Australian Aviation Podcast Network

Mission Aviation Fellowship uses its aircraft and volunteers to help people living in the most isolated communities in Australia and around the world.   In this episode, the charity's new local CEO, Chris Barnes, talks about their vital work, and what you can do to support them.   The pair also discuss the organisation's history, its fleet and stories of how their team are making a real difference...

As the "big four" airports – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth – bring in record revenues for their aeronautical operations, they're starting to splash a lot of that cash on future-proofing their infrastructure. Between third runways, terminal renovations, new safety technologies, and of course the ongoing construction of a second Sydney international gateway, airports on both sides of the Tas...

Between tropical cyclones, cockpit medical episodes, and airport security breaches – and all of those just in Australia – one could perhaps be forgiven this week for having a sudden bout of aerophobia. There's been a harsher spotlight on aviation safety stateside, too, with staffing cuts threatening the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as SpaceX's latest Starship explosion forcing the clos...

Since the departure of Alan Joyce in late 2023, new Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson has largely eschewed her predecessor's bombastic camera-friendly style, instead keeping her head down and focused on rebuilding Australia's trust in the Flying Kangaroo. Passenger experience has become the watchword, with the recent announcement of another solid half-yearly profit being accompanied by the promise of a ca...

More than 10 years after the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 in the Indian Ocean, the plane has yet to be found despite two search efforts – and the families of those who lost their lives still have no answers. But a new search effort, led by Ocean Infinity, has once again raised hopes that the wreckage may yet be uncovered – this time, by examining four potential "hotspot...

In this special episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, host Adam Thorn speaks with Jeff Shaknaitis, the customer sustainability leader at GE Aerospace, about the industry's push toward net-zero emissions by 2050. Jeff shares his career journey and how his passion for sustainability led him to play a key role in GE's efforts to help airlines decarbonise, including its groundbreaking 100 per ce...

As Rex has limped on in administration over the past half-year, with prospects for a sale dimming, the question has occasionally been asked: might the government step in more forcefully to keep its essential services in the air? Now we have our answer: if the administrators can't find a buyer, the government is looking at the option to buy Rex itself, which would make the carrier the first in Aust...

The news came like an assassin in the night: Paul Jones, the long-rumoured frontrunner to replace Jayne Hrdlicka as CEO of Virgin Australia, was out of contention following pushback by the powerful TWU. With no further word on who might be under consideration for the top job – and with Hrdlicka still saying she intends to leave the airline – when might we know who will sit in the captain's chair o...

It's been a few months since the announcement of one of the biggest deals in recent Australian commercial aviation history: the purchase of 25 per cent of Virgin Australia by Qatar Airways, and with it, the return of Virgin international wide-body services through a wet-lease agreement for flights to Doha. Approval for those services currently rests with the International Air Services Commission,...

The Spitfire, the Hurricane, the Kittyhawk – when asked to name the fighter planes that won World War II, most people would place these legendary machines high on the list. Yet largely absent from these lofty histories is the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation's CA-13 Boomerang – Australia's home-grown fighter plane, adapted from a training aircraft design and deployed in the Pacific theatre. Thoug...

In the wake of Bonza's collapse and Rex's administration last year, another prospective domestic carrier – Koala Airlines – was suddenly garnering media attention despite not yet having aircraft or a clear business plan. While its website, filled with glossy renders of 737 MAX 8s, promised to  "carve out a unique niche" in Australia's aviation sector, a winding-up application filed against it in V...

As water bombers try to contain the dramatic wildfires besieging Los Angeles, there are fresh warnings that longer fire seasons overseas may prevent other countries from sending their firefighting aircraft to help Australia in future. Though the bushfire seasons since 2019–20's Black Summer have been comparatively mild, it's likely only a matter of time before the conditions are right for a repeat...

Last year ended in another aviation tragedy, with the horror crash of Jeju Air flight 7C2216 in Muan, South Korea, killing all but two people on board. As investigators sift through the plane's wreckage and the black boxes to figure out what went wrong, light aircraft crashes closer to home are raising questions about whether our own transport safety watchdog, the ATSB, should expand its remit. Ad...

It's been five decades since the year "Santa never made it into Darwin", when Cyclone Tracy devastated the Northern Territory capital in the wee hours of Christmas morning 1974. In the wake of the disaster, the city – and all of Australia – pulled together to make sure its 40,000 people could safely rebuild. This included the nation's aviation industry, with Darwin Airport becoming a vital lifelin...

Twelve months is a long time in aviation, and 2024 has been longer than most – not least because of the ignominious collapse of two domestic airlines, Rex and Bonza, which a year ago had seemed in far better shape than they actually were. Of course, these weren't the only major developments, with Qatar and Virgin announcing a big new tie-up, the government releasing its highly-anticipated Aviation...

A few months after the government's Aviation White Paper promised action on disability access in airports and planes, a new advocacy campaign is calling for faster change in the industry. Led by disability rights spokesperson Shane Hryhorec, the campaign says there are significant systemic problems around access that are leaving disabled passengers at risk of humiliation or injury, and that people...

Virgin Australia's tie-up with Qatar Airways is gathering steam, with the ACCC giving interim approval to sell tickets on 28 weekly wet-leased services to Doha, while the airline has officially applied to the IASC for all the available capacity. There may be turbulence ahead, however, with the influential Transport Workers' Union hinting it might take back its support for the deal if ex-Qantas exe...

Think your airfares are bad? Spare a thought for the people of Darwin, who according to a recent ABC  Stateline  report, are having to pay thousands of dollars – even months in advance – for an interstate flight. Both Qantas Group and Virgin have denied any accusations of price gouging, with Qantas blaming various regional and seasonal factors while Virgin is pointing the finger squarely at Darwin...

It's official – after more than 10 years codesharing with Virgin Australia, Etihad has called it quits, announcing the tie-up will end next June irrespective (it seems) of whether the exclusivity arrangement between Virgin and Qatar Airways is approved. With codesharing on Singapore Airlines services beyond Asia also looking likely to get the chop – but not Velocity frequent flyer benefits on thos...

It's been three-and-a-half months since Rex went into administration, and while the planes are still flying, so far the administrators have yet to find a buyer for its regional turboprop operations despite securing a deal to sell off the profitable aeromedical wing Pel-Air. Enter the federal government, which has extended its support for the airline to the tune of $80 million in financing, which t...

It's the book that's sent shockwaves through the aviation world:  The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out , a deep dive into the Alan Joyce era and how Qantas went from one of the most trusted brands in the country to one of the least. Covering the decisions made during COVID-19 – including the illegal outsourcing of ground handlers and the controversial "flight credits"...

Alan Joyce may be gone, but his ghost continues to haunt the halls of Qantas HQ at Mascot, with new chairman John Mullen saying at last week's AGM that the Flying Kangaroo "might well have not survived" COVID-19 without the colourful former CEO and ex-chairman Richard Goyder. His remarks came, however, as a new book from former columnist for The Australian Financial Review, Joe Aston, gave Joyce a...

It's BITRE season again, and while domestic aviation still lags the long-term averages, there's one figure where the industry is unexpectedly ahead: in a rare showing, cancellations for September were below the long-term average even as on-time performance continued to struggle. Meanwhile, in another mixed-bag month for the major airlines, which was ultimately the most reliable – and what were som...

Angela Garvey recently won the Excellence Award at our Australian Aviation Summit, the title we grant to the overall winner from our nine individual categories.   However, she is best known for 'Navigating Aviation', a confidential counselling and support service she started following a fatal plane crash in her skydiving business in 2006.    More recently, she launched a mental health survey aimed...

Following the publication of the Aviation White Paper, Transport Minister Catherine King has introduced Sydney slot reform legislation to Parliament. The amendments make up a number of changes to procedures at Australia's most important airport, but how much of a difference will they make? This week, Adam and Jake discuss the latest developments, while also introducing a new member to the team. Pl...