JNB), also recommencing on December 7.
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Air North Debuts New Transcontinental Route
APRIL 15, 2025: Air North has started Alice Springs (ASP) – Cairns (CNS) flights with assistance from the North Territory Government’s Aviation Attraction Scheme. The new flights form part of what is a new transcontinental Cairns to Perth (PER) via Alice Springs service that is operated by the same E190 aircraft.
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Robert Eoe Reappointed Nauru Airlines CEO
APRIL 14, 2025: The Nauru Government has appointed Captain Robert Eoe as interim CEO of Nauru Airlines, replacing Brett Gebers.
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Qantas & Airbus Deepen Sustainable Aviation Fuel Investment
APRIL 11, 2025: Qantas and Airbus
have jointly committed to invest AUD$15 million into Climate Tech Partners (CTP), a leading climate-focused venture capital fund, to support their shared ambition to accelerate the development of sustainable aviation fuel.
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Hawaiian Airlines Confirms Return to Auckland
APRL 10, 2025: Hawaiian Airlines has confirmed it will return to New Zealand later this year and operate a 2025-2026 seasonal service to Hawaiʻi.
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Infrastructure Giant Vinci Bids for Cairns, Mackay Airports
APRIL 9, 2025: French infrastructure company Vinci is attempting to buy North Queensland Airports, owners and
operators of Cairns (CNS) and Mackay (MKY) Airports.
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Legality of Apia Airport Vehicle Searches Questioned
APRIL 8, 2025: Samoa's Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration has halted random security checks of private and commercial vehicles at the entrance gate of Faleolo International Airport (APW) outside Apia.
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Unexploded WWII Bomb Risk Disrupts Nauru Airport Runway Resurfacing
APRIL 7, 2025: The contractor undertaking the runway resurfacing project at Nauru International Airport (INU) has cut the number of “identified anomalies” from 237 to 96 following an evaluation by unexploded ordnance experts.
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Jetstar Locks in Status as Top International Carrier at Cairns
APRIL 4, 2025: Jetstar operated its first service on the Christchurch (CNS) – Cairns (CNS) city pair yesterday, April 2, 2025, cementing Jetstar's status as the top international operator at Cairns.
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United Airlines to Start Adelaide – San Francisco Flights
APRIL 3, 2025: United Airlines will start flying to Adelaide (ADL) in December, becoming the first and only US-based carrier to do so.
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Network Aviation Ferrying in Another Airbus 319-100
APRIL 3, 2025: Perth-based Network Aviation has received its eighth Airbus A319-100. The former Spirit Airlines aircraft registered as N516NK (msn 02704) ferried from Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) to Kona (KOA) on March 29, 2025, en route to Brisbane (BNE).
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Air New Zealand Deepens Codeshare with Lufthansa, Air India
APRIL 1, 2025: Air New Zealand is expanding its codeshare arrangements with two Star Alliance partner airlines, Lufthansa and Air India.
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