QantasLink has officially named one of its regional aircraft Horn Island Ngurupai - a tribute to the Kaurareg Traditional Owners in the Torres Strait and an act of recognition for one of the country's northernmost communities.

The naming ceremony, held at Horn Island Airport on Wednesday, was the result of a request from the Airport's operators - the Torres Shire Council, and marks a symbolic step forward in the national journey of reconciliation.

In a meeting three years ago with Qantas Queensland Executive Adam Humphries, the Council asked whether the airline would consider naming one of its aircraft after the region - not only using the widely known English name, Horn Island, but also honouring the traditional name spoken by the Kaurareg people for generations: Ngurupai.

Ngurupai is a critical transport hub for the Torres Strait Islands, providing a vital link to mainland Australia via Cairns and beyond. With a population of approximately 500 people, the island is part of the Torres Shire Council area and has long served as a gateway for cultural, economic, and family connection across the Strait.

The Torres Strait is a culturally rich and strategically significant region made up of over 270 islands scattered between the tip of Cape York Peninsula and Papua New Guinea. Home to the Torres Strait Islander peoples, who are distinct from mainland Aboriginal Australians, the region has a deep maritime history, complex cultural systems, and strong ties to both land and sea country. Many islanders must travel to the mainland for critical services, making regular air and sea transport essential for daily life, community resilience, and connection to broader Australian society.

The arrival of the newly named QantasLink Dash 8 turboprop from Cairns was met with celebration from the local community, joined by representatives from government, police, and the military. Traditional dancers, musicians, and Elders gathered on the tarmac to mark the occasion, which culminated in a ceremonial blessing - a cracked coconut on the aircraft steps, its water splashing those nearby in a moment of cultural expression and respect.

"This is a very significant day for us," said mayor Elsie Seriat OAM of Torres Shire Council. "It's a day where our story takes to the skies."

QantasLink, the regional arm of Qantas Airways, services more than 50 destinations across Australia and operates a fleet of 45 Dash 8 aircraft. Each one bears the name of a regional community — a symbolic gesture that highlights the towns and people the airline connects.

"For us in the Torres Strait, air travel is not a luxury - it's a lifeline," said Torres Strait Regional Authority deputy chairperson Elthies Kris. "We often say in the Torres Strait we catch planes the way people down south catch buses. From personal and professional experience, I fly more hours than I drive. That's the everyday reality of life in our region."

From medical care and education to trade, culture, and governance, aviation is central to daily life in the Torres Strait. For many, this naming was more than symbolic - it was a public acknowledgment of that essential reality.

"This act of naming is more than symbolic," Ms Kris continued. "It is truth carried on wings. It is recognition soared above us, over the seas of Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait) and into the broader Australian consciousness."

The journey to this moment began three years ago, when Torres Shire Council chief executive Dalassia Yorkston and colleagues raised the idea in a meeting with QantasLink leadership.

"About three years ago in a meeting in our council chambers, we asked bravely if this could happen," Yorkston recalled. "Horn Island is the name everybody knows, but there's a traditional name, and we asked that you please consider naming the aircraft both names."

"Even though our request was a simple one, it was a powerful one," she continued. "Because it showed that beyond Horn Island we not only recognise that English name but we recognise the Kaurareg people, the Kaurareg nation, the traditional name."

The airline agreed. And as the aircraft touched down with its new name, the significance of that simple request became clear. "In our lives, certain moments become memories," Yorkston said. "Today is one of those days."

QantasLink chief executive Rachel Yangoyan, who travelled from Sydney for the ceremony, acknowledged the airline's longstanding relationship with the region - one forged during the most perilous days of World War II.

"Qantas was asked by the Australian Government to help evacuate a group of military and civilian refugees who had gathered at Mount Hagen in the PNG Highlands," she said.

During the course of May 1942, de Havilland DH.86 aircraft were used to evacuate 78 people from Mt Hagen in Papua New Guinea, flying over treacherous terrain and enemy-occupied airspace. The group was evacuated over the course of two weeks across 18 flights using limited navigational aids. These flights passed through Horn Island, then a key military base and refuelling stop.

"Every time one of our turboprop aircraft takes off, it carries the name of a regional community," Yangoyan said. "Now, Horn Island / Ngurupai will travel across the country celebrating this proud history and the partnership we have with this community."

She also acknowledged the significance of the event taking place so soon after Mabo Day. "It's a time that invites us to reflect on justice, recognition, and the enduring strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people."

Deputy mayor councillor Ranetta Wosome of the Torres Strait Island Regional Council described the naming as "a powerful gesture of reconciliation and inclusion."

"We are giving flight to the voices, history, and contributions of a people who have helped shape the very fabric of this country," she said. "This tells the country that we are seen, we are valued, and we are connected."

"Imagine a child from the Torres Straits seeing the name of their home soaring in the skies," she said. "The pride, the inspiration, the message it sends: You matter. Your culture matters. Your story is part of the national journey."

For the people of Ngurupai, the name now affixed to a QantasLink aircraft is more than a gesture. It is a declaration of belonging - of being seen. It tells the story of a region that has contributed to Australia's cultural, political, and defence legacy.

Importantly, it also tells the story of a local community respectfully asking for their culture to be recognised by one of Australia's largest companies; and the powerful impact of corporate leaders who listen, take the time to understand, and act.