DECEMBER 12, 2025. AUSTRALIA
First United Airlines flight to Adelaide takes off
The inaugural United Airlines flight to Adelaide has departed San Francisco. It is the first ever scheduled passenger flight between North America and the South Australian capital. The B787-9 left SFO just before midnight on December 11, 2025 (US West Coast time).
DECEMBER 12, 2025. PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Air Niugini secures $35.8 million loan to pay for A220s
Air Niugini has secured a USD35.8 million loan from the Asian Development Bank to help pay for six A220-100s ordered by the airline. The bank publicised the signing on December 9, 2025.
DECEMBER 11, 2025. NEW ZEALAND
US airlines flood New Zealand with capacity this summer
The big three United States airlines are pouring capacity into New Zealand this Southern Hemisphere summer. The influx represents an almost five-fold increase in the weekly seat count offered by US airlines on the United States - New Zealand country pair.
DECEMBER 10, 2025. AUSTRALIA
Recently returned to service Qantas A380 grounded in LA
A recently returned to service Qantas A380 is grounded in Los Angeles after it suffered damage to its left wing during its first revenue flight in almost six years. VH-OQC experienced a slat delamination incident while operating QF11 earlier this week.
DECEMBER 10, 2025. NAURU
Nauru Airlines inks partnership with India’s AFCOM Holdings
Nauru Airlines will begin working with India’s AFCOM Holdings after signing a six-year strategic partnership agreement in Chennai late last week.
DECEMBER 9, 2025. NEW ZEALAND
China Eastern starts flying between Auckland and Argentina
China Eastern Airlines has started flights between Auckland and Argentina. The twice-weekly fifth freedom flights to Buenos Aires (MU745/746) operated by a B777-300ER are a continuation of the airline's daily round-trips between Shanghai (PVG) and Auckland (AKL).
DECEMBER 8, 2025. AUSTRALIA
China Southern flights to Darwin boosts NT connectivity
Air connectivity in and out of the Northern Territory has received a boost with new China Southern flights to Darwin (DRW). The airline started thrice-weekly B737-8 round-trips between Guangzhou (CAN) and Darwin on December 4, 2025.
NOVEMBER 28, 2025. NEW CALEDONIA
Nouméa’s Magenta Airport to close in early March 2026
New Caledonia’s government says its controversial decision to shift domestic flights from Nouméa’s Magenta Airport (GEA) to La Tontouta Airport (NOU) will happen by March 2, 2026.
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Qantas exec says the A321XLR is ideal for India ops
Read moreNOVEMBER 28, 2025: Qantas has “significant medium to long-term aspirations for India,” according to Cam Wallace, CEO, Qantas International. This is despite the airline's flights to the subcontinent having a mixed track record.
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Tony Fernandes open to investors backing AirAsia Australia
Read moreNOVEMBER 27, 2025: AirAsia co-owner Tony Fernandes says he would welcome investors kick starting an AirAsia Australia brand. “If someone wants to license the AirAsia brand to create AirAsia Australia, we're very open (to it)… it’d be great," he said this week.
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Trans Tasman airline capacity grows to meet passenger demand
Read moreNOVEMBER 27, 2025: Trans-Tasman passenger traffic is reaching record highs and spurring the Qantas Group and Air New Zealand to add more flights between New Zealand and Australia.
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Last parked Qantas A380 heading back to Australia
Read moreNOVEMBER 26, 2025: Qantas will shortly have its full fleet of A380-800s back in service when the last aircraft, VH-OQC (msn 022), ferries to Sydney next week after a prolonged period in storage at Abu Dhabi.
December 2025 News Briefs
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.
NOVEMBER 26 2025. AUSTRALIA
Rex’s new white knight owners promise to stay in their lane
Air T Inc, the soon-to-be new owners of Australia’s Regional Express (Rex), are styling their acquisition as a white knight purchase and say they have no plans to take on larger local competitors.
NOVEMBER 25, 2025. AUSTRALIA
Jetstar’s bulks up Avalon flights at Melbourne Airport’s expense
Jetstar’s new flights between Avalon Airport (AVV) and Denpasar (DPS) will result in the airline trimming its flights between Melbourne Tullamarine (MEL) and Denpasar.
December 2025 Aircraft Movements
DECEMBER 10, 2025: The QantasLink DHC-8-Q300 exodus continues with Canada's Avmax Group ferrying out another. VH-TQD (msn 598) left Alice Springs (ASP) for Calgary (YYC) on December 2, 2025, and at publication time, is at Honolulu (HNL). Eastern Australia had operated the aircraft for QantasLink.
DECEMBER 9, 2025: Canada's Avmax Group has ferried out another ex Eastern Australia Airlines DHC-8-Q300. VH-SBG (msn 555) departed Alice Springs (ASP) for Calgary (YYC) on November 30, 2025. Eastern Australia had operated the aircraft for QantasLink.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: Air Niugini has positioned its second A220-300 to Vancouver (YVR) ahead of its ferry flight to Port Moresby. The aircraft, P2-PGB (msn 55406), arrived at the airport on December 5, 2025, having flown across from Montreal (YMX).
DECEMBER 8, 2025: Qantas has ferried in its third A321-200XLR. The aircraft, VH-OGC (msn 125940), flew from Hamburg (XFW) to Brisbane (BNE) via Bangkok (BKK) over December 4 - 5, 2025.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: Jetstar has ferried in its twenty-second A321-200NX. The jet, VH-OYX (msn 12611), operated from Hamburg (XFW) to Melbourne (MEL) via Muscat (MCT) and Kuala Lumpur over December 3 - 5, 2025.
DECEMBER 1, 2025: Qantas A380-800, VH-OQC (msn 022) has commenced its ferry flight from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Sydney (SYD), having flown to Los Angeles (LAX) on November 29.
NOVEMBER 25, 2025. NEW ZEALAND
Controllable Cancellations Declining at Air New Zealand
The CEO of Air New Zealand says he expects the rate of controllable cancellations at the carrier to keep decreasing as its inventory
of spare parts keeps increasing.
December 2025 Route Briefs
DECEMBER 12, 2025: Korean LCC Air Busan will operate twice-weekly A321-200 round-trips on the Busan - Saipan (SPN) city pair between January 7 and February 28, 2026.
DECEMBER 11, 2025: Virgin Australia will resume flights between Sydney (SYD) and Darwin (DRW) on June 22, 2026, having suspended nonstop flights in 2023. Up to seven weekly round-trips will operate.
DECEMBER 11, 2025: AirAsia Indonesia will start daily A320-200 round-trips between Melbourne (MEL) and Denpasar (DPS) on March 21, 2026.
DECEMBER 11, 2025: PAL Express will resume twice-weekly A321-200 round trips between Manila (MNL) and Saipan (SPN) on March 29, 2026.
DECEMBER 9, 2025: Qantas commenced thrice-weekly A330-200 round-trips between Perth (PER) and Johannesburg (JNB) on December 7, 2025. The airline also commenced thrice-weekly A330-200 round-trips between Perth (PER) and Auckland (AKL) on the same day.
DECEMBER 9, 2025: Jetstar will begin thrice weekly B787-8 flights between Melbourne (MEL) and Colombo (CMB), effective August 25, 2026.
DECEMBER 9, 2025: Qantas will begin flying between the Gold Coast (OOL) and Auckland (AKL) on June 16, 2026. The thrice weekly flights will be operated by a B737-800. The airline also says it will start flying to Apia (APW) from Sydney (SYD) via Auckland (AKL) in June 2026. However, Qantas says these flights remain subject to regulatory approval.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: Delta Air Lines has commenced thrice weekly year-round A350-900 round-trips between Melbourne (MEL) and Los Angeles (LAX), effective December 5, 2025.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: Jetstar has started its thrice-weekly A320-200 seasonal flights between Hobart (HBA) and Newcastle (NTL). The flights, operating with state government assistance, will operate between December 2, 2025, and April 21, 2026.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: Jetstar has commenced four times weekly A321-200XLR round-trips between Brisbane (BNE) and Cebu (CEB), effective December 3, 2025.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: Qantas will resume twice-weekly B737-800 services between Sydney (SYD) and Port Moresby (POM) on March 30, 2026, having suspended the route in early 2025.
DECEMBER 8, 2025: China Southern Airlines has restarted its four times weekly B787-9 seasonal flights between Perth (PER) and Guangzhou (CAN). The airline will service the route between December 1, 2025, and the end of March 2026.
NOVEMBER 24, 2025. FIJI
Aviation Authority Shuts Down Fiji’s Sunflower Aviation
Fiji’s Sunflower Aviation has warned it may be forced to liquidate after the country’s Civil Aviation Authority declined to renew its aircraft maintenance organisation certificate.