The carrier currently flies up to six times a week between Sydney and Johannesburg using its 485-capacity A380s, in what is one of its most popular services.
The airport saw 5.6 million domestic travellers in 2023–24, up more than 210,000 on the previous high-water mark, as well as 706,000 international travellers. Sydney and Melbourne routes to the Gold Coast were among the five busiest in the country.
RAAF aviators worked alongside personnel from the US and the UK, with six Lightning II aircraft deployed to support the exercise for the first time.