In one of the most dramatic tech outages in history, a botched update by cyber security company CrowdStrike last Friday crippled computers around the world – and Australia’s aviation sector did not escape unscathed. Airlines were left unable to check in customers and their baggage, airports were swamped with passengers on delayed and cancelled flights, and planes were grounded across the country, with Jetstar in particular not back to normal until early Saturday morning. Adam and Jake look at what went wrong and whether aviation has put too many of its eggs into one cyber security basket. Plus ..read more

With the ashes yet cooling on Bonza’s funeral pyre, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson made an eyebrow-raising suggestion at the Flying Kangaroo’s Perth–Paris launch last week: that Australia can’t sustain more than, say, three major domestic airline groups (coincidentally, the number it has now). As the country reacquaints itself with the old familiar Qantas–Virgin equilibrium – and as Rex continues its push to disrupt the duopoly – will Hudson be vindicated, or will another challenger eventually prove her wrong? Adam and Jake examine the state of play and whether Bonza is truly just another data poin ..read more

Australian Aviation is gearing up to host our third annual awards next month in association with UNSW and its School of Aviation. The university recently hosted a panel examining sustainability in the sector, featuring some of the most influential figures in the industry. The panel included Rex’s Ron Bartsch, Qantas’ Harry Jobberns and Jet Zero’s Ed Mason. In this episode, we let you listen in to the debate ..read more

In the end, it was all but inevitable – after losing its planes, cancelling its flights, sacking its staff and failing to find a buyer, Bonza is no more, with creditors making the decision to wind up the airline and put an end to what were once lofty dreams of bringing low-cost airfares to destinations that had never seen them before. As its purple tails join those of Ansett, Tigerair, Compass and hundreds of others on the Australian aviation ash heap, what will become of Bonza’s former routes? Should we expect to see more rivals like Jetstar step in to pick up where it left off? Adam and Jake ..read more

As Bonza’s administrator looks set to finally close the curtain on the stricken airline, a new YouGov survey has revealed 50 per cent of Australians believe the government should step in and back low-cost airlines in the name of affordability and consumer choice. With more than 300 airlines reportedly having gone under in Australia over the last century, is it time for Canberra to intervene and get more tails in the skies? Adam, Jake and Ben look at the case for more government support and how it might manifest. Plus, as on-time performance and cancellations continue to improve, who came out o ..read more

It wasn’t the news more than 300 Bonza employees wanted to hear – but after a buyer for the grounded carrier failed to materialise, administrator Hall Chadwick has sacked all staff and cancelled every future flight. With Bonza now seeming to be running on borrowed time, is there now any hope for a miracle rescue or a silver lining for hundreds of dedicated staff members now out of a job? Adam and Jake examine the bad news and ask what’s next for Bonza, its erstwhile staff – and its administrator. Plus, Rex embarks on a major leadership shake-up, putting a local CE ..read more

It was meant to be the crowning achievement of the budding British airship industry: R101, a majestic “ocean liner of the skies” that would ferry passengers all across the world in style and comfort. Yet on its maiden international flight in October 1930, the dreams of an empire went up in flames as R101 crashed and exploded in a field in the north of France. On board was one Australian VIP: William Palstra, a key figure in the early days of the RAAF. The tragic demise of R101 with all but six hands led to the UK pulling out of the airship arena – and left an indelible mark on Palstra’s family ..read more

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 202 ..read more

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 holdin ..read more

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.  ..read more