Australian Aviation Podcast Network

This week, we reported how Qantas is set to launch two new flights from Canberra, just weeks after smaller airlines took the gamble to service the more unusual routes.

In this episode of the Australian Aviation podcast, host Phil Tarrant and guest Adam Thorn discuss if Qantas' move is bad ethics given the pandemic, or just a larger competitor rightly taking advantage of a free market?

Plus, with an Australia-purchased vaccine looking close to completion, what does the future hold for international border closures? Will the country open up early, or later, next year?

Finally, the team discuss Rex's purchase of an ex-Virgin 737. Is the fight for the Golden Triangle now on?

After more than 20 years, Tasmania is finally set to host flights to New Zealand, as the federal government gears up to make the most of the soon-to-be-expanding travel bubble.

It's rare good news spurred on by the COVID crisis. In this week's Inside Aviation, Phil and Adam discuss the latest developments in the industry, which is slowly coming back to life as borders reopen.

They also talk about one of the best stories of the year, as Rex finally takes delivery of the first of its 737s. But not before it was spotted by Australian Aviation's photographer on the ground.

Finally, the team discuss the situation at Cathay, where contract negotiations have turned ugly.

With borders opening and COVID cases falling, there's a sense of optimism in the industry that has been missing for months.

But that good news means airlines are gearing up to battle for market share in the post-pandemic world.

This week, host Phil Tarrant and guests Adam Thorn and Christian "Boo" Boucousis discuss who is going to win out as Rex gears up to flying capital cities, and Virgin plans cooperation with Alliance.

Finally, the team chat about the latest developments in the Qatar invasive search scandal. Will the story run and run, or have authorities drawn a line under it?

The story that 13 Australian women were invasively searched by Qatari authorities at Hamad Airport this month has refused to go away.

In the last few days, the Qatar government has finally issued an apology – but it seems to be more concerned with shifting the emphasis onto the missing baby.

On this week's Inside Aviation, Phil and Adam discuss the impact on the industry, and whether Qatar will ever be able to regain passengers' trust.

They also discuss the continual struggle to get passengers back home as border closures continue to bite, and why critics should be more understanding of under-fire airlines.

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?