Australian Aviation Podcast Network

Between Qantas and Jetstar, Qantas Group is undoubtedly the biggest name in Australia’s skies, with Virgin Australia a fairly distant second – which has led some, including opposition transport spokesperson Bridget McKenzie, to call for its break-up. In a recent poll, almost half of those surveyed thought Qantas should be made to sell its low-cost arm and an overwhelming majority wanted more competition in domestic aviation – but could, and should, it happen? Adam and Jake examine the arguments and ask if there’s any way for a new player to break into the crowded domestic market. Plus, the return of the “sky kittens” – will changes to parallel runway operations at Brisbane to route more flights over the water help keep “purring” over residential areas to a minimum?

It’s been almost two months since Rex collapsed into administration and scrapped its domestic jet services, and the latest BITRE data shows that airfares – both sale prices and standard economy seats – have seen a sharp increase. With the Qantas-Virgin duopoly once again ruling Australia’s skies, how much of this increase can be attributed to loss of competition versus normal seasonal factors? Adam and Jake look at the figures and what the experts are saying. Plus, Embraer says it could have more than 200 E-Jets in Australia by the end of this decade – could this be the key to a regional jet renaissance?

Amanda Harrison attempted to recreate the first solo flight by a woman from England to Australia in 1930. That original journey was undertaken by the pioneering Amy Johnson in a Gipsy Moth, so Harrison, attempting to be as true to the challenge as possible, undertook hers in a 1942 Tiger Moth. Unfortunately, she had to abandon her mission due to airspace restrictions in 2019, but she did have some adventures on the way. In this special podcast, Harrison talks to host Adam Thorn about her incredible flight – and what’s next. 

It’s results season, and Qantas, Air New Zealand and Alliance have all posted profits – though the narrative around them is very different. Qantas is slightly down on last year, but still above pre-COVID profits, while Air New Zealand has seen its own profit slashed in half due to economic headwinds – and while Alliance posted the smallest profit in absolute terms, the record high has it celebrating a successful year. Adam and Jake cut through the spin and discuss what the year’s results say about how the airlines are really doing. Plus, there’s been a lot of buzz in recent weeks about “Koala Airlines” – but are we genuinely going to see a new domestic carrier any time soon?

It’s been a long time coming, and at last, this week saw the release of the federal government’s Aviation White Paper. The government has pushed consumer protections to the forefront of its agenda, with a new independent ombudsman to take over from the industry-funded Airline Customer Advocate, and a Charter of Customer Rights on the horizon. Adam and Jake dig into some of the white paper’s provisions and examine what they might mean for the sector. Plus, as the Rex administration saga rolls on, what has the government been doing to keep the beleaguered airline’s regional services afloat – and could it be doing more?

Joel Neeb is a former F-15 pilot who flew thousands of missions for the US Air Force, including escorting Air Force One and patrolling the skies in the days after 9/11. Rising to become lieutenant colonel, he trained hundreds of others to do the same as chief instructor pilot. More impressively, after he left the military, he became a hugely successful business leader. In this special episode, Neeb, visiting Sydney from the US, talks through his amazing career and the secret sauce that makes the best fighter pilots.  

Later this month, we will host our first Australian Aviation Summit in partnership with Leidos Australia. The event will tackle the biggest topics in the industry, including how the sector can begin to fix its chronic talent shortage. In this special episode, Jesse Young, head of flight operations at Leidos, and Lea Vesic, CEO of RMIT’s Aviation Academy, talk candidly about what it will take to build and retain our future workforce. They examine its causes, effects and what more needs to be done to solve this ongoing challenge. Plus, they also discuss their pioneering collaboration that will see Leidos provide $120,000 worth of scholarship funding to final-year students at RMIT.

With Bonza gone and Rex fighting for its life in voluntary administration, the spotlight has once again turned to an old argument: that slot allocation at Sydney Airport unfairly advantages the major players. As the federal government looks to put Sydney slot management out to tender, do Qantas and Virgin really have their thumbs on the scales, as former ACCC chair Rod Sims has suggested? Adam and Jake look at the arguments on each side and the other factors that played into Bonza and Rex’s respective failures. Plus, Boeing appoints an engineer as its new CEO – is this a positive sign for the planemaker’s culture, or will the same old failures continue?

In a matter of months, a second Australian airline has gone into voluntary administration: this time it’s Rex, whose ambitions of challenging Qantas and Virgin on capital city flights with 737-800s have dramatically hit the rocks. But with its regional Saab 340B flights still running, and the federal government signalling it doesn’t want to see Rex fail, there’s still plenty of hope that the airline won’t completely go the way of Bonza – or, for that matter, its predecessor Ansett. Adam and Jake discuss what went wrong at Rex, the possible paths forward, and whether something needs to be done about the dominance of the Qantas-Virgin duopoly. Plus, Air New Zealand scraps its 2030 sustainability target – are dreams of a greener sky in danger?

In one of the most dramatic tech outages in history, a botched update by cyber security company CrowdStrike last Friday crippled computers around the world – and Australia’s aviation sector did not escape unscathed. Airlines were left unable to check in customers and their baggage, airports were swamped with passengers on delayed and cancelled flights, and planes were grounded across the country, with Jetstar in particular not back to normal until early Saturday morning. Adam and Jake look at what went wrong and whether aviation has put too many of its eggs into one cyber security basket. Plus, as major east coast gateways still lag behind pre-pandemic passenger levels, what’s still holding Australia’s domestic aviation recovery back?

With the ashes yet cooling on Bonza’s funeral pyre, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson made an eyebrow-raising suggestion at the Flying Kangaroo’s Perth–Paris launch last week: that Australia can’t sustain more than, say, three major domestic airline groups (coincidentally, the number it has now). As the country reacquaints itself with the old familiar Qantas–Virgin equilibrium – and as Rex continues its push to disrupt the duopoly – will Hudson be vindicated, or will another challenger eventually prove her wrong? Adam and Jake examine the state of play and whether Bonza is truly just another data point against airline competition in Australia. Plus, Rex’s new leadership faces a boardroom coup from the old boss, Melbourne Airport waves the white flag on the long-overdue rail link, and Emirates thumbs its nose at “too clever by half” safety videos.

Australian Aviation is gearing up to host our third annual awards next month in association with UNSW and its School of Aviation. The university recently hosted a panel examining sustainability in the sector, featuring some of the most influential figures in the industry. The panel included Rex’s Ron Bartsch, Qantas’ Harry Jobberns and Jet Zero’s Ed Mason. In this episode, we let you listen in to the debate.

In the end, it was all but inevitable – after losing its planes, cancelling its flights, sacking its staff and failing to find a buyer, Bonza is no more, with creditors making the decision to wind up the airline and put an end to what were once lofty dreams of bringing low-cost airfares to destinations that had never seen them before. As its purple tails join those of Ansett, Tigerair, Compass and hundreds of others on the Australian aviation ash heap, what will become of Bonza’s former routes? Should we expect to see more rivals like Jetstar step in to pick up where it left off? Adam and Jake discuss the fallout from, and reasons for, Bonza’s demise. Plus, who will be the next CEO of Virgin Australia? Could a controversial codeshare partner step in to take a stake in our second biggest airline group?

As Bonza’s administrator looks set to finally close the curtain on the stricken airline, a new YouGov survey has revealed 50 per cent of Australians believe the government should step in and back low-cost airlines in the name of affordability and consumer choice. With more than 300 airlines reportedly having gone under in Australia over the last century, is it time for Canberra to intervene and get more tails in the skies? Adam, Jake and Ben look at the case for more government support and how it might manifest. Plus, as on-time performance and cancellations continue to improve, who came out on top in the May domestic reliability stakes?

Despite Virgin attracting some major allies in its fight for more capacity to Bali, ultimately Jetstar looks to have prevailed, with the IASC awarding Qantas Group the coveted seats. So what tipped the scales in Jetstar’s favour – and why did Virgin fall short? Adam and Jake look at the decision and what it means for Bali-bound travellers. Plus, what caused a terrifying ride for Virgin passengers out of Queenstown this week?

It wasn’t the news more than 300 Bonza employees wanted to hear – but after a buyer for the grounded carrier failed to materialise, administrator Hall Chadwick has sacked all staff and cancelled every future flight. With Bonza now seeming to be running on borrowed time, is there now any hope for a miracle rescue or a silver lining for hundreds of dedicated staff members now out of a job? Adam and Jake examine the bad news and ask what’s next for Bonza, its erstwhile staff – and its administrator. Plus, Rex embarks on a major leadership shake-up, putting a local CEO in charge for the first time – so who is the Aussie set to lead Australia’s third largest airline group?

It was meant to be the crowning achievement of the budding British airship industry: R101, a majestic “ocean liner of the skies” that would ferry passengers all across the world in style and comfort. Yet on its maiden international flight in October 1930, the dreams of an empire went up in flames as R101 crashed and exploded in a field in the north of France. On board was one Australian VIP: William Palstra, a key figure in the early days of the RAAF. The tragic demise of R101 with all but six hands led to the UK pulling out of the airship arena – and left an indelible mark on Palstra’s family for generations afterwards. On this episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, Cecilia Thornton, author of Airship of Dreams: The Man Who Rode the Titanic of the Skies, talks to Jake Nelson about the disaster that claimed her grandfather’s life and spelled the end of the British airship age.

Will Bonza fly again? That’s the question that has been on the mind of the aviation sector ever since the low-cost carrier went into voluntary administration at the end of April, with its planes seized and its employees stood down without notice. Administrator Hall Chadwick certainly believes it can get Bonza back in the skies, winning another two months to find a buyer for the airline with the argument that doing so would be better for creditors than winding it up – though that’s cold comfort for employees who will now be left without pay until at least the end of July. On location at the 2024 Australian Space Summit, Adam and Jake examine the facts as they stand and discuss whether the administrators’ optimism is well-placed. Plus, Rex heads for the Golden West – and takes NJE’s E190s along for the ride. Could Australia see more E-Jets fly between capital cities?

For 19 months, Qantas reigned as Australia’s most reliable airline group – but no more, with Virgin Australia last month knocking the Flying Kangaroo off its perch in a clean sweep of on-time arrivals, on-time departures and cancellations. With both major domestic airline groups now at or approaching long-term averages for reliability, will the trend hold, or could the “bad old days” of 2022 make a comeback? Adam, Jake and Ben crunch the numbers and cross their fingers that the era of domestic airline havoc is finally behind us. Plus, frustration abounds for Bonza staff still stuck in a holding pattern as administrators fight to save the airline – will stood-down employees get what they’re owed?

Richard (Rick) Garner is a non-executive director on the board of Qantas Superannuation and an A330 pilot. He’s also, incredibly, an award-winning mortgage broker who worked in financial services and now runs his own firm, Crew Financial. In this crossover podcast with Australian Aviation’s sister podcast brand The Adviser, Rick discusses his love of flying – and how he juggles so many different jobs.