JUNE 8, 2026. PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Six year Port Moresby Airport redevelopment kicks off

The Government of Papua New Guinea has launched a PGK2.5 billion redevelopment of Port Moresby Airport, including building new domestic and international terminals, airfield lighting upgrades, a runway extension, and other infrastructure improvements.

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JUNE 8, 2026. AUSTRALIA

Emirates boosts its Australia & New Zealand flights

Emirates is rebuilding its Australia and New Zealand network following disruptions caused by the Iran war. It is building up its Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland capacity as it gradually returning services towards pre-conflict levels.

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  • Runway improvement works start at PNG’s Mount Hagen

    JUNE 5, 2026: Papua New Guinea’s National Airports Corporation has commenced an upgrade of the runway at Mount Hagen (Kagamuga) Airport (HGU). The work is expected to take around nine months to complete and will allow the airport to handle bigger and heavier aircraft.

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  • Successful first test flight for Qantas A350-1000ULR

    JUNE 4, 2026: Airbus has completed the first test flight of Qantas’s Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR. The three-hour and 43-minute flight took place above France on June 2, 2026.

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  • ICCC issues final report into Papua New Guinea’s aviation sector

    JUNE 4, 2026: Papua New Guinea’s ICCC has released its final report into the country’s aviation sector, recommending the economic regulation of the National Airports Corporation and NiuSky, as well as the establishment of a steering committee to oversee airport infrastructure spending.

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  • Air Calédonie resumes flight to Lifou after blockade ends

    JUNE 3, 2026: Air Calédonie is resuming flights to Lifou after a high chief ordered the end of a three-month airport blockade. Flights restart today, June 3, in what the airline calls a gradual resumption of services.

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June 2026 News Briefs

JUNE 8, 2026: Reuters is reporting that Qantas is in talks about ordering approximately 20 widebody aircraft and is looking at B787 and A350 types.

Read the news report here.

JUNE 5, 2026: Air Tahiti Nui and Air Tahiti have commenced a codeshare agreement signed in December 2025. This partnership allows Air Tahiti Nui to place its TN code on selected inter-island flights operated by Air Tahiti and issue a single ticket through to various airports around French Polynesia.

Read the news release here.

JUNE 5, 2026: The City of Albany has issued a tender for qualified parties to undertake rehabilitation work at Albany Airport (ALH), including improving its runway, taxiways and aprons to accommodate heavier aircraft. The AUD41.6 million cost is being jointly met by the Australian Government, Western Australia Government, and City of Albany.

Read the news release here.

JUNE 5, 2026: Cairns Airport (CNS) has launched a major retail tender after a AUD55 million upgrade of its international terminal. The request for tender (RFT) relates to multiple sites within both the international (T1) and domestic (T2) terminals, offering more than 2500 square metres of space for duty free, retail, and food and beverage opportunities.

Read the news release here.

JUNE 3, 2026: A consortium led by Barings will pay around AUD1.5 billion to buy Melbourne’s Moorabbin Airport (MBW) from Goodman Group. The consortium includes Aware Super, Rest Super, and Barings entities Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company and MS&AD. Goodman will retain a minor interest in the 294-hectare airport site. The deal remains subject to approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Read the news report here.

JUNE 3, 2026: Air New Zealand has released its April 2026 investor update saying group capacity had increased by 2.4% that month compared to April 2025. Long haul available seat kilometres rose by 0.3% and domestic capacity increased 2.2%, largely due to two additional A321s in service compared to the previous April. Short haul international capacity rose 6.9%, due to the introduction of two new A321s.

Read the stock market filing here.

JUNE 3, 2026: Papua New Guinea’s Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) has released its final report following its inquiry into the state of the aviation industry in the country.

Read the final report here.

JUNE 3, 2026: PNG Air has advised the Papua New Guinea Stock Exchange about a “few printing errors” in its recently released 2025 Annual Report. The errors included referring to the 2024 financial year in a paragraph detailing the material uncertainty related to going concern, an incorrect heading about the valuation of the group’s owned aircrafts, and an incorrect auditor’s signature date.

Read the stock market filing here.

JUNE 2, 2026: Sydney Airport (SYD) has issued a major food and beverage request for proposal. The RFP includes more than 3,000 square metres of potential retail F&B opportunity and a total of 20 sites at both the T1 international and T2 domestic terminals.

Read the news release here.

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JUNE 3, 2026. VANUATU

Norsup Airport upgrade work stops amid payment delays

Work on Vanuatu’s Norsup Airport upgrade has stalled amid government payment delays. However, the government says it is catching up on payments and that the Chinese contractor will restart work once equipment arrives on Malakula Island.

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JUNE 2, 2026. AUSTRALIA

Microflite buys Hobart’s Cambridge Airport, Airlines of Tasmania

Australian charter business Microflite has acquired Airlines of Tasmania, known as Par Avion, along with Hobart’s Cambridge Airport, in two separate transactions only publicly disclosed in late May

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June 2026 Aircraft Movements

JUNE 8, 2026: National Jet Express has ferried in its thirteenth DHC-8-Q400. The aircraft, VH-8QE (msn 4205), flew into Perth (PER) from Zagreb (ZAG) via Duqm (DQM) and Gan Island (GAN) on June 5. It is leased from TrueNoord.

JUNE 4, 2026: Virgin Australia has ferried in its nineteenth B737-8. The aircraft, VH-8VD (msn 67040), arrived in Brisbane (BNE) on June 2, have flown in from Melbourne (MLB) via Ontario (ONT) and Kona (KOA).

JUNE 3, 2026: Virgin Australia has ferried in its eighteenth B737-8. The aircraft, VH-8VE (msn 67041), arrived in Brisbane (BNE) on May 30, have flown in from Melbourne (MLB) via Ontario (ONT) and Kona (KOA). It commenced revenue flights on June 3.

JUNE 1, 2026: Jetstar is ferrying in its twenty-fifth A321-200NX. The aircraft, VH OLU (msn 13084) departed Toulouse (TLS) bound for Melbourne (MEL) on May 30. It is due to land in Australia today, June 1, after stops in via Istanbul (IST), Muscat (MCT) and Kuala Lumpur (KUL).

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JUNE 2, 2026. FIJI

Not interested in Seoul flights says Fiji Airways CEO

Fiji Airways CEO Paul Scurrah says flights to Seoul are not financially viable after Tourism Minister Viliame Gavoka told the country's parliament that he wanted Korean Air to resume flights to Fiji to bring in more European tourists.

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June 2026 Route Briefs

JUNE 8, 2026: Air Chathams will end its seven weekly Saab 340B operated Auckland (AKL) Kāpiti Coast/Paraparaumu (PPQ) services on July 31, saying increased operating costs had rendered the route commercially unviable.

JUNE 8, 2026: Air New Zealand has resumed its twice weekly A320-200N operated seasonal roundtrips between Auckland (AKL) and Maroochydore/Sunshine Coast (MCY). The flights, which will increase to thrice-weekly from July 1, will operate to October 20.

JUNE 5, 2026: Jeju Air has opened online bookings for the planned restart of its four times weekly B737-800 operated Seoul (ICN) – Saipan (SPN) flights beginning June 20, pending operational conditions at Saipan Airport.

JUNE 3, 2026: Air New Zealand will exclusively use the B787-9 on its ten weekly Auckland (AKL) – Tokyo Narita (NRT) roundtrips, effective October 25, 2026. Until then, seven of the ten weekly flights are operated by B777-300ERs.

JUNE 2, 2026: China Eastern Airlines will trim frequencies on its A330-300 operated Beijing Daxing (PKX) – Wuhan (WUH) – Sydney (SYD) roundtrips from thrice weekly to twice weekly between July 17 – 31, 2026, and once weekly between July 1 – 16, and August 1 through September 17.

JUNE 2, 2026: China Eastern Airlines will suspend its weekly Xi’An (XIY) – Jinan (TNA) – Sydney (SYD) roundtrips between July 1 – 12, 2026, and August 11 through September 20.

JUNE 1, 2026: Starlux Airlines says it will start flights between Taipei (TPI) and Sydney (SYD), with fifth-freedom flights through to Auckland (AKL). However, the airline is yet to lock in a start date, frequencies, or aircraft type.

JUNE 1, 2026: United Airlines has deferred the planned restart of its Saipan (SPN) – Tokyo Narita (NRT) round-trips until August 2 – 3, 2026, rather than mid-July as previously planned. The airline suspended the flights in April due to damage at SOB caused by Typhoon Sinlaku.

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JUNE 1, 2026. FRENCH POLYNESIA

French Polynesia’s Motu Link Airline starts revenue flights

Eight years in the making, French Polynesian cargo start-up Motu Link Airline has begun revenue flights using its ATR72 500 freighter, becoming the territory’s first dedicated cargo airline.

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