News briefs from August 2026
AUGUST 31, 2026: Northern Territory Police have called off the search for missing 24-year-old pilot Bob Bramley who is believed to have died when his Air Frontier Beechcraft Baron crashed into the Gulf of Carpentaria on August 25. Search and rescue teams have found aircraft debris on the seabed floor but no trace of the pilot.
Read the news report here.
AUGUST 28, 2026: Air New Zealand has announced a statutory before tax loss of NZD336 million for the 12 months ending June 30, 2026. The airline says rising jet fuel prices, engine availability challenges, and aviation system and maintenance costs contributed to the loss.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 28, 2026: Virgin Australia Holdings Limited, trading as Virgin Australia, has reported a statutory after tax profit of AUD501 million for the 12 months to June 30, 2026. The company said the result was due to strong customer demand, disciplined capacity growth, effective fuel hedging, and continued benefits from its transformation program.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 28, 2026: Textron Aviation has received Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Part 145 approval for its Australian maintenance organization. The approval applies across Textron Aviation's OEM-owned service centre network in Melbourne, Perth and the Gold Coast.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 28, 2026: Alliance Aviation Holdings Limited, trading as Alliance Airlines, says it has successfully completed the institutional component of its AUD40 million capital raising. The airline raised approximately AUD33 million from institutional investors with a price of AUD0.70 per new share. Alliance says it received considerable interest from existing and new institutional shareholders.
Read the stock exchange filing here.
AUGUST 27, 2026: Christchurch Airport (CHC) has announced a strong financial result for the year ended 30 June 2026, with strong passenger and commercial growth, major infrastructure delivery and a record reported underlying operating profit after tax, up more than 30% to NZD64.9 million.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 26, 2026: Queensland charter airlines Horizon Airways has signed an order for a second Tecnam P2012 STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft. It is expected to join the fleet by the end of 2026 and will be the second P2012to be operated by Horizon.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 24, 2026: New Zealand’s Queenstown Airport (ZQN) had reported an after tax profit of NZD9.1 million for the 12 months to June 30, 2026, against revenues of NZD87.1 million. The airport handled a record 2.82 million passenger movements during the year, including more than a million international passenger movements for the first time.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 24, 2026: Protesters say they will resume blockading Lifou Airport (LIF) on September 1 after negotiations with the central Nouméa-based government about returning Air Calédonie flights to Nouméa’s Magenta Airport (GEA) failed to produce a breakthrough. Protesters on Lifou Island began blockading their local airport on March 2 but ended their protest on June 3, allowing Air Calédonie flights to resume. Blockades of Maré (MEE) and Ouvéa (UVE) Airports have been ongoing since March.
Read the news report here.
AUGUST 21, 2026: Sydney Airport (SYD) has appointed construction company, Multiplex, to provide construction planning and delivery expertise as the airport develops the major development plan for its T2-T3 terminal project, which is expected to deliver new terminal space and 12 swing gates capable of supporting domestic and international operations while improving connectivity between terminals and unlocking capacity.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 21, 2026: Auckland Airport (AKL) has reported an underlying before tax profit of NZD309 million for the 12 months to June 30, 2026, down 0.5% on the previous year. Passenger numbers and revenue grew but lower investment property revaluation gains impacted the bottom line.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 21, 2026: Reconstruction of the runway, taxiway, and apron to improve drainage at Balgo Airport (BQW) in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia is complete. The AUD6.9 million upgrade will benefit local indigenous communities who rely on the airport to handle Royal Flying Doctor Service aeromedical evacuations and subsidised Aviair passenger flights to Kununurra (KNX) and Halls Creek (HCQ).
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 21, 2026: The Australian Airports Association has appointed Simon McPhee, Chief Corporate Services Officer & General Counsel at Perth Airport (PER), and Katie Cooper, CEO at Launceston Airport (LST), to its board. Leaving the board is Chris Mills, outgoing CEO at Maroochydore/Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY)
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 20, 2026: VietJet officials have met with New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade representatives in Auckland to discuss improving connectivity between the two countries. No airline currently operates on the New Zealand – Vietnam country pair
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 20, 2026: Christchurch Airport is anticipating its biggest international summer season yet with over 1.27 million international seats available between November and March, 21% more than last summer. Growth is strong on long-haul services, which are up 54% and will add around 130,000 seats compared with last summer. Services across the Tasman and to the Pacific Islands are also growing strongly, up 11% and adding around 89,000 seats.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 20, 2026: Former Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has been appointed to the Air New Zealand board, subject to ratification at the next AGM in September. Also appointed to the board is former Air New Zealand CFO Robert McDonald. Current board member Larry De Shon will step down at the AGM.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 20, 2026: Vanuatu’s TAFEA Provincial Government Council has estimated that it will cost almost USD17 million to upgrade Tanna Airport (TAH) to accommodate larger ATR aircraft under its newly launched four-year economic plan. The Provincial Council says the upgrade will allow the airport to handle international flights from neighbouring nations such as New Caledonia and Fiji.
Read the news report here.
AUGUST 19, 2026: Aircalin will charter a plane after another round of technical problems saw its two A330-900s grounded, throwing its schedules into chaos. One A330-900 has just returned to service following a persistent oil odour filling the cabin while the second A330-900 is out of service due to an issue with an engine blade. The chartered aircraft is expected to arrive from Europe this weekend.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 17, 2026: The Queensland Government has commenced construction of a dual-purpose emergency airstrip on the Burke Developmental Road at Dunbar in the state’s Gulf region. The facility will operate as part of the road network during normal conditions and function as an emergency aircraft landing strip when required.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 17, 2026: The Fiji Parliament will debate a proposed FJD200 million (USD89.5 million) loan to Fiji Airways, today, August 17, 2026. The Parliament’s Order Paper puts Fiji Airways at the top of the list, ahead of 14 other matters. In addition to the loan, the government plans to exempt Fiji Airways from paying a guarantee fee and guarantee the specified borrowing facilities until their full maturity or discharge.
Read the order paper here.
AUGUST 14, 2026: Abelo has acquired a DHC-8-Q400 on lease to National Jet Express. The aircraft, VH-8QB (msn 4323) was owned by Aergo Capital.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 14, 2026: Aero Dili has appointed Ansync Global as its Singapore general sales agent. The airline says the signing strengthens its presence in the Singapore market and beyond and opens opportunities for travellers heading to Timor-Leste and elsewhere.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 14, 2026: Simon Westaway is stepping down as CEO of the Australian Airports Association, effective August 17. Natalie Heazlewood will act as CEO while the board undertakes a recruitment process for a permanent CEO.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 14, 2026: Teleport will open a “strategic operations hub” at Melbourne’s Avalon Airport (AVV) in what is described as a move to strengthen Teleport’s Oceania network. The partnership leverages Avalon as an alternative international freight gateway (to Melbourne (MEL)) capable of supporting high-growth eCommerce logistics as international freight volumes from China and Southeast Asia continue to expand.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 12, 2026: Air Chathams has expanded its interline partnership with Air New Zealand after a successful trial on the Auckland (AKL) - Whakatāne (WHK) city pair. Passengers on the Air Chathams-operated Auckland – Whanganui (WAG), Auckland – Chatham Islands (CHT), Wellington (WLG) – Chatham Islands, and Christchurch (CHC) – Chatham Islands city-pairs can now book a single journey connecting them with Air New Zealand's domestic network.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 11, 2026: Nauru Airlines has resumed normal services on August 10 after several weeks of cancelled flights due to fuel supply problems at its home base, Yaren Airport (INU).
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 10, 2026: Air Vanuatu says it plans to resume domestic flights to various southern ports, including Aniwa (AWD) and Dillon’s Bay (DLY) in the last quarter of this year.
Read the news report here.
AUGUST 10, 2026: The New Zealand Government says the creation of a new Civil Aviation Rule will cut red tape for regional airports by creating more flexible, cost-effective options to improve runway safety. Among the changes are shorter runway end safety area (RESA) lengths for smaller airports and streamlining the approvals process for proposed RESA lengths.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 10, 2026: Perth Airport (PER) has appointed Bravo Link (a joint venture between Fulton Hogan and West Coast Civil as the contractor to construct the airside component of its new airfield program, an important step towards enabling the future use of Perth’s new runway. The airside package includes the construction of new taxiways and associated services to connect the new runway to Airport Central.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 7, 2026: Airline and airport employees working around Vanuatu’s northern Torba Province have called for better digital infrastructure alongside planned redevelopments of physical aviation infrastructure, saying unreliable internet connections are creating difficulties for employees and passengers.
Read the news report here.
AUGUST 7, 2026: Solomon Airlines CEO Matthew Findlay says his plan for his first 100 days in the role was overtaken by external events, including the Iranian War and consequent fuel prices rises. In a Solomon Star editorial, Findlay also says he “inherited a number of long standing stakeholder and fleet challenges that could not be wished away.”
Read the editorial here.
AUGUST 6, 2026: Alliance Aviation Services Limited, trading as Alliance Airlines, was put into a trading halt on the Australian Securities Exchange on the morning of August 6 (local time) after a 30% bump in its share price after the company told the market about its renegotiated wet-lease agreement with Qantas and organisational restructure.
Read the company filing here.
AUGUST 6, 2026: Brisbane Airport (BNE) processed a record 25,246,950 passengers in the 12 months to June 30, 2026, an increase of 1,017,009 passengers or 4% on the previous financial year. The final tally included 7,080,057 international and 18,166,893 domestic passenger movements.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 5, 2026: The Qantas Group and Japan Airlines have signed a binding agreement that will see the Qantas Group divest its 33.32% shareholding in Jetstar Japan through an AUD115 million share buyback. As a result, the Development Bank of Japan Inc. will acquire an equity interest in Jetstar Japan as a new shareholder, while Tokyo Century Corporation and Japan Airlines will maintain their existing shareholdings. While the deal remains subject to regulatory approvals, the parties expect to complete the transaction by the end of June 2027.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 5, 2026: Papua New Guinea’s National Airports Corporation has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Hela Provincial Government and the PNG Fire & Rescue Service to establish a dedicated fire station at Tari Airport (TIZ).
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 4, 2026: Jetstar has appointed Cath O'Brien as Head of Commercial New Zealand. O’Brien joins Jetstar from the Board of Airline Representatives NZ (BARNZ), where she has served as Executive Director since 2022.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 4, 2026: The Government of Western Australia will make available over AUD3.8 million in grants to support improvements to regional and remote airports through the 2027-29 Regional Airports Development Scheme (RADS). Open to regional and remote airport owners and leaseholders and offered every two years, the grants are generally for 50% of total project costs and applicants are encouraged to also seek funding from other government or private agencies towards their project/s.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 4, 2026: Sydney Airport processed 9.96 million passengers in Q2 2026, with more than 20.7 million passengers travelling through the airport in the first half of the year. Passenger volumes for the first six months of 2026 were 1.5% higher than the same period last year. International passenger traffic increased 2.1% to 8.44 million passengers, while domestic passenger traffic grew 1.0% to 12.29 million passengers.
Read the news release here.
AUGUST 4, 2026: Virgin Australia discontinued Fokker flights between Brisbane (BNE) and Newcastle/Williamtown (NTL) and Brisbane and Rockhampton (ROK) over the weekend. Going forward, the airline will use its own B737-800s and B737-8s on the routes rather than the wet-leased Fokkers.
Read the news report here.
AUGUST 3, 2026: Papua New Guinea’s National Airports Corporation has asked interest parties to submit tenders to refurbish the Buka Airport (BUA) terminal building. The submission deadline is August 31.
Read the tender announcement here.
AUGUST 3, 2026: Launceston Airport (LST) has posted its busiest year on record for the 12 months to June 30, 2026. Across the 12-month period, monthly records were broken on eight occasions with January the busiest month in the airport’s history with a total of 160,791 travellers and 1,478,925 passengers flew in and out of the airport across the financial year, representing a 3% increase on the previous financial year.
Read the news release here.
