MAY 18, 2026. FRENCH POLYNESIA

Ready to fly: French Polynesia’s Motu Link Airline gets AOC

French Polynesia’s new cargo airline, Motu Link, has secured its air operator’s certificate and is preparing to launch ATR72 freighter flights linking the territory’s islands with faster air freight services.

Read more

MAY 18, 2026. AUSTRALIA

Indonesia AirAsia axes Adelaide and Melbourne flights

Indonesia AirAsia is ending its flights to Adelaide (ADL) and Melbourne (MEL) in mid-June. The low-cost carrier says the current operating environment means the routes are no longer viable.

Get the full story

  • Fuel price surge sees Air New Zealand flag FY2026 loss

    MAY 15, 2026: Air New Zealand has flagged a full-year pre-tax loss of between NZD340–390 million due to rising fuel costs. In reply, the airline will extend its capacity cuts while reducing costs “we can live without for now”.

    Read more 

  • South West Pacific aviation ministers meet for RAMM4

    MAY 15, 2026: South West Pacific aviation ministers met at the Fourth Regional Aviation Ministers Meeting this week to discuss safety, connectivity, affordability, and long-term resilience across the region’s aviation sector.

    Get the full story 

  • ATSB final report: QantasLink Q300 runway alignment incident

    MAY 14, 2026: An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report found a QantasLink Q300 struck runway edge lights at Mildura Airport in February 2025 after lining up incorrectly in pre-dawn darkness

    Read more 

  • Fiji Airways and WestJet request via US codeshare rights

    MAY 13, 2026: Fiji Airways and WestJet have applied to begin code sharing on transborder US flights. The move designed to improve connections between Fiji and Canada via the United States through shared flight networks.

    Get the full story 
1 4

May 2026 News Briefs

MAY 18, 2026: Air Vanuatu has appointed Flavio Carvalho as its new chief commercial officer. Carvalho most recently worked for Air Vanuatu and before that, the Lufthansa Group.

Read the news release here.

MAY 18, 2026: Fiji Airways has appointed Russell Shaw as Chief Network Revenue and Alliances Officer. The Virgin Australia and Macquarie Group alumni most recently worked as Asia Pacific finance director at Civica.

Read the news report here.

MAY 18, 2026: The New Zealand Government has fast tracked approval a NZD100 million upgrade of the existing southern seawall at Wellington Airport (WLG). The strengthened seawall will better protect the airport against coastal processes and extreme weather events, while supporting safe operations. The project has a strong estimated cost-benefit ratio of 2.6, with gross benefits of up to NZD690 million forecast.

Read the news release here.

MAY 18, 2026: Billie Moore has announced she will step down as Chief Executive of the New Zealand Airports Association at the end of July 2026. She has led the organisation since late 2022.

Read the news release here.

MAY 15, 2026: The Australian Government has appointed Greg Hughes to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority board and re-appointed Pip Spence as CEO. Hughes has been appointed for three-years and has decades of senior leadership experience in the aviation and transport sectors, with expertise in operations, governance, and strategic oversight across complex and safety critical environments.

Read the news release here.

MAY 15, 2025: Qantas has asked Australia International Air Services Commission to allocate it an additional two weekly frequencies on the Philippines route. The airline wants capacity to operate another two A321-200XLR round-trips on the Brisbane (BNE) – Manila (MNL) route from October 25, 2026. The increase will see Qantas fly daily services on the route.

Read the application here.

MAY 15, 2026: New Zealand's TAIC released their final report into a February 7, 2024, incident involving an Air New Zealand DHC-8-Q300 that aborted a high-speed take-off at Timaru (TIU) and subsequently stopped with its nose gear off the paved surface. The take-off was abandoned because of birds near the runway. Among other findings, the report said that there was a breakdown in communication between the captain and the first officer regarding reducing the rate of the aircraft’s rotation.

Read the final report here.

MAY 14, 2026: The Australian Government will spend AUD3.2 billion to build the country’s store of diesel and jet fuel to 50 days’ worth. As of early May 2026, Australia has approximately 29 to 30 days of jet fuel. The International Energy Agency’s standard is 90 days.

Read the news release here.

MAY 13, 2026: Air Chathams will provide NZD250,000 worth of free and discounted travel via its new Community Connection Fund. The seats will go to people and organisations who can show that their travel will deliver a community benefit in our destinations of Whakatāne, Whanganui, Kāpiti or the Chatham Islands.

Read the news release here

MAY 11, 2026: Queensland’s McDermott Aviation has mobilised a major aerial firefighting fleet to Greece ahead of the 2026 fire season. A total of 15 helicopters and around 100 specialist personnel will rotate through Greece across the six-month deployment, with aircraft positioned across 11 bases in mainland Greece and key island locations.

Read More News Briefs

MAY 13, 2026. AUSTRALIA

Link Airways suspends Wollongong/Shellharbour flights

Link Airways is suspending flights from Wollongong Shellharbour Airport, citing rising fuel costs and weak demand. It leaves the airport without scheduled passenger services.

Get the full story

MAY 12, 2026. PAPUA NEW GUINEA

New CASA PNG board promises to continue aviation reform

The new board of Papua New Guinea’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority will push for greater accountability and tighter compliance as it seeks to turn the agency into one of the region’s leading aviation safety regulators.

Read more

May 2026 Aircraft Movements

MAY 11, 2026: Virgin Australia has ferried in its sixteenth B737-8. The jet, VH-8VH (msn 67038) landed in Brisbane (BNE) on May 8 having flown in from Melbourne (MLB) via Ontario (ONT) and Kailua-Kona (KOA)

MAY 6, 2026: An Alliance Airlines F100 has departed Australia on a delivery flight to Kenya’s Skyward Airlines. The aircraft, VH-FSQ (msn 11450) left Perth (PER) on May 3 and at the of publication, had landed in Sofia (SOF) after travelling via Port Hedland (PHE), Johor Bahru (JHB), Bengaluru (BLR), Al Ain (AAN), and Hurghada (HRG).

MAY 5, 2026: PNG Air is ferrying in an ATR42-600. The aircraft, P2-ATU (msn 1804) is due to depart Toulouse (QYF) for Heraklion (HER) on May 5, enroute to Port Moresby. The delivery is one of several new ATR aircraft already at or heading to PNG Air as part of a fleet renewal programme.

MAY 4, 2026: Jetstar has returned an A320-200 to the lessor, SMBC. The aircraft, VH YXQ (msn 5618) ferried out of Melbourne (MEL) for Tainan (TNN) via Alice Springs (ASP) and Darwin (DRW) on over the week starting April 25.

MAY 1, 2026: Qantas is ferrying in its sixth A321-200XLR. VH-OGF (msn 12835) departed Hamburg (XFW) for Sydney (SYD) via Bengaluru (BLR) on April 30. It is due to land in Australia early on May 2.

Read more aircraft movements

MAY 11, 2026. AUSTRALIA

Wellington Airport reports annual profit despite passenger decline

Wellington Airport has posted a NZD15.7 million for the 12 months to March 31, 2026, profit despite falling passenger numbers, with international growth helping to offset weaker domestic traffic.

Get the full story

May 2026 Route Briefs

MAY 18,2026: United Airlines will operate a B787-9 on its seasonal San Francisco (SFO) – Christchurch (CHC) round-trips over the full northern 2026/27summer. The airline previously planned to run a B787-8 on the route.

MAY 18, 2026: Batik Air Malaysia will increase its six weekly A330-300 operated Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Sydney (SYD) round-trips to daily services from July 1, 2026.

MAY 15, 2026: Singapore Airlines will maintain its daily A380-800 Singapore (SIN) – Melbourne (MEL) round-trips beyond the 2026 northern summer, with the airline now scheduling the service (SQ228/237) beyond October 25, 2026.

MAY 12, 2026: Link Airways will suspend its four-times weekly Saab 340-operated Wollongong (WOL) - Brisbane (BNE) round-trips on May 18, 2026, citing increased fuel costs and reduced demand.

MAY 12, 2026: Link Airways will suspend its four-times weekly Saab 340-operated Wollongong (WOL) - Melbourne (MEL) round-trips on May 18, 2026, citing increased fuel costs and reduced demand.

MAY 11, 2026: Finnair will commence its daily A350-900 Helsinki (HEL) – Bangkok (BKK) – Melbourne (MEL) rond-trips on October 25, 2026.

MAY 8, 2026: China Southern Airlines will suspend its thrice-weekly A330-300 operated Shenzhen (SZX) – Sydney (SYD) round-trips between June 1 and September 15, 2026.

MAY 8, 2026: United Airlines plans to resume its thrice-weekly B737 operated Saipan (SPN) – Tokyo Narita (NRT) round-trips on July 12, 2026, after pausing the flights because of damage to Saipan Airport caused by the recent Typhoon Sinlaku.

MAY 4, 2026: Nauru Airlines will resume its weekly B737-800 operated Tarawa (TRW) – Kiritimati (CXI) round-trips operated on behalf of Air Kiribati on May 6.

MAY 4, 2026: Qantas is suspending its six weekly A330-200 operated Sydney (SYD) - Bengaluru (BLR) round-trips on August 6. The airline currently plans to resume flights on the route on October 25.

Read More Route Briefs

MAY 7, 2026. MARSHALL ISLANDS

Air Marshall Islands receives first Cessna SkyCourier

Air Marshall Islands has received its first Cessna SkyCourier, marking the start of a fleet upgrade aimed at improving reliability, cargo capacity and connectivity across the Marshall Islands’ remote atolls.

Read more