Australian Aviation Podcast Network

When it rains, it pours – after the collapses of Bonza and Rex left Australia once more in thrall to the domestic airline duopoly, now no fewer than three new contenders, including Koala, Zinc, and another new kid on the block, seem to be planning to step up and take on the big boys. The latest player? Vietnamese low-cost carrier Vietjet, which has sparked rumours of a new Australian subsidiary wi...

When we think of safety concerns in aviation, it's easy to become fixated on the mechanical issues – but the human factor is also a major issue, and stress and burnout in such a high-pressure industry can only make it worse. It's easy to ignore the early warning signs of stress and try to push through, but according to neuroscientist Annett Koenig, that can only compound the issue, leading to neur...

For 50 years it's been one of the most popular civil helicopter companies in the world, with more than 15,000 aircraft delivered around the globe – and Robinson is a household name among Australian buyers, too, thanks to their use in agricultural applications like cattle mustering. The R22 and R44 are now being joined in Australia by the new R88, showcased by Robinson at Rotortech on the Gold Coas...

After much anticipation, Qantas has revealed the first destination for Project Sunrise – and in case there was any doubt, it's London, with flights from Sydney to start next October in the next evolution of the 80-year-old "Kangaroo Route". With Sydney-New York to follow by Christmas 2027, and Qantas sharing more details of the ultra-long-haul planes' cabin configuration, it seems the non-stop fli...

It's been a long, hard road for Western Sydney International Airport, but after decades of the can being kicked down that road, the wait is finally almost over: Sydney's newest gateway will open its doors to freight next month, and to passengers in October. With Jetstar given the honours of the inaugural passenger flight, and Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and QantasLink to follow over coming...

After almost 20 years in service, the end is approaching for Qantas' fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbos, with the Flying Kangaroo slated to retire the aircraft type in the 2030s in favour of smaller and more efficient wide-body twinjets. As rumours swirl that Qantas is in talks with Boeing and Airbus to buy more 787s or A350s, could these potential orders be the replacement for its A380s – and how s...

It's been a big week for drones, with news that Wing has quietly pulled its drone delivery operations from Australia, Vivid Sydney has pulled its drone show after 89 of them not-so-quietly fell in Darling Harbour, and Australian and Ukrainian troops are jointly training in counter-drone tactics. With a report for Airservices a couple of years ago predicting Australia could see 60 million drone fli...

If the darkest hour is just before the dawn, it's going to be a long night for anyone looking to fly non-stop from the east coast to London or New York – yet another delay has pushed back the launch of Qantas' 22-hour "Project Sunrise" flights to later in 2027. With the first of the Flying Kangaroo's specially-fitted A350-1000ULRs now not slated to arrive until April next year due to supply chain...

t's been two years since the collapse of Bonza and Rex – and while Koala Airlines is yet to launch, another aviation contender could be entering the market before long. Dubbed Zinc Airlines, the ultra-low-cost-carrier would pursue a business model similar to European airlines Wizz Air and Ryanair, with its founder saying Western Sydney Airport would offer a unique opportunity for new contenders –...

We've all been delayed at the airport at some point, or know someone who has – but still, to learn that 55 per cent of Aussie travellers in a recent government survey were hit by a flight delay or disruption between August 2024 and 2025 puts the whole issue in sharp relief. And yet, perhaps more surprising is how few of them have complained – not because of how happy they were with the service, bu...

In the 1970s, a young pilot called Deborah Lawrie did something nobody had thought possible: took on the might of Ansett, at the time one of Australia's two big airlines, all the way to the High Court – and won. Her goal? To overturn Sir Reginald Ansett's long-standing ban on women in the cockpit and become Australia's first female commercial airline pilot. Her landmark case – and her incredible s...

When he was just 12 years old and growing up near Shellharbour Airport, Riley McDonald knew he wanted to fly – so he started spending his free time heading down to the airport and washing people's planes in exchange for lessons. At age 16 he was flying solo and earning his pilot's licence, and now at 25, he works as a professional skydiving pilot and aircraft maintenance engineer, and has taken ou...

With the Iran conflict driving up fuel prices amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, you might expect international travel to plummet and airfares to soar – but it turns out the real picture is a touch more complicated than that. While airlines have been pruning services and hiking prices, both Qantas and Virgin have launched huge domestic sales to try to woo customers with millions of discounted...

It's well-known that the aviation and aerospace sector has been suffering under a talent shortage for some time now – not to mention the challenge of promoting greater diversity in the workforce. One potential solution? To encourage more young people to enter the industry – to cultivate a love of aviation from an early age, and help kids realise it could hold their dream job. Together with the CSI...

The government has rolled out its 2026 National Defence Strategy and Integrated Investment Program, and there's plenty to dissect for aviation – an early sunset for Tiger helicopters, the retirement of the C-27J Spartan, and a $7 billion boost to counter-drone defences, just to start with. While the RAAF alone is slated to get between $34-41 billion over the next 10 years, as the world becomes mor...

When plucky start-up airline Bonza collapsed in 2024, everyone was quick to point the finger at its business model as the reason for its failure – yet often overlooked was the role its financiers, 777 Partners, played in its demise by abruptly cutting off funding without warning. With the Miami-based investment firm now drowning in lawsuits and criminal investigations, Bonza's former chief executi...

When Bonza burst onto the scene in 2023 with its bright purple tails, its budgie smugglers, and its unique "point-to-point" business strategy, the scrappy start-up airline – and its chief executive Tim Jordan – looked to be sparking a revolution in the domestic market. Just over a year later, however, the lofty goal of being "here for Allstralia" lay in ruins, with Bonza's financier 777 Partners a...

As Gulf travel remains dicey and Australian travellers rush to connect through Asia, the usual hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong are being joined by other contenders eager to take a slice of the layover pie – and Malaysia Airlines is jockeying to make Kuala Lumpur one of them. A stone's throw from Singapore and with a raft of connections into Asia and Europe, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KL...

We often talk about the duopoly in Australia's airline sector – but if you ever needed proof of its power, you'll find it in the latest eye-popping data from the ACCC, which shows Qantas Group and Virgin between them operated almost 99 per cent of all domestic flights in the back half of 2025. With Rex's domestic jets and Bonza's point-to-point flights a distant memory, we return to the age-old qu...

Australians' love affair with Bali is nothing new, but it sure does seem we're seeing a lot of new and expanded flights there over the past few months – from Jetstar to AirAsia, Avalon to Newcastle, our biggest overseas holiday destination seems to be enjoying a real moment in the sun. But as Jetstar begins flights connecting through Bali to Singapore and AirAsia offers a smorgasbord of onward fly...

It's a safe bet that before a few weeks ago, not a lot of us would have been able to name the Strait of Hormuz, let alone point to it on a map – but now that it's become one of the biggest geopolitical headaches on the planet (and the reason petrol prices are skyrocketing), suddenly that unassuming body of water is a household name. More pressingly for aviation, of course, is the fact that the con...

High airfares are a continual thorn in the side of Australian travellers, and especially those in the regions – which is one reason why Tim Jordan embarked on his ill-fated attempt to be "here for Allstralia" with Bonza, flying point-to-point regional services with a low-cost ethos. After a couple of years out of the limelight, Jordan has put his head back above the ramparts with a submission to t...

There is, as a wise journalist (no, not us, we said "wise") has pointed out, always an aviation angle. As Iranian bombs rained down across the Gulf following strikes by the US and Israel, countries like the UAE and Qatar suddenly found themselves uncomfortably less insulated than they thought, with even airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi being damaged in the crossfire. Unfortunately, these countries...

After decades of will-they-won't-they, the government seems determined to press on with high-speed rail from Sydney to Newcastle (honestly pinky promise for real this time) as the first stage of an ambitious plan to connect the eastern corridor all the way from Melbourne to Brisbane. If all goes ahead, then, what will that mean for aviation on the east coast? Could Australia finally see more compe...

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the airport, the debate over noisy aircraft – excuse us, "sky kittens" – has reared its head once again, with community advocates calling for a curfew in Brisbane. According to the Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance (BFPCA), curtailing the sky kittens' purring with a nightly curfew would boost residents' well-being and property values at minimal...