News Briefs From December 2025
DECEMBER 19, 2025: The Australian Government has appointed Vice Admiral (Retired) Russell Crane as the new commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) for an initial three year term. He replaces Gary Prosser.
Read the news release here.
DECEMBER 17, 2025: New Zealand’s Wellington Airport (WLG) is expecting nearly half a million travellers to pass through its terminal over the next month, with December 18 set to be the busiest day when the airport will handle around 18,000 passengers.
Read the news release here.
DECEMBER 17, 2025: Launceston Airport's (LST) biggest airfield upgrade in more than 60 years is complete with the opening of Taxiway Foxtrot today. Among other benefits, the AUD5 million taxiway will significantly increase the airport's freight handling capacity, including allowing Qantas' new Airbus A321 freighter to operate at the airport.
Read the news release here
DECEMBER 17, 2025: Papua New Guinea’s National Airports Corporation will temporarily permit Air Niugini’s A220-300 aircraft to fly to Rabaul (RAB) in East New Britain to help address peak period passenger demand. The NAC is also allowing temporary night flight operations at Lae (LAE), Wewak (WWK), Momote (MAS) and Kavieng (KVG) airports, albeit only with advance notice from the airline. There is an acute shortage of airline seats Throughout Papua New Guinea in the lead up to Christmas.
Read the news release here.
DECEMBER 16, 2025: PNG Air has closed its recent capital raise and says it has secured PGK29.8 million (USD7 million) with a total 1, 490, 290, 800 new shares being issued.
Read the stock exchange filing here.
DECEMBER 16, 2025: New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand will invest an additional NZD13.3 million, over five years, to strengthen aviation security in the Pacific region. The investment will go towards new airport x-ray and scanning machines, as well as technical and training support, at eleven airports around the Pacific.
Read the news release here.
DECEMBER 15, 2025: The Cook Islands National Environment Service has opened public consultation on the proposed extension of the Rarotonga International Airport (RAR) Runway End Safety Area, a project that will involve backfilling part of the Panama wetlands and redirecting the existing road at the eastern end of the runway.
Read the news article here.
DECEMBER 15, 2025: The Qantas Group has asked Australia’s International Air Services Commission for an allocation of three frequencies per week on the Australia - Sri Lanka country pair. Qantas’ wholly-owned subsidiary, Jetstar, plans to launch services between Melbourne (MEL and Colombo (CMB) in August 2026.
Read the application here.
DECEMBER 15, 2025: Queensland’s Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire Council, in conjunction with engineering and construction company, Durack Civil, has completed an upgrade of Pormpuraaw Airport (EDR), including constructing a sealed 1,360 metre runway. Among other things, the project required the import of 30,000 tonnes of road base from the closest quarry, 600 kilometres away.
See the social media post here.
DECEMBER 12, 2025: The Australian Government has asked the Productivity Commission to undertake an inquiry into the determinants of regional airfares. Interested parties are invited to lodge their submissions by March 15,2026.
You can read the call for submissions document here.
DECEMBER 12, 2025: Fiji’s High Court has struck out an application to include the Fijian Government in a lawsuit involving a 2023 flight charter from Fiji to Israel, for which majority state owned Fiji Airways is allegedly owed over FJD3.1 million.
Read the news article here.
DECEMBER 11, 2025: Virgin Australia has signed a code share agreement with China Southern Airlines that, in the first phase, will allow that airline’s passengers to connect across the Virgin Australia network from early 2026. Virgin Australia says it expects to further expand the partnership.
Read the news report here.
DECEMBER 11, 2025: Fiji Airports chief executive officer Mesake Nawari told an Aviation Bill consultation session in Nadi this week that the planned legislation, designed modernise Fiji’s 49-year-old Civil Aviation Act and strengthen the country’s aviation framework, must take into account technological advances, including autonomous aircraft.
Read the news report here.
DECEMBER 11, 2025: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has released its latest Domestic Airline Competition report, revealing very high demand for domestic air travel in September and October 2025, resulting in airlines carrying 5.5 million domestic passengers in October alone.
Read the ACCC report here.
DECEMBER 9, 2025: Fiji’s Joyce Aviation Group, owners of Sunflower Aviation, has begun laying off workers two weeks after the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji declined to renew its aircraft maintenance organisation certificate. The matter, attributed to “personality issues,” remains unresolved.
Read the news article here.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: The US Department of Transportation has awarded Skytraders an exemption under 49 U.S.C. §40109 and a foreign air carrier permit under 49 U.S.C. §41301 to operate charter flights between Australia and the United States.
Read the filing here.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: SmartLynx Australia has formally assumed operation of the Sydney (SYD) - Lord Howe Island (LDH) route under the licence awarded by Transport for NSW in 2024 after incumbent carrier Qantas decided to discontinue DHC-8-200 operations, requiring it to withdraw from the route.
Read the news release here.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: The Tasmanian Government is backing a AUD100,000 joint marketing and social media campaign with Sharp Airlines and Tourism Tasmania to promote King (KNS) and Flinders (FLS) Island to increase passenger numbers and help boost the local tourism economies. The government said its support for Sharp Airlines would continue until the end of April 2026.
Read the news article here.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: Talks between Air New Zealand and cabin crew union E tū continue in a bid to avoid a December 18, 2025, strike. A threatened strike today, December 8, has been called off.
Read the news article here.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: Auckland Airport (AKL) expects to handle over 200,000 more international passengers this 2025/26 summer than the previous summer. Seat capacity at the airport is up 4% compared last summer.
Read the news release here.
DECEMBER 1, 2025: The latest round of Papua New Guinea's Civil Aviation Development Investment Program will fund the upgrade of the Hayfield Airport (HYF) in East Sepik to a Level 2 airport. The upgrade includes air pavement strengthening, a new terminal building and associated works.
Read the news article here.
DECEMBER 1, 2025: A November 14, 2025, PNG Air shareholders meeting passed resolutions to receive and consider the FY2024 financial statement and reports, appoint Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu as auditors for FY2025, and to authorised the oversubscription of a capital raising share issue.
Read the stock market filing here.