Qatar Airways B777

OCTOBER 26, 2026. AUSTRALIA

CEO says Qatar Airways would fly to WSI, even if no incentives offered

The CEO of Qatar Airways says his airline would have launched flights to Western Sydney Airport even if government hadn’t offered incentives. Hamad Al-Khater says the airport’s large catchment population is a big drawcard. The airline intends to begin thrice-weekly services to WSI in December 2027

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Aircalin A350-900 rendering

OCTOBER 26, 2026. NEW CALEDONIA

Aircalin’s new A350 to fly regional routes before long-haul ops 

Aircalin will deploy its first A350-900 on regional routes to Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland from January as part of a familiarisation process before starting to use it on long-haul flights to Paris. The airline will also wet-lease another A330 over the upcoming southern summer season.

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  • Qantas ending A380 flights to Melbourne this weekend  

    OCTOBER 23, 2026: Qantas will end A380-800 operations at Melbourne this weekend, switching all of its Los Angeles services to B787-9s. All ten Qantas A380s will be based in Sydney, leaving Singapore Airlines and Emirates as the only carriers operating the superjumbo through Melbourne, with no word on when, or if, Qantas A380s will be back.

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  • Chartair retires Cessna 310s, focuses on larger aircraft 

    OCTOBER 23, 2026: Chartair has retired its last Cessna 310 aircraft. The move is part of a fleet simplification strategy and future focus on larger propeller aircraft. Chartair's last active C310 ferried to New South Wales this week and, following a full refurbishment and repaint, will re-enter service with Air Link.

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  • Air New Zealand’s capacity cuts results in RASK rise  

    OCTOBER 22, 2026: Air New Zealand’s passenger numbers fell 1% in the September quarter, but bigger capacity cuts helped lift load factors and boost revenue per available seat kilometre by 12.7% year-on-year. The airline is actively trimming operating costs but also selectively adding capacity and willing to experiment with new routes.

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  • NAC boss wants international flights at PNG’s Nadzab Airport  

    OCTOBER 22, 2026: The Acting CEO of Papua New Guinea’s National Airports Corporation says Nadzab Tomodachi Airport will become an international gateway, but passenger volumes need to grow to attract airlines. The airport has the runway length and facilities to handle international services and plans to introduce night operations could lift its appeal.

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OCTOBER 21, 2026. AUSTRALIA

Former REX chief Lim Kim Hai fined $800,000, banned from directorships 

The Supreme Court of NSW has fined former REX CEO and Chairman Lim Kim Hai $800,000 and banned him from managing corporations for four years after he admitted to continuous disclosure breaches and failing to meet his directors’ duties in the run up to the airline entering administration in mid-2024.

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October 2026 News Briefs

 

OCTOBER 26, 2026: Wellington Airport (WLG) has announced an after-tax net loss of NZD16.3 million for the six months to September 30, 2026. The airport says that revenue and costs have remained consistent but schedule cuts in response to the fuel price rise produced a corresponding passenger drop compared to the NZD15.6 million profit for the six months to March 31, 2026.

Read the news release here.

OCTOBER 26, 2026:  The Australian Government will contribute AUD10 million towards the upgrade of Cloncurry Airport (CNJ) following significant flood damage from weather events in late 2025 and early 2026. This is additional to the AUD11.5 million in funding already jointly provided by the Australian and Queensland governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Read the news release here.

OCTOBER 23, 2026:  Papua New Guinea’s Kieta/Aropa Airport (KIE) remains closed as upgrade works continue. The National Airports Corporation says work is progressing well, with 1,170 metres of runway work completed and 355 metres to go. Runway upgrade works are scheduled for completion by the end of October 2026, with the airport expected to re open next month.

Read the news release here.

OCTOBER 23, 2026: Air Tahiti has advised passengers to turn up to the airport expecting to fly despite talks between the airline and union failing to avert a planned strike this week over pay and work conditions. Air Tahiti warns there may be disruptions, but they aim to operate as much of the schedule as possible.

Read the news report here.

OCTOBER 22, 2026: New Caledonia’s Air Oceania has cancelled its Tecnam P2102-operated flights through to October 23 while it awaits delivery of a part from the manufacturer. The airline says it hopes to resume scheduled flights next week.

Read the news release here.

OCTOBER 22, 2026: Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has called for stronger air connectivity across the Pacific. He told the Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting in Honiara this week that there was a need for improved air links between Pacific destinations, better access to international markets and greater opportunities for multi destination travel.

Read the news release here.

OCTOBER 22, 2026: NZ Airports has appointed Queenstown Airport CEO Shane O’Hare as its chairperson for a two-year term.

Read the news release here.

OCTOBER 22, 2026: Australia’s Alliance Airlines has asked the US Department of Transportation to renew its exemption from 49 U.S.C.§ 41301 for the economic authority needed by Alliance Airlines to display the American Airlines flight designator code on flights operated by Alliance Airlines within Australia on behalf of Qantas.

Read the filing here.

OCTOBER 21, 2026: New Caledonia’s Air Oceania has cancelled all flights on October 20/ 21 due to a problem sourcing a part for its Tecnam P2012 aircraft. The part has been ordered from the manufacturer and the airline hope to resume flights as soon as possible.

Read the news release here.

OCTOBER 21, 2026: The Government of Naoero has released updated regulations that set the condition and payments for directors of state-owned enterprises, including Naoero Air Corporation and its subsidiaries. The chairperson receives AUD26,000 per annum and directors receive AUD10,400 annually, while ex officio board members receive AUD300 per meeting and the board secretary receives AUD200 per meeting.

Read the updated regulations here.

OCTOBER 20, 2026: A total of 745,041 passengers (excluding transit passengers) passed through Adelaide Airport (ADL) over August, a 0.9% increase on the previous year. For the 12 months to August 31, 2026, total passenger numbers (excluding transits) through the airport have increased 4.2% to 9.18 million.

Read the news release here.

OCTOBER 20, 2026: International and domestic flights at Rarotonga (RAR) were cancelled yesterday, October 19, as Tropical Cyclone Wati passed over the Cook Islands.

Read the news report here.

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Three Virgin Australia aircraft at Sydney Airport

OCTOBER 21, 2026. AUSTRALIA

Virgin Australia plots more Bali flights, new Perth route 

Virgin Australia is chasing additional Indonesia flight capacity to launch Perth – Denpasar services and increase frequencies from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Its bid competes with a Qantas Group application for recently released extra capacity following an update to the Australia – Indonesia air services agreement.

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Air Vanuatu DHC-6-300 Twin Otter Ferry Flight

OCTOBER 20, 2026. VANUATU

Air Vanuatu’s newest Twin Otter begins marathon ferry flight  

Air Vanuatu’s latest fleet addition, a rebuilt 51-year-old DHC-6-300 Twin Otter, has begun its ferry flight from Florida to Port Vila. The aircraft is one of two Twin Otters recently acquired by the Vanuatu government and rebuilt by Aviation Management Sales ahead of their handover.

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October 2026 Aircraft Movements


OCTOBER 21, 2026: Air Vanuatu is taking delivery of its fifth DHC-6-300. The 51-year-old aircraft, N660FB (msn 472), was purchased from Florida’s Aviation Management Sales and departed Fort Pierce (FPR) for Port Vila (VLI) on October 18 (local time). It is expected to arrive in Vanuatu this weekend.

OCTOBER 16, 2026: The Qantas Group is taking delivery of its forty third DHC 8-Q400. The aircraft, C-FIWE (msn 4466), departed Sault Ste. Marie (YAM) for Brisbane (BNE) on October 14. It will go into the Australian register as VH X4H and be operated by wholly-owned Qantas Group subsidiary Sunstate Airlines in QantasLink branding.

OCTOBER 12, 2026: Alliance Airlines is returning a E190-100AR to Australia after scheduled maintenance at San Jose (SJO). The aircraft, VH-UYN (msn 19000095), left San Jose on October 7 for Brisbane (BNE) via San Diego (SDM), Kapolei (JRF), and Pago Pago (PPG).

OCTOBER 12, 2026: Alliance Airlines has ferried a E190-100AR to the United States for scheduled maintenance at San Jose (SJO). The aircraft, VH-UYO (msn 19000098), left Brisbane (BNE) on October 6 for San Jose (SJO) via Apia (APW), Kapolei (JRF), and Pago Pago (PPG).

OCTOBER 2, 2026: Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA) is ferrying its fifth E190-E2 to Australia. The aircraft, VH-E2E (msn 19020235), departed the Embraer facility at São José dos Campos (SJK) on September 29, bound for Perth (PER) via Bridgetown (BGI), Miami (OPF), Tucson (TUS), Kailua Kona (KOA), and Brisbane (BNE)

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OCTOBER 20, 2026. FRENCH POLYNESIA

Air Tahiti staff plan to strike later this week  

Air Tahiti staff are threatening an indefinite strike from October 22 over wages, bonuses, working conditions, equipment and staffing levels. Three unions have filed a strike notice covering ground and flight crews, although it remains uncertain whether the industrial action will proceed.

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Virgin Australia B737-MAX over Brisbane

OCTOBER 19, 2026. AUSTRALIA

Virgin Australia exec flags further B737-MAX order  

Virgin Australia is preparing to place another B737 MAX order but says its single-fleet strategy limits regional expansion. Executives told a Australian Government Senate committee last week that they are likely to place a new order "in the near future." However, the airline remains reluctant to introduce a new regional fleet type.

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October 2026 Route Briefs


OCTOBER 26, 2026: The first Finnair scheduled flight to Melbourne (MEL) lands today. The daily Helsinki (HEL) to Melbourne via Bangkok (BKK) round trips will be operated by an A350-900.

OCTOBER 23, 2026: Fiji Airways will increase its thrice weekly B737-8/800 operated Nadi (NAN) – Christchurch (CHC) round-trips to five per week, effective March 29, 2027.

OCTOBER 21, 2026: Fiji Airways will add a third weekly A330-200-operated Nadi (NAN) – Singapore (SIN) round-trip, effective March 29, 2027.

OCTOBER 21, 2026: Qatar Airways will launch thrice-weekly B777-300ER operated round-trips between Doha (DOH) and Western Sydney (WSI) on December 15, 2027.

OCTOBER 21, 2026: Alaska Airlines will launch thrice-weekly A330-200 operated Seattle (SEA) – Papeete (PPT) flights on June 11, 2027.

OCTOBER 20, 2026: Qantas will expand its code share partnership with oneworld partner Cathay Pacific, adding its QF flight designator to Cathay Pacific operated flights between Hong Kong (HKG) - Brisbane (BNE), Hong Kong - Adelaide (ADL), Hong Kong - Dhaka (DAC), Hong Kong - Manila (MNL), and Hong Kong - Kathmandu (KTM), effective October 25, 2026.

OCTOBER 20, 2026: Cebu Pacific will temporarily trim its Australia flights, cutting its Manila (MNL) – Melbourne (MEL) round-trips from five to three per week between October 30 and November 22, 2026, and reducing its Manila – Sydney (SYD) round-trips from seven to three per week between November 2 – 29, 2026.

OCTOBER 19, 2026: Qantas will continue to operate its Perth (PER) to London (LHR) flights (QF209) via Singapore (SIN) until at least January 31, 2027, amid ongoing airspace closures and conflicts in the Gulf region. London – Perth flights will continue to operate nonstop.

OCTOBER 19, 2026: Qantas will continue to operate its Sydney (PER) to Paris (CDG) flights (QF255) via Singapore (SIN) until at least January 31, 2027, amid ongoing airspace closures and conflicts in the Gulf region. The Paris to Sydney service (QF34) continues to operate via Perth (PER).

OCTOBER 16, 2026: Qatar Airways will reduce its A350-900-operated Doha (DOH) – Adelaide (ADL) round-trips from seven to five per week, effective December 9, 2026.

OCTOBER 16, 2026: Shenzhen Airlines will add a fifth weekly A330-300 operated round-trip on the Shenzhen (SZX) – Sydney (SYD) city-pair, effective December 14, 2026.

OCTOBER 15, 2026: Eastern Air Services is resuming its seasonal Piper Chieftain 350-operated Newcastle/Williamtown (NTL) – Lord Howe Island (LDH) round trips, effective October 23, 2026.

OCTOBER 14, 2026: Regional Express (REX) will suspend its Sydney (SYD) to Port Macquarie (PQQ) and Sydney to Orange (OAG) services effective October 25, 2026. The airline says the environment of entrenched high fuel prices driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, together with lack of demand, make the routes commercially unviable.

OCTOBER 8, 2026: Virgin Australia has resumed its thrice weekly B737-800 operated Adelaide (ADL) – Launceston (LST) round-trips, effective October 6. The flights run through April 24, 2027.

OCTOBER 8, 2026: Fiji Airways will increase its twice-weekly ATR62-600 operated Nadi (NAN) – Funafuti (FUN) round-trips to three per week, effective December 12, 2026. At the same time, the airline will decrease its thrice-weekly ATR62-600-operated Suva (SUV) – Funafuti (FUN) round-trips to two per week.

OCTOBER 7, 2026: Originair will resume flights between Wellington (WLG) and Westport/Carters Beach (WSZ) on December 4 after the New Zealand Government announced funding grants for regional carriers earlier this week. The airline stopped servicing the route in late August, saying it was commercially unviable. 

OCTOBER 2, 2026: Air India will increase its B787-8 operated Delhi (DEL) – Sydney (SYD) round-trips from seven per week to eleven per week, effective December 16, 2026.

OCTOBER 1, 2026: Air New Zealand will increase its daily B787-9 operated Auckland (AKL) – Shanghai (PVG) round-trips to ten per week between January 23 – February 20, 2027.

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