This week, the industry responded to the massive news that Australia will reopen its borders to tourists from 21 February, with airlines ramping up Australian schedules, and Tourism Australia dropping $40 million on a new campaign to drum up tourism interest.  In this episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast, hosts Adam Thorn and Hannah Dowling discuss where we stand in terms of the mass return of international airlines to Australian shores, and which carriers are acting with caution. Plus, the “David versus Goliath”-esque network battle between Rex and Qantas is back in the headlines over the Flying Kangaroo’s new Sydney-Broken Hill route.  Finally, learn a little more about the newest job opening right here at Australian Aviation, and a feel-good story about a man who saved Victoria Police’s first helicopter.

How have airlines responded to Australia’s reopening?

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Will Bonza fly again? That’s the question that has been on the mind of the aviation sector ever since the low-cost carrier went into voluntary administration at the end of April, with its planes seized and its employees stood down without notice.  Administrator Hall Chadwick certainly believes it can get Bonza back in the skies, winning another two months to find a buyer for the airline with the argument that doing so would be better for creditors than winding it up – though that’s cold comfort for employees who will now be left without pay until at least the end of July.  On location at the 2024 Australian Space Summit, Adam and Jake examine the facts as they stand and discuss whether the administrators’ optimism is well-placed.  Plus, Rex heads for the Golden West – and takes NJE’s E190s along for the ride. Could Australia see more E-Jets fly between capital cities?

A fresh reprieve for Bonza

For 19 months, Qantas reigned as Australia’s most reliable airline group – but no more, with Virgin Australia last month knocking the Flying Kangaroo off its perch in a clean sweep of on-time arrivals, on-time departures and cancellations.  With both major domestic airline groups now at or approaching long-term averages for reliability, will the trend hold, or could the “bad old days” of 2022 make a comeback?  Adam, Jake and Ben crunch the numbers and cross their fingers that the era of domestic airline havoc is finally behind us.  Plus, frustration abounds for Bonza staff still stuck in a holding pattern as administrators fight to save the airline – will stood-down employees get what they’re owed?

Virgin dethrones Qantas as most reliable Aussie airline

Richard (Rick) Garner is a non-executive director on the board of Qantas Superannuation and an A330 pilot.  He’s also, incredibly, an award-winning mortgage broker who worked in financial services and now runs his own firm, Crew Financial.  In this crossover podcast with Australian Aviation’s sister podcast brand The Adviser, Rick discusses his love of flying – and how he juggles so many different jobs. 

How this Qantas A330 pilot is flying high with his brokerage

A week after Bonza’s fleet was abruptly seized in a move that sent shockwaves through the Australian aviation sector, the airline is still yet to get back in the air as its administrator fights to save it. With a big question mark over the future of its planes, and all eyes turning to its parent company 777 Partners, who is to blame for Bonza’s predicament, and what’s next for the airline that promised to be “Here for Allstralia”? Adam and Jake discuss whether there’s any hope for the purple tails to return to the skies, and examine the conventional wisdom around Bonza’s collapse. Plus, Qantas cuts a deal with the ACCC on the “ghost flights” case – is this a savvy move from new CEO Vanessa Hudson to jettison old baggage?

What next after Bonzageddon?

It was as sudden as it was brutal: grounded planes, stranded passengers, and chaos across the east coast as Bonza suspended its services without warning. With reports that its entire fleet had been repossessed in the dead of night, emergency talks about the ongoing viability of the business ended in Bonza entering voluntary administration – so what went wrong? In this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, recorded before the voluntary administration was announced, Adam and Jake discuss the shock collapse of Bonza and what might be next for the stricken low-cost carrier. Plus, Australia’s wet-leasing market gets bigger as the new owner of Skytrans lays out its plans to bring a fleet of A319s and other A320-family aircraft into Australia.

How have airlines responded to Australia’s reopening?

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