Brisbane Airport to get a third passenger terminal

The Australian government has officially approved Brisbane Airport’s (BNE/YBBN) master plan, which features the construction of a third passenger terminal. Brisbane Airport plans to invest A$5 billion in infrastructure upgrades, partly to prepare for the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane. The plan includes building the new terminal and renovating the two existing ones.

The approved master plan “will ensure Brisbane Airport remains a world-class gateway as we invest more than A$5 billion just in the next five years,” BNE CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said. BNE has previously said the new Terminal 3 (T3) will be “constructed and operational by the early 2030s.”

In the draft master plan, BNE said T3 will be located between the airport’s two parallel runways. The location “will result in optimal airfield access and reduce aircraft taxi times,” according to the master plan. BNE has not settled on a specific size or initial capacity for the new terminal. BNE handled 25 million passengers in 2025, the airport’s busiest year ever. De Graaff said the master plan paves the way for the airport to have the “capacity to handle more than 50 million passengers in two decades.”

According to the master plan, “T3 will incrementally expand over the coming decades to meet growth passenger forecasts, with the size of T3 informed through terminal planning studies, airline community interests, precinct commercial opportunities and consideration of the customer experience.”

Body of a man found hidden in landing gear of Air Arabia flight

Ground crews have made a grim discovery shortly after a plane landed at a London airport, finding the body of a man the landing gear. The shocking find was reported to be in the undercarriage of an Air Arabia flight that arrived at London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW/EGKK) from Tangier, Morocco (TNG/GMTT), around 11:45 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

The man is believed to have hidden in the undercarriage bay prior to departure from Tangier Battouta International Airport, exposing himself to the unforgiving conditions of high-altitude flight. Unpressurized landing gear compartments subject individuals to sub-zero temperatures, severe hypoxia, and the mechanical dangers of retracting gear, often resulting in fatal outcomes. Air Arabia Maroc confirmed that authorities were notified immediately, while the return flight experienced minor delays. Gatwick Airport officials emphasized their emergency response, underscoring the shock experienced by ground crews who encountered the remains. Such stowaway attempts underscore desperate measures sometimes taken amid migration pressures, though they rarely succeed due to the physiological extremes at cruising altitudes.

An Air Arabia spokesperson told reporters that “an incident was identified upon the arrival of Air Arabia Maroc Flight 3O102 from Tangier to London Gatwick on the 16th of June 2026, and the relevant authorities were immediately notified”.

It is not the first incident of its kind in London though, with several other reported deaths of stowaways in recent years.

• A man died in December 2022 in a similar incident at Gatwick Airport when he was discovered in the undercarriage of a Tui Flight from Gambia.
• In 2019 a man fell from a Kenya Airways plane’s landing gear as it approached Heathrow Airport. His body was found several kilometres away in a home garden.
• Another man also fell to his death in 2015 after travelling in the undercarriage of a plane from Johannesburg. His body was found in the carpark of a shop in Southwest London.
• It was reported at the time that a South African man on the same flight miraculously survived the 11-hour flight by clinging to the landing gear on the plane.

Aircraft Information:
Airline: Air Arabia Maroc
Code: 3O/MAC
Aircraft: Airbus A320-214
Registration: CN-NMH
Serial Number: 5143
Engines: 2 x CFMI CFM56-5B4/P
First Flew: 2nd May 2012
Age: 14 years

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident.

Japan Airlines CEO has taken a 30% pay cut due to crew members allegedly breaching company policies

Japan Airlines CEO Mitsuko Tottori has taken a 30% pay cut to accept institutional accountability and responsibility following incidents where flight attendants and pilots violated company alcohol policies. JAL also responded by banning all 6,000 of its flight attendants from drinking alcohol on work layovers. According to a report the incident involved two cabin crew members allegedly breaching company alcohol policies during a layover period. Reports indicate that the issue came to light after pre-duty checks identified a problem involving at least one crew member, resulting in operational disruption and an internal review.

The situation has since triggered a wider response from the airline, including disciplinary measures and tighter rules affecting both frontline staff and senior management. With Japan Airlines tightening enforcement and applying executive-level consequences.

On the 23rd of May, a flight attendant scheduled to operate a Japan Airlines domestic service, JL252, tested positive for alcohol during a routine pre-flight screening. The crew member was deemed unfit for duty and immediately removed from the assignment, requiring the airline to source a replacement at short notice, which contributed to a delay of approximately 50 minutes to the scheduled departure.

The affected service operated between Hiroshima Airport (HIJ/RJOA) and Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND/RJTT), one of Japan Airlines’ high-frequency domestic routes connecting a regional airport with the airline’s main Tokyo hub. Pre-flight alcohol testing is a standard procedure across Japanese carriers designed to confirm compliance with strict fitness-for-duty rules before departure.

A subsequent internal investigation found that two flight attendants had consumed alcohol during their layover period beyond permitted company limits, which set specific restrictions on pre-duty alcohol intake. The airline determined that the consumption occurred the day before departure and represented a breach of internal policy, escalating the matter from a single failed test to a wider compliance violation within the crew pairing on that layover.

Japan Airlines responded by implementing disciplinary measures affecting both frontline staff and senior management. CEO Mitsuko Tottori, the first female to lead the company after joining as a flight attendant herself in 1985, accepted a 30% reduction in salary for two months, while other executives also received temporary pay cuts as part of the company’s internal accountability process. Safety manager Yukio Nakagawa and cabin services manager Junko Nakano will each take a 20% salary reduction for one month.

Meanwhile, all other directors will receive a 10% pay cut over the same period, according to reports. Alongside executive action, the airline introduced a stricter policy banning alcohol consumption during layovers for more than 6,000 flight attendants. The change was intended to remove ambiguity in existing rules and strengthen enforcement of pre-duty alcohol restrictions across operational staff.

The response reflects a governance approach in which senior leadership shares responsibility for systemic compliance failures, combining individual disciplinary action with broader policy tightening aimed at preventing recurrence of similar incidents. Japan’s transport ministry reprimanded Japan Airlines following the incident and required the airline to submit preventive measures to address gaps in compliance monitoring.

Jetstar to launch flights ahead of Singapore from Western Sydney International Airport

Jetstar has taken the spotlight from Singapore Airlines and will now become the first commercial airline to operate from Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) when it launches services on the 25th of October 2026, with Qantas to follow in mid-March 2027.

The announcement follows the Qantas Group and WSI Airport sealing a five-year deal for domestic passenger flights and freight. The agreement gives both airlines the flexibility to plan their schedules as demand in Western Sydney continues to rise. WSI is the first major greenfield international airport built in Australia in over half a century.

Jetstar will make history with the first commercial passenger flight from the airport with flight JQ362, departing at 11:00 local time on the 25th of October departing for the Gold Coast Airport (OOL/YBCG). The airline will operate up to 14 flights per week between WSI and Melbourne Airport (MEL/YMML), four weekly flights to the Gold Coast, and three weekly flights to Brisbane Airport (BNE/YBBN). All services will use an Airbus A320 aircraft.

Qantas passenger services will begin on the 28th of March 2027 with four flights per week to both Melbourne and Brisbane, operated by QantasLink Embraer E190 aircraft.

Before passenger flights begin, Qantas will be one of the first commercial operators at the airport when its inaugural freighter service takes off from WSI’s 24-hour Cargo Precinct on the evening of the 27th of July 2026. More than 850 tons of freight are expected to move through the Qantas terminal each week, supporting e-commerce and next-day deliveries.

Singapore Airlines had officially been confirmed as the first airline to depart from the new airport, but, it will still be the first international carrier to operate out of the brand-new Western Sydney International Airport, otherwise known as Nancy-Bird Walton. 

(Nancy-Bird Walton was a pioneering Australian aviator, known as "The Angel of the Outback")

Photos from Sunday's spotting trip

Here are photos from Sunday morning’s spotting trip.

AIR CANADA BOEING 787-9 C-FGEO (MSN 37180)
AC36 OFF TO VANCOUVER (YVR) 10 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VZR (MSN 34193)
QF185 OFF TO QUEENSTOWN (ZQN) 14 YEARS

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LQG (MSN 615)
CX165 ARRIVING FROM HONG KONG (HKG) 3 YEARS

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRBUS A330-323 B-5970 (MSN 1645)
CZ382 OFF TO GUANGZHOU (CAN) 10 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 777-319 ZK-OKQ (MSN 40689)
NZ145 ARRIVING FROM AUCKLAND (AKL) 14 YEARS

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18901 (MSN 049)
CI53 ARRIVING FROM TAIPEI (TPE) 9 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKE (MSN 36230)
JQ66 ARRIVING FROM BANGKOK (BKK) 12 YEARS

UNITED AIRLINES BOEING 777-222 N209UA (MSN 30215)
UA97 OFF TO SAN FRANCISCO (SFO) 26 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A321-251NX VH-OYU (MSN 12030)
JQ558 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 1 YEAR

QANTASLINK DASH 8 Q400 VH-LQF (MSN 4375)
QLK312D ARRIVING FROM CANBERRA (CBR) 15 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-XZP (MSN 44577)
QF945 OFF TO PERTH (PER) 11 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A321-271NY (XLR) VH-OGG (MSN 12853)
QF6042 ARRIVING FROM BENGALURU (BLR) BRAND NEW

QANTAS BOEING 737-8SA VH-XZT (MSN 44230) 10 YEARS

CHINA EASTERN AIRBUS A330-243 B-5937 (MSN 1468)
MU716 OFF TO SHANGHAI (PVG) 12 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPB (MSN 558)
QF51 OFF TO TOKYO (NRT) 22 YEARS

PHILIPPINES AIRBUS A321-271N RP-C9933 (MSN 8242)
PR222 OFF TO MANILA (MNL) 7 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A321-271NY (XLR) VH-OGA (MSN 12323)
QF516 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 1 YEAR

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VFH (MSN 5211)
JQ753 OFF TO LAUNCESTON (LST) 13 YEARS

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-UZK (MSN 19000198)
QLK1983 ARRIVING FROM NEWCASTLE (NTL) 18 YEARS

FIJI AIRWAYS BOEING 737- MAX 8 DQ-FAD (MSN 64308)
FJ920 OFF TO NADI (NAN) 7 YEARS

TEXEL AIR FREIGHT BOEING 737-86N ZK-TXF (MSN 36804) 15 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A22-300 VH-X4A (MSN 55253)
QLK1592 OFF TO HAMILTON ISLAND (HTI) 2 YEARS

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861 A6-EOE (MSN 169) 11 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHC (MSN 276)
SQ236 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 7 YEARS

B-52 bomber crash at US Air Force base in California

                       BREAKING NEWS 

A US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, operated by 412th Test Wing, has crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards AFB (EDW/KEDW), Edwards, California killing all 8 people on board.

"Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable," the Edwards Air Force Base posted on social media.

There was no information on the crew, however, aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of the aircraft.

Thick black smoke billowed from a scorched stretch of desert at Edwards Air Force Base, close to what looked like a runway, as emergency vehicles clustered nearby. The military has not confirmed whether the bomber was armed, and investigations are still underway.

The airfield remains closed and all inbound aircraft are being diverted.

Officials announced that non-commercial visitor passes for the base have been suspended to the installation focus completely on emergency response operations.

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range bomber that’s been in service since 1955. Built to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, it has seen action in U.S. military conflicts from Vietnam to Iran. In conventional warfare, the B-52 can take on roles like strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air, and maritime operations, according to the Air Force.


Aircraft Information:
Owner/Operator: United States Air Force 
Aircraft: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress 

Registration: 60-0061

Serial Number 464426

Engines: 8× Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3 turbofans

Our thoughts and prayers are with the United States Air Force, the immediate families and friends of the decease.

Qantas' Great Barrier Reef arrives in Brisbane

On Sunday my family and I returned to our second home, the Brisbane Airport, to watch the arrival of the 7th Qantas Airbus A321-271NY (XLR). This one had a special livery featuring Great Barrier Reef decals, and we were eager to be among the first to see it.

QANTAS AIRBUS A321-271NY (XLR) VH-OGG (MSN 12853)

Qantas now have 7 out of the 28 Airbus A321-271NY (XLR) ordered.

Registration        Name                        Delivery                    

VH-OGA     Great Ocean Road     Delivered 1st of July 2025
VH-OGB     Outback Way             Delivered 24th of August 2025,        
VH-OGC     Seven Peaks Walk     Delivered 5th of December 2025
VH-OGD     Bibbulmun Track       Delivered 22nd February 2026
VH-OGE     Murray River              Delivered 17th of April 2026 
VH-OGF     Red Centre                 Delivered 1st of May 2026
VH-OGG     Coral Sea                   Delivered 14th of June 2026

Qantas has ordered 28 A321XLRs for the mainline Qantas fleet to replace Boeing 737s.
Jetstar will receive a further 12 A321XLRs.

The registrations, VH-OGA, OGB, OGC, etc. were once used by Qantas' Boeing 767 fleet. 

VH-OGA was delivered in September 1988.

The final passenger Boeing 767-300ER in Qantas service was VH-OGL on the 27th of December 2014, it operated flight: QF767 from Melbourne → Sydney and was named City of Wangaratta.

The Boeing 767 played a major role in Qantas history, bridging the gap between the airline’s large 747s and later A330s for nearly four decades. 

It is ironic that the original 767, VH-OGG, featured a special Pixar movie Planes livery, and now the new version of the OGG is also adorned with a special livery.

The A321XLR is expected to become the backbone of Qantas' domestic fleet, gradually replacing the ageing Boeing 737-800 fleet.

Qantas is the first airline in the Asia-Pacific region to operate the A321XLR.

A best way to frame the story is that the A321XLR marks the most significant upgrade to Qantas’ domestic fleet since the Boeing 737 joined in the 1980s, offering transcontinental range along with much better fuel and enhanced passenger comfort.