The race to resume supersonic passenger flights nearly two decades after the retirement of Concorde was offered a glimmer of excitement on Monday when plane manufacturer Bombardier revealed high speed achievements while confirming the launch of its new business jet.

The Canadian company said the in-development Global 8000 will be "the world's fastest and longest-range purpose-built business jet".

With a capacity for up to 19 passengers, a range of 8000 nautical miles (14,800 kilometres) and a top speed of Mach 0.94, the upcoming plane is expected to enter service in 2025, according to a statement from Bombardier.

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The news comes after a Global 7500 test vehicle broke the sound barrier during a demonstration flight last May, achieving speeds of more than Mach 1.015.

Supersonic breakthrough

The aircraft, accompanied by a NASA F/A-18 chase plane, also became the first Transport Category airplane to fly supersonic with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as a result of the flight, says Bombardier.

"The Global 8000 aircraft leverages the outstanding attributes of the Global 7500 aircraft, providing our customers with a flagship aircraft of a new era," Éric Martel, president and CEO for Bombardier, said in a statement.

Flight testing for the Global 8000 has already begun on Global 7500 flight-test vehicles.

Bombardier says the upcoming aircraft will also have a cabin altitude equivalent to 2900 feet.

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New era

Global 8000 is just one of many developments in the numerous efforts to raise the speed of passenger aircraft more than two decades after Concorde retired.

Last year, United Airlines announced it could be offering supersonic routes as early as 2029 after striking a deal to buy 15 supersonic jets.

Meanwhile, Colorado-based Boom Supersonic has been completing ground testing on X-B1, the prototype aircraft for its Overture jet, designed to seat between 65 and 88 people, which aims to fly on over 500 mainly transoceanic routes that will benefit from the aircraft's Mach-2.2 speeds.

Sadly, Florida-based aviation start-up Aerion collapsed months after revealing plans for a Mach 4+ commercial airliner named Aerion AS3 last year.

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Already strained hospitals across New South Wales are braced for a resource-stretching "triple threat" and "horror flu season" this winter, authorities have warned.

Yearly flu cases in the state are now rising fast and closing in on 15,000, with 3349 people going to hospital emergency departments with influenza-like illness.

High COVID-19 cases, a surge in flu patients and staff off through illness was piling pressure on hospitals and ambulances, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.

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"NSW Health has been warning us for months of the likelihood of a horror flu season," Hazzard said.

"With almost no exposure to flu these past two years, it is imperative we all get a flu jab to protect ourselves and the community."

Health experts are strongly urging young children, particularly aged six months to five years old, to get vaccinated against flu.

"At least 10 per cent of children admitted to hospital with flu will be so sick that they need intensive care," NSW Chief Paediatrician Dr Matt O'Meara said.

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Emergency departments are struggling because of COVID-19 and influenza cases, NSW Health said.

NSW Health's Susan Pearce urged people to not call triple zero unless they were seriously unwell or injured, or had a life-threatening medical emergency.

Queensland is also suffering a surge in flu cases.

Yesterday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said flu numbers were doubling every week in Queensland.

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Australians yet to pay off government-funded university and higher education debts are set to be hit with the biggest indexation increase in over a decade.

Almost three million people with HECS and HELP debts will have more to repay when the annual indexation rate is applied on June 1.

Because the indexation rate is closely linked with the rate of inflation, those with debts are set to be slugged by a 3.9 per cent surge – a rise on last year's rate of just 0.6 per cent.

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Ben Nash, founder and financial advisor at Pivot Wealth, said the most concerning factor is that the increase in the indexation rate is higher than the growth in wages.

"When you look at it against the wage growth, which is annualised at 2.4 per cent, you can see that it is challenging at a rate higher than the growth in wages," Nash told 9News.com.au.

"So it means that people are going to have to pay more of their salary to have the same impact".

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The HECS-HELP loan amount is adjusted to account for inflation, also known as the Consumer Price Index or CPI, which is currently at 5.1 per cent.

Nash said that while there would be an increase in HECS debt rate repayments, "in real dollar terms it's not as much as inflation".

"It's only slightly positive because the cost is still going up, but the HECS increases are not as high as increases in a lot of other goods and services," he said.

He said that people shouldn't panic about the HECS debt rate rise, which over a ten-year period will be less than 2 per cent.

"Do you have other debts which are running at higher interest rates?" Nash asked.

"Because that's something that's important – if people have got personal debt or credit cards you know, average credit card interest rate is 15 per cent which is significantly higher than interest charged on HECS."

Come June 1, the average HECS debt is set to grow by about $1013.

Currently, the average amount of each person's debt is $23,685, up from last year's $23,280.

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Jasmine* who studied a Media undergraduate degree at the University of New South Wales said she is considering making voluntary contributions to her $30,000 debt.

"I would only do that if it was strategic for buying a home you know, because I know that the banks take into consideration the repayments that you have to make towards that debt," she said.

"I wouldn't rush to throwing money at it, unless it was you know, for a very strategic purpose".

Nash said that a lot of people with HECS-debt would also be first-home buyers who need to understand the impacts of their debt on their borrowing abilities.

"I think that is quite important because property is one of the biggest money moves that younger people make so setting yourself up for the best outcomes there will make a huge difference in your financial position over time," he said.

The finance expert said the key is for people to understand their debt and the trade offs they may face.

"You know, if you go down one path, what does it mean? What are the positives, what are the not so positives? If you go down a different path, what does that mean?" he said.

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"And then you can make an informed conscious assessment as opposed to just not thinking about it and putting it off until years into the future".

You can check the balance of your HELP debt by logging into the ATO service in MyGov.

You can access your HECS-HELP debt balance on the opening screen, where you have the option of making voluntary repayments.

If your payment arrives after the June 1, it will be applied to your balance after the 3.9 per cent indexation is applied.

*Name changed for privacy purposes

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

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