With Productivity Commission and Senate inquiries set to spin up later this year, it's been a blockbuster week for regional aviation in the news.

From support for regional cities left in the lurch by the Rex administration, to calls for a "fairer" system for the regions, to rebrands and axed routes, the headlines have been dominated by turboprops and council-owned airports, shining a much-needed spotlight on the country.

On this week's Australian Aviation Podcast, special guest host and former Rex and Virgin Australia pilot, Captain Michelle Huntington, returns to lend Jake her regional aviation expertise as they unpack all the big news from outside the big smoke.

Plus, will the government's new consumer protection measures drive up airfares as the airlines claim, and is Qantas trying to destroy the competition on a Pacific island route?