JULY 14, 2026. AUSTRALIA

First of four freighter test flights lands at Western Sydney

Western Sydney Airport has completed its first live freight trial ahead of opening to cargo operations on July 26. Yesterday, a Qantas A321-200 freighter tested aircraft handling, ground operations and cargo systems. Another three test flights are scheduled later this week.

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JULY 13, 2026. AUSTRALIA

ATSB finds glideslope interference behind B767F incident

The ATSB has found glideslope signal interference contributed to a Tasman Cargo Airlines B767 freighter descending below the ILS approach path into Sydney Airport. The investigation prompted safety changes by the airline, while Boeing will introduce software updates designed to prevent similar incidents.

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JULY 13, 2026. FIJI

Court orders Fiji Airways to answer B737 lease questions

A Fiji High Court has ruled that lawyers for a former Fiji Airways pilot may question the airline about the lease agreement for a B737 -700 at the centre of a negligence claim. The pilot alleges unresolved pressurisation defects caused permanent injuries. However, the airline denies liability.

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Air New Zealand ATR72-600 lining up to take off

  • Aircalin inks financing deal for first A350-900

    JULY 10, 2026: Aircalin has secured financing for its first A350-900, due for delivery in December. The aircraft will modernise the New Caledonian carrier's long-haul fleet and support future network growth, with the financing package structured without recourse to taxpayer funds.

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  • MinRes Air posts $112m loss in first full year of operations

    JULY 10, 2026: MinRes Air posted an underlying net loss after tax of $112 million and $632 million in impairments during its first full year of operations, according to a newspaper report. The numbers provide the first insight into the cost of building Mineral Resources' in-house FIFO airline and its strategy to replace third-party operators.

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  • BEA to probe unplanned Air Tahiti ATR42 engine shutdown

    JULY 9, 2026: France's BEA has opened a serious incident investigation after an Air Tahiti ATR42-600 suffered a low fuel warning during a flight from Bora Bora to Papeete and an unplanned engine shut down after landing earlier this week.

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  • Australian operator ferries in E190-E2 for Air Kiribati

    JULY 9, 2026: Australian Corporate Jet Centres has ferried an E190-E2 to Australia on behalf of the Kiribati Government. The aircraft is expected to be support Air Kiribati's long-delayed jet ambitions, including establishing direct services to Brisbane and Auckland.

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July 2026 News Briefs

JULY 14, 2026: Vanuatu’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities has opened South Epi Island’s Lopeni Airport (NVSY). With a 1,200-metre unsealed runway, Lopeni is South Epi’s only airport. The ministry says the airport will bolster connectivity, trade, and access to essential services. Air Vanuatu has not yet announced scheduled flights to the airport.

Read the news release here.

JULY 14, 2026:  Melbourne Airport (MEL) says it processed a record 36,993,557 passengers in the 12 months to June 30, 2026, up 2.3% on the previous 12 months. Passenger traffic included 12,256,328 international and 24,736,829 domestic passengers. The last financial year also included Melbourne Airport busiest month on record. In December, the airport processed 3,421,195 passengers.

Read the news release here.

JULY 13, 2026: Air Kiribati will not operate any flights on Monday July 13 in observance of the Independence Day public holiday.

Read the news release here.

JULY 10, 2026:  Fiji Airways has ended its long-standing MOU with the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association (FHTA) and shifted to direct commercial relationships with individual hotels and resorts. The airline says the change is part of its strategy to better manage costs amid economic pressures.

Read the news report here.

JULY 9, 2026:  Robert Cole will retire from the Perth Airport board as an independent non-executive director and chair. Cole was appointed as a director in January 2023 and subsequently appointed chair in March 2023. He has decided to hand over the role of chair to new leadership as part of an orderly succession process.

Read the news release here.

JULY 8, 2026: An Air New Zealand A320-200 registered as ZK-OXJ (msn 6694) enroute to Auckland (AKL) returned to Christchurch Airport (CHC) on July 4 after smelling smoke onboard. The aircraft landed safely. Emergency services inspected the aircraft before clearing it to taxi to the apron.

Read the news report here.

JULY 8, 2026: New Zealand’s Hamilton Airport (HLZ) is introducing body scanners as part of its security screening processes, effective July 15.

Read the news release here.

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JULY 8, 2026. AUSTRALIA

Newcastle Williamtown Airport eyes return of Auckland flights

Newcastle Williamtown Airport is renewing its push for nonstop flights to Auckland, seven years after Virgin Australia ended its flights on the route. The airport argues upgraded facilities and strong travel demand support a trans-Tasman comeback.

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JULY 7, 2026. PAPUA NEW GUINEA

PNG Air ends DHC-8-100 ops, all remaining Dash-8s sold

PNG Air has retired its final DHC-8-100 aircraft, completing its transition to an all-ATR fleet and ending more than a decade of Dash-8 operations across Papua New Guinea. The airline says the move will simplify operations, improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs.

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July 2026 Aircraft Movements

JULY 6, 2026: Qantas has positioned an E190-100 into Norwich Airport (NWI) ahead of its ferry flight to Australia. The aircraft, VH-E9B (msn 190.0027) will be operated by Qantas subsidiary Network Aviation under the QantasLink brand

JULY 2, 2026: Australian Corporate Jet Centre has begun ferrying its second E190-E2 to Melbourne Essendon (MEB). The aircraft, VH-IGJ (msn 19020183) departed Sao Jose dos Campos (SJK) on July 1 (local time) and at the time of writing, is enroute to Bridgetown (BGI)

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JULY 7, 2026. NEW CALEDONIA

New Caledonia’s Air Oceania eyes new aircraft to aid growth

Air Oceania hopes to acquire two more aircraft to help grow its network around New Caledonia. The plan comes as ongoing airport blockades continue to disrupt Air Calédonie, creating strong demand for alternative inter-island services.

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July 2026 Route Briefs

JULY 10, 2026: Air Niugini has confirmed that twice-weekly Port Moresby (POM) – Tokyo Narita (NRT) round-trips will restart on July 18. The service will use both B767-300ER and B737-800 aircraft.

JULY 9, 2026: China Airlines will swap the B777-300ER operating its daily Taipei (TPE) – Sydney (SYD) round-trips for a A350-900 between October 25 - December 16, 2026, and January 16 – March 27, 2027.

JULY 7, 2026: Qantas will place its QF flight designator on Air Tahiti Nui’s twice-weekly B787-9 round-trips between Sydney (SYD) and Papeete (PPT) when they commence on December 14, 2026.

JULY 3, 2026: Nauru Airlines will operate a Nauru (INU) – Tarawa (TRW) - Majuro (MAJ) – Nauru rotation once per week, effective July 3, 2026.

JULY 3, 2026: Nauru Airlines will operate a Nauru (INU) – Majuro (MAJ) – Tarawa (TRW) – Nauru rotation once per week, effective July 6, 2026.

JULY 2, 2026: Virgin Australia will axe its B737-800 operated Brisbane (BNE) – Apia (APW) round-trips, effective August 24, 2026, citing the need to manage the impact of elevated global jet fuel prices and align capacity with demand.

JULY 1, 2026: VietJet Air will reduce frequencies on the Ho Chi Minh (SGN) – Perth (PER) city-pair from five per week to four per week between August 1 – September 17 and October 25 - December 11, 2026. The service is operated by A321 200neo aircraft.

 

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JULY 6, 2026. NAURU

Nauru Airlines drops two North Pacific Connector sectors

Nauru Airlines has dropped the Majuro – Pohnpei and Pohnpei – Koror sectors from its Australian Government-backed North Pacific Connector service. The flights now terminate at Majuro.

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