SEPTEMBER 30, 2026: National Jet Express will cease BAe 146 operations on October 2, retiring its four freighters after years of operating overnight Qantas Freight services. The move coincides with Qantas expanding its in-house freighter fleet and shifting its Sydney freight hub from Sydney Airport to Western Sydney Airport.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2026: New Zealand regional airline Sunair has borrowed $2million from the government to acquire two aircraft, maintain its fleet and refinance debt. Sunair becomes the sixth airline to take advantage of the government’s $30 million air connectivity program.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2026: Mineral Resources’ in-house FIFO airline, MinRes Air, has grown to four Airbus aircraft in the two years since securing its first aircraft. The airline carries up to 9,500 passengers a month and has operated around 1,300 flights in the past year. It is now also planning for a fifth aircraft.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2026: Air Vanuatu has sold a 38-year-old Britten Norman Islander to Unity Airlines for VUV8.05 million. Air Vanuatu says it lacks the capacity and appetite to return the aircraft to service. The airline also says restoration would cost several times more than the sale price.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2026: The New South Wales State Government will extend subsidies supporting scheduled flights to Bourke, Walgett, Lightning Ridge and Cobar until November 2027. The government says the extension provides some short term certainty while it looks at longer-term arrangements for essential regional air services.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2026: Cathay Pacific has axed its seasonal Hong Kong – Cairns flights, dealing another blow to the airport’s already limited international network. Despite government incentives, Cairns has struggled to attract and retain new international airlines, while passenger numbers remain little changed from three decades ago.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2026: French Polynesian cargo carrier Motu Link Airline says it has ordered the necessary replacement parts for its grounded ATR72 500F. The aircraft has been out of service for almost three months after its nose landing gear was damaged while being towed at Papeete Airport.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2026: The Naoero Government has confirmed that defective airport firefighting equipment saw Yaren Airport’s safety category temporarily downgraded in July, causing Nauru Airlines to cancel flights across the month. Australian-donated fire trucks have since seen the airport restored to Category 7 status..

SEPTEMBER 21, 2026: Alliance Airlines’ retail investors have shown limited appetite for the airline’s $40 million equity raise, taking up just 9.17% of the retail entitlement. The lacklustre response follows a steady decline in Alliance’s share price and the airline's board deciding to recapitalise to improve its liquidity and balance sheet.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2026: French Polynesian charter airline Air Tetiaroa is taking delivery of its third DHC-6-300 Twin Otter in a 18,000-kilometre ferry flight from Switzerland to Tahiti. The aircraft will improve fleet reliability and capacity as the airline explores new missions beyond its luxury resort operations.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2026: Tonga’s Prime Minister says payload restrictions are contributing to Lulutai Airlines’ financial problems. The state owned carrier’s sole Twin Otter often cannot fill all its seats, limiting revenue potential.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2026: Air Tahiti Nui has received regulatory approval to sell its helicopter business, Tahiti Nui Helicopters, to French Polynesian investment company Tavake SAS. The airline expects to finalise the deal by October as it focuses on its core long-haul passenger operations.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2026: Solomon Airlines had made changes to its international flight schedule as it grapples with an out-of-service A320-200, rising fuel costs and shifting travel demand.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2026: Indonesian carrier TransNusa will become the sixth airline on the Melbourne–Denpasar route when it launches four weekly A320 200 round-trips in October. The new service will add more than 70,000 annual seats to one of Australia’s busiest and most fiercely contested international routes..

SEPTEMBER 15, 2026: Linfox founder Lindsay Fox has taken delivery of Australia’s first Airbus H160 helicopter. Registered as VH-FOX, the eight passenger aircraft joins Fox’s extensive aviation interests, which include Avalon and Essendon Airports, a Bombardier business jet. and three AW139 helicopters.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2026: Boeing has joined airlines calling on the US to retain Midway Atoll as an ETOPS alternate airport, warning its loss would create a “hole” in trans-Pacific diversion coverage. The FAA is considering whether to spend more than USD100 million to keep the remote airfield operational.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2026: Air Niugini CEO Alan Milne says the carrier is not robust enough to withstand unfettered competition, warning larger airlines with deeper pockets could force it off routes. He says competition is welcome but must be structured to protect the state-owned airline’s survival.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2026: The Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) will acquire six new King Air 260Cs from Textron Aviation, with the first due in 2028. The aircraft will replace older King Air B200s and be fitted with bespoke aeromedical systems for operations across Queensland.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2026: High visa costs and long processing times are among the factors discouraging Air India from expanding flights to Australia, including the soon-to-open Western Sydney Airport. But Fiji Airways and Egyptair are taking a more bullish approach, announcing new services to Sydney that will start in 2027.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2026: Another New Caledonian airport is set to reopen after a six-month blockade prevented Air Calédonie flights from operating there. Flights to Ouvéa Island Airport will resume today, September 10, despite ongoing opposition from some local customary groups.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2026: The New Zealand Government will lend $640,00 to South East Air to help refurbish and return a Britten-Norman Islander to service after spending more than three decades on the ground.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2026: Three people have died after a Niugini Aviation Services P-750 XSTOL crashed near Simbai in Papua New Guinea on September 7, 2026. The wreckage was found after a COSPAS-SARSAT distress signal was activated, with deteriorating weather reported at the accident site.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2026: ASL Airlines Australia’s conditional agreement to buy New Zealand freight operator Airwork has fallen through, with receivers now expecting to sell the business to a different buyer by early 2027, according to an update released on September 7

SEPTEMBER 8, 2026: Air Moana has taken delivery of a brand new ATR72-600XT in France, purchased with investor-backed funding. The aircraft, which is yet to make it way to French Polynesia, will replace the airline’s first leased ATR72-600, keeping the fleet at five aircraft.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2026: The ACCC intends to green light a renewed five-year joint business agreement between Qantas and American Airlines, allowing the oneworld partners to continue coordinating flights, schedules, capacity and revenue across Australia and North America

SEPTEMBER 7, 2026: Asiana will return its A380-800 to Sydney from October for the Southern Hemisphere summer, marking the final season of Asiana A380 flights to the city before the airline is integrated into Korean Air and the Asiana brand disappears off the airline map.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2026: The Australian Government has opened a new $25 million funding round to upgrade remote airstrips, while Western Australia is also offering grants for regional airports. The programs will help fund safety and accessibility improvements across remote and regional communities.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2026: Virgin Australia is nearing completion of its 14-year-old B737-8 order, with its twenty-fifth aircraft expected to land in Brisbane today and the final jet due later this month. The airline has used the new MAX 8s to replace older B737-800s, expand capacity and lower operating costs.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2026: A Guam-based consultancy has proposed a jointly owned pan-Micronesian airline to improve connectivity and lower fares across the region. The preliminary plan envisages jet and turboprop services linking Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Kiribati.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2026: Solomon Airlines will reduce its jet fleet to a single A320-200 and scale back international flying as part of its 2027/28 fleet strategy. The carrier will also suspend some recently launched routes while focusing on strengthening its domestic network and expanding its Twin Otter fleet.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2026: An investigation is underway after a Saab 340 wet-leased to Tonga’s Lulutai Airlines experienced difficulties landing at Vava’u Airport. A reweighing of onboard baggage revealed a significant weight discrepancy and revelations that undocumented baggage was loaded at the origin airport  without the flight crew’s knowledge.