News Briefs from April 2026
APRIL 16, 2026: Guam’s Fly MACS has cancelled all flights on April 16 due to ongoing severe weather from Tropical Storm Sinlaku.
Read the news release here.
APRIL 16, 2026: The Government of Tuvalu has declared a State of Emergency due to critical fuel shortages in the country, once again requiring Fiji Airways services to operate with return fuel being carried on flights to Funafuti, with the flights consequently not operating at full seating capacity until further notice.
Read the news release here.
APRIL 15, 2026: A total of 3,129,811 people travelled through Melbourne Airport (MEL) in March 2026, including 1,002,589 international passengers, which surpassing the previous March monthly record of 937,696 international travellers set in 2025.
Read the news release here.
APRIL 14, 2026: The Nouméa Commercial Court accepted an application to place Air Calédonie in receivership yesterday, April 14. All debts incurred before April 14 are now frozen.
Read the news report here.
APRIL 14, 2026: Christchurch Airport (CHC) processed 3.1 million passengers between November 2025 and March 2026 (inclusive), including 287,000 international passengers. Australia held its spot as the largest source market, with 112,600 arrivals, followed by China with 38,400. Visitor numbers from China increased by over 100% from last season.
Read the news release here.
APRIL 14, 2026: Air Rarotonga has added a fuel surcharge to all tickets sold on and after April 9, citing a “dramatic increase in global fuel prices linked to current Middle Eastern geopolitical events.”
Read the news release here
APRIL 13, 2026: Guam’s Fly MACS has cancelled all flights on April 13 and 14 due to expected severe weather from Tropical Storm Sinlaku.
Read the news release here.
APRIL 13, 2026: A Qantas B737-800 flying from Canberra (CBR) to Perth (PER) on April 10, 2026, diverted to Adelaide (ADL) after crew detected fumes on board and passengers saying they felt unwell. The aircraft, VH-VZC (msn 34197) landed safely. Once on the ground, no passengers or crew required further medical attention.
Read the news report here.
APRIL 13, 2026: The Solomon Islands Government is holding public hearings about upgrading Suavanao Airport (VAO) in Isabel Province. Planned works include unexploded ordnance surveys, improved drainage systems, elevating and resealing the runway, taxiway, and apron with bituminous surfacing, installation of ground lighting, application of airfield markings, and construction of a new terminal.
Read the news report here.
APRIL 10, 2026: The Western Australia State Government will cover additional fuel costs for airlines operating subsidised Regional Airfare Zone Cap (RAZC) routes, ensuring air fares do not rise. Aviar, Nexus Airlines, and Regional Express are among the carriers operating intra-state passenger routes under the scheme.
Read the news release here.
APRIL 10, 2026: Tonga’s Ministry of Infrastructure is seeking expressions of interest from contractors to help review and upgrade the Civil Aviation Office Quality Management System.
Read the news release here.
APRIL 9, 2026: Air Chathams CEO Duane Emeny says the regional carrier will reduce its North Island flights in response to rising fuel prices. Effective April 20, the airline will suspend about 45% of flights into Whakatāne (WKH), 22% of flights into Whanganui (WAG) and 10% into Kāpiti (PPQ). Air Chathams’ fuel bill has doubled to over NZD1 million in recent weeks.
Read the news story here
APRIL 8, 2026: Construction of a new Royal Flying Doctor Service aeromedical facility at Launceston Airport (LST) has started. The AUD21 million base will support aeromedical retrieval services across Tasmania and enable the delivery of a range of health care services to rural and remote communities, including the Bass Strait Island communities.
Read the news release here.
APRIL 7, 2026: Air New Zealand cut domestic capacity beyond the previously announced early May date through to the end of June. Air New Zealand says this remains a short-term response to the current fuel volatility. The reductions will see around 4% of flights cut.
Read the news report here.
APRIL 7, 2026: Fiji Link has cancelled all domestic flights on April 7 due to current weather conditions associated with Tropical Cyclone Vaianu.
Read the travel alert here.
APRIL 3, 2026: Virgin Australia has informed the US Department of Transportation that its code share arrangement with Hawaiian Airlines has ended.
Read the filing here.
APRIL 3, 2026: Maroochydore/Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) expects its busiest ever Easter weekend period with more than 24,000 passengers expected to flow through the airport over the weekend. Monday April 6 will be the busiest day with the airport welcoming more than 6,300 passengers.
Read the news release here.
APRIL 3, 2026: Coolangatta/Gold Coast Airport (OOL) anticipates a strong Easter period, with over 80,000 passengers expected to pass through over the long weekend. On the busiest days, more than 23,000 travellers are expected through the airport, up from around 16,000 on a typical travel day.
Read the news release here.
APRIL 2, 2026: Solomon Airlines’ sole DHC-8-100 will go out of service on April 11 for scheduled C-Check maintenance. The airline says it will keep its domestic network operating and minimise passenger disruption but acknowledges services to some ports will be reduced. Among the contingency plans are weekly A320-200 flights between Honiara (HIR) and Munda (MUA).
Read the news release here.
APRIL 1, 2026: Solomon Airlines has appointed GSA PNG Ltd as its general sales agent in Papua New Guinea, spearheading the airline’s travel agent distribution and customer engagement in the country.
Read the news report here.
APRIL 1, 2026: Skytrans Australia is partnering with airline IT and financial services solutions provider Maureva to support revenue accounting processes, with a particular focus on GDS sales, helping ensure financial accuracy, control, and scalability.
Read the news release here.
