News Briefs from November 2026

NOVEMBER 3, 2026: Wellington Airport (WLG) has begun an upgrade of its northern domestic lounge precinct to create a modern and flexible space able to alternate between domestic and international, providing more capacity at busy times. The upgrade will take place over the next 14 months.

Read the news release here.

NOVEMBER 3, 2026: Qantas has asked Australia’s International Air Services Commission to renew Determination [2022] IASC 115, which allocates 165 seats per week in each direction of passenger capacity on the Australia - Fiji county-pair. The determination is due to expire on August 18, 2027. Qantas is seeking a five-year renewal.

Read the application letter here.

NOVEMBER 2, 2026: The New South Wales State Government will spend AUD64 million to build new aeromedical helicopter bases at Moruya (MYA), Wagga Wagga (WGA) and Port Macquarie (PQQ) Airports. Construction is due to start next year. They will add to existing bases at Bankstown (Sydney), Wollongong, Orange, Belmont (Newcastle), Lismore and Tamworth. The NSW Ambulance’s aeromedical fleet comprises 13 helicopters.

Read the news release here.

NOVEMBER 2, 2026: Nautilus Aviation will cease helicopter operations to and from the Cairns Esplanade after 25 years.  Nautilus CEO Aaron Finn says restricting Cairns ops to Cairns Airport (CNS) will save the business around 800 flight hours and AUD1 million annually. Nautilus has been operating up to 12 daily flights from the city centre pontoon.

See the news report here.

NOVEMBER 2, 2026: FlyPelican will shift from Sydney Airport’s Terminal 3 to Terminal 2, effective November 4.

Read the news release here.

NOVEMBER 2, 2026: Papua New Guinea’s National Airports Corporation says runway upgrade work at Mount Hagen Airport (HGU) has “progressed steadily” and the available runway length has been extended to 1,190 metres, up from 980 metres in September. Work on the remaining 1,000 metres is underway and the NAC says it hopes to have the entire 2,190-metre runway length available to use by the end of the year.

Read the news release here.

NOVEMBER 2, 2026: New Zealand charter and aeromedical carrier Air Whanganui has appointed Andy Mudway as its new chief executive officer.

Read the news report here.

NOVEMBER 2, 2026: The Qantas Group has completed its DHC-8-Q400 fleet renewal programme, having recently ferried in the last of 12 mid-life Q400s acquired from WestJet’s Encore. VH-84H (msn 4466) commenced revenue service on October 28 after flying to Australia in mid-October. Qantas Group subsidiary Sunstate Airlines operates forty-three Q400s in QantasLink branding.

Read the news release here.