FEBRUARY 27, 2026: Air New Zealand is on track to receive two GE-powered 787-9s by the end of June and the refurbishment of its older Rolls Royce-powered B787-9s is due to be completed by the end of calendar 2026.

FEBRUARY 27, 2026: Qantas has trousered a tidy AUD925 million statutory after tax profit for the six months to December 31, 2025, an outcome CEO Vanessa Hudson attributes to an influx of next-gen aircraft over the past year.

FEBRUARY 26, 2026: Melbourne Airport (MEL) will add five new gates to the existing international pier as part of an AUD4.5 billion terminal upgrade due to start later this year. The new gates will be capable of accommodating five widebody or eight narrowbody aircraft.

FEBRUARY 26, 2026: The Samoa Airport Authority (SAA), operator of Faleolo (APW), Fagali’i (FGI), Maota (MXS), and Asau (AAU) Airports, plans to impose a WST180 (USD67) tax on all passengers departing Western Samoa on tickets purchased on or after March 1, 2026.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026: A Twin Otter DHC-6-300 operated by Papua New Guinea’s Tropicair lost its nose wheel gear shortly after take-off from Tapini Airport (TPI) on January 22, 2026, according to a preliminary report from the PNG Accident Investigation Commission.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026: Australia’s transport minister ignored a plan by the Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA) for some of its member airlines to take over Rex’s regional routes following the airline filing for administration, according to RAAA Chairman Malcom Sharp.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026: The CEO of Hobart Airport says that talks are underway with Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific about flights to Tasmania. Yesterday, Norris Carter told a Senate Committee that Hobart’s recently extended runway makes flying there economically viable.

FEBRUARY 23, 2026: Qantas has ferried in its fourth A321 200XLR. The aircraft, VH-OGD (msn 12668) landed at Brisbane (BNE) on February 22, 2026, flying in from Hamburg (XFW) via Bangkok (BKK). Another three XLRs are due before June 30, 2026.

FEBRUARY 20, 2026: Alliance Airlines has reported a statutory after-tax net loss of AUD105.8 million for the six months to December 31, 2025. In a February 20, 2026, ASX filing, the specialist charter airline described the second half of last year as “challenging.”

FEBRUARY 20, 2026: The Qantas chairman is bearish about aviation’s chances of cutting its environmental impact over the next 20 years. John Mullen says electric and hydrogen aircraft will only play a small role and SAF uptake will depend on government intervention.

FEBRUARY 19, 2026: Auckland Airport’s net underlying after-tax profit for the six months ended December 31, 2025, crept up 6% to NZD157.1 million (USD93.7 million) as the airport benefitted from steadily increasing passenger traffic and revenue.

FEBRUARY 19, 2026: Air New Zealand says it completed over 100 flights during its four month Next Generation battery-electric BETA ALIA CX300 Aircraft Technical Demonstrator Programme undertaken in conjunction with BETA Technologies.

FEBRUARY 18, 2026: Virgin Australia is expecting to release a swathe of escrowed shares next month. Among the parties able to sell those shares, which represent over 12.1% of the airline’s issued stock, is majority shareholder, Bain Capital.

FEBRUARY 17, 2026: Air Niugini has appointed aviation veteran Alan Milne as CEO following the ousting of Gary Seddon. It is Milne’s second crack at Port Moresby’s top airline job, having previously served as Air Niugini’s CEO between 2018 and 2020.

FEBRUARY 17, 2026: The outgoing interim Solomon Airlines CEO says 90% of its domestic inter-island routes fail to cover their direct operating costs, let alone make a profit, highlighting the difficulties of operating in the Southwest Pacific.

FEBRUARY 16, 2026: The Air Tahiti Nui board of directors has formally appointed Lionel Guérin as the airline’s new CEO. The appointment takes effect immediately. He replaces Philippe Marie, who was ousted from the role by French Polynesia's president in January.

FEBRUARY 16, 2026: The ownership of an A350-900 on lease to Fiji Airways has changed. The aircraft, DQ-FAN (msn 260), was sold to Riyadh based AviLease in December 2025. The vendor was GOAL Aircraft Leasing. The aircraft will remain with Fiji Airways under lease.

FEBRUARY 13, 2026: French Polynesian cargo start-up Motu Link Airline is ferrying in its first aircraft. The ATR72-500 freighter, F-OHEI, left Toulouse on February 11, 2026, on the first leg of its marathon flight through to Papeete.

FEBRUARY 12, 2026: The former CEO of Sydney Seaplanes has launched an advanced air mobility company called Alt Air. Posting on social media platforms on February 11, Aaron Shaw said Alt Air would offer practical, scalable AAM services to Australia and the region.

FEBRUARY 11, 2026: Philippine Airlines is bullish about the future of its Northern Marianas – Philippines flights while Korean carriers are facing “operational challenges” on their flights to Saipan and suspending services.

FEBRUARY 11, 2026: ACMI airline SmartLynx Australia will adopt its former name, Skytrans, as it attempts to put distance between it and a brand tarnished by the collapse of another SmartLynx airline. SmartLynx Australia made the switch official on February 10, 2026.

FEBRUARY 11, 2026: The outgoing Solomon Airlines CEO has accused Qantas of dumping capacity on the Honiara (HIR) – Brisbane (BNE) city pair in a “cynical attempt” to become the sole operator on the lightly trafficked but strategically important route.

FEBRUARY 10, 2026: Fiji Airports have denied claims that they have delayed the six-week closure of Labasa Airport. The airport operator intends to undertake infrastructure upgrades as planned and the airport will close between February 16 and March 27, 2026.

FEBRUARY 10, 2026: Guam’s Aero Micronesia, better known as Asia Pacific Airlines, has asked the US DOT to let it fly cargo and mail between the US and any country with which it has an open-skies or multilateral agreement.

FEBRUARY 9, 2026: Virgin Australia has inked another five-year partnership agreement with the Australian Football League (AFL). While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, the airline is understood to have seen off a push by rival carrier Qantas to snare the business.

FEBRUARY 9, 2026: Air New Zealand’s long-haul cabin crew will strike on February 12 and 13, 2026, seeing some flights cancelled. The long-haul cabin crew work Air New Zealand’s B777-300ER and B787-9 flights. The airline says it will attempt to minimise disruptions.

FEBRUARY 6, 2026: Thai Airways will resume scheduled flights between Bangkok (BKK) and Auckland (AKL) later this year, having axed the service early in the Covid-19 era.

FEBRUARY 5, 2026: The head of Papua New Guinea’s Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) says the country’s domestic aviation duopoly isn’t good for consumers. “There are only two major players, Air Niugini and PNG Air,” said ICCC Commissioner Roy Daggy. “We’d like to see more.”

FEBRUARY 5, 2026: The Australian Government is making AUD5 million available to regional and remote airports left out of pocket after Regional Express (REX) filed for voluntary administration in mid-2024.The government said the grants will help remedy the impact of unpaid landing fees and other outstanding airport charges.

FEBRUARY 4, 2026: Western Samoa’s finance minister has poured cold water on prime ministerial plans to launch a home-grown international airline this year. Mulipola Anarosa Molio’o told local media in that the cost of starting up the carrier would be at least USD11 million, and that’s before the government sources any aircraft

FEBRUARY 4, 2026: The Qantas Group is selling its 33.32% stake in Jetstar Japan, according to a February 3, 2026, Australian Stock Exchange filing. The sale will see the low cost carrier transition to 100% Japanese ownership and draws a line under the Qantas Group’s various Jetstar-branded joint ventures.

FEBRUARY 3, 2026: United Airlines’ Guam-based network will transition to an all B737-8 (MAX 8) fleet by the end of 2026, in line with previous announcements.

FEBRUARY 2, 2026: Newcastle Williamtown Airport (NTL) has asked the New South Wales Government for co-investment in new aviation routes via a five-year Newcastle Airport Accelerated Aviation Growth Fund.

FEBRUARY 2, 2026: Papua New Guinea’s National Airports Corporation is warning that upcoming runway works at Bougainville’s Kieta/Aropa Airport (KIE) will see the runway’s operational length temporarily slashed from 1,525 metres to 810 metres, preventing many aircraft types from using the airport.