The story that 13 Australian women were invasively searched by Qatari authorities at Hamad Airport has become international news.

On this week’s episode, host Phil Tarrant and guest Adam Thorn discuss what the industry repercussions are and who is to blame?

Should the Australian government have done more to keep Qantas repatriating citizens? Is it right that Qatar Airways now dominates our skies? And was it correct that those victims then had to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine?

Finally, the team also discuss Virgin’s hot-and-cold relationship with the unions, the progress of Loyal Wingman and honouring the history of the Australian Aviation print magazine.

Earlier this month, the Australian Aviation team welcomed Virgin chief executive Paul Scurrah on to this podcast to talk about his plans for the airline. And now, out of nowhere, he’s gone.

This week, a bemused Phil Tarrant and Adam Thorn discuss just what might or might not have happened? Did owners Bain do the dirty or do we need to give the new CEO the benefit of the doubt? Are the unions giving the new approach a fair go, or rightly standing their ground? And what does this mean for the industry?

Plus, the team talk more about the chaos and confusion caused by the one-way travel bubble with New Zealand. Who exactly is to blame, or is this just an unprecedented situation?

Finally, as Microsoft Flight Simulator gets its Harbour Bridge, Adam and Phil ask why it was omitted in the first place.

Among the chaos of COVID turning the industry on its head, it’s often easy to forget the effect this once-in-a-century event has had on the unsung heroes in air traffic control, and the tech that supports them.

In this special episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, Adam Thorn speaks to Martin Rampl, the managing director of Frequentis Australasia, which supplies the communication and information systems to our air traffic control centres.

Martin reveals how his team rapidly changed the way they worked to support our critical infrastructure during those heady days in late March.

He also discusses the secrets behind the science of communicating with aircraft, how reliability can make the difference between life and death, and why our technology must keep evolving to ensure Australian aviation remains well connected and safe.

On the previous episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, Virgin Australia chief executive Paul Scurrah appeared on the show to talk through the business’ bold comeback plan that will see it slot in between being a low-cost carrier and large international airline. Or as he calls it, the company will morph into a “high-quality, value airline”.

This week, host Phil Tarrant and guests Adam Thorn and a returning Christian “Boo” Boucousis ask: will it work? And can the plan fend off heavy champion Qantas and plucky upstart Rex?

Plus, they discuss whether the federal government has done enough to help the industry, with little help for third party providers and airports. When the sector recovers, will there be enough skilled professionals left to get us moving again?

Finally, the team chat about the progress of Loyal Wingman, and ponder whether it could open the door to a wave of investment in UAVs over the next decade.

As Australia’s aviation industry tinkered on the brink in March, Virgin chief executive Paul Scurrah had to contend with not just COVID, but trying to save the company from liquidation.

Now, after an exhausting six months, he appears on the Australian Aviation Podcast to discuss just how he managed to keep Virgin alive – and its comeback strategy.

In particular, he reveals what he thinks went wrong in the past, why it’s right for the airline not to become a low-cost carrier, and how both the administrator and new owner bought into the existing team’s plan.

Plus, in a world where we’re all comfortable doing deals on Zoom, he argues domestic travel, and the industry, can bounce back to where it was before the pandemic. 

Crisis? What crisis! As COVID-19 paralyses the industry, regional carrier Rex has announced it’s on the brink of receiving $150 million in investment to launch flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as soon as next March.

In this episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, host Phil Tarrant and regular guest Adam Thorn discuss whether the carrier is shrewd or stupid to strike Qantas at a time of such instability?

Plus, this week Air New Zealand boss Greg Foran declared that we need to learn to live with COVID-19, and not just hope a vaccine comes riding to our rescue. It marks the latest in a long line of big-name players in the industry who are advocating a more long-term strategy. But will governments listen and finally start opening borders?

Finally, with APAC becoming a more unstable place politically, how are the military and RAAF responding? Could the pandemic inadvertently bring about a revolution in how we see our fighter jets?

Hawker Pacific is one of the leading aircraft sales and support companies in APAC, and one of the largest independent companies of its type in the region with 800 employees.  In this special episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, host Phil Tarrant talks to the business’ Vice President, Middle East and APAC, Ian D'Arcy, about RBI Hawker, a collaboration between Hawker and Bell that specialises in rotor blade repair.  D'Arcy talks about the plan to bring a true home base to Australia after 15 years’ experience in Dubai while looking at launching satellite operations in countries such as Papua New Guinea. He talks through the challenges and opportunities, and how the market is changing. 

Last week, the sale of Virgin was finally complete after a months-long administration process that had enough twists and turns to script a whodunnit. But now Bain’s deal has been rubber-stamped, what exactly is going to happen moving forward?

In this episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, host Phil Tarrant and regular guest Adam Thorn talk through the story behind the final week of the sale. Why did Branson break his silence? Are the TWU really supportive? And how on earth has chief executive Paul Scurrah managed to not only keep his job but get everyone to buy into his revival plan?

They also discuss strong comments from the CEO of Melbourne Airport, who has said the country shouldn’t wait for a vaccine to open international borders.

Finally, amid the gloom, Sydney’s new international airport now has some firm dates for construction work to start. The team discuss why the long-term outlook for aviation, post-COVID-19, is still strong. 

In July, Australia limited the number of people who could arrive back into the country to manage the flow into hotel quarantine. The problem is, the decision has pushed up prices to eye-popping levels and reduced availability.

In this episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, host Phil Tarrant and regular guest Adam Thorn discuss how this slow-burn story has exploded in the last seven days. They examine what the options are, the industry’s collective position and whether the government will restart its repatriation program to assist.

They also discuss Friday’s now not-so-crunch meeting to decide the future of Virgin, where creditors will get to vote on quite how new owners Bain should take over.

Finally – while our industry might be shrinking on the surface, it’s also going through a period of exciting change. Just how long then, until we switch our Fords for flying cars?

In amongst the border closures, groundings and rows, it can be easy to forget the impact of COVID-19 on airline pilots themselves, who have found their industry has effectively shut down. In this episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and Christian “Boo” Boucousis speak to Mark Sedgwick, the executive director of Australian and International Pilots Association, about how pilots are adapting to the new normal. He discusses why states should sign up to a national framework on border closures, how many of his members have found work elsewhere and why he has worked hard to build a good relationship with the Qantas Group. He also tells long-time friend Boo what advice he would give to governments trying to protect the profession for the next generation.