E2, flown home
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
After almost 30 years in service, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines is finally allowing its old Fokkers to retire with the arrival of the Embraer E190-E2, the first of which touched down from Brazil this month. With an improved range, a new cabin, and more efficient engines, the E2 might just be what Virgin’s regional arm needs to expand its operations across WA – and potentially even further east. On this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake is back to deliver his full trip report on the ferry flight from Canberra to Perth, and to look at where the new E-Jets could fit in to...
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‘Keep going until you can’t’
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
From joy-rides in a Mirage III fighter jet at age seven, to selling her home to help pay for flight lessons, to flying for Rex and eventually becoming one of the faces of Virgin Australia, Captain Michelle Huntington has had a truly astonishing journey. She’s flown solo in a Beechcraft Bonanza from Arizona to Bankstown, been struck by lightning in mid-air, battled unruly passengers, and stared down industry sexism – but through it all, never lost her sense of adventure. After leaving the industry during the height of COVID-19, Michelle has taken to the speaking circuit to share the lessons...
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The most wonderful time of the (financial) year
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
The sound of investor presentations and ASX releases can only mean one thing: results season has come again, bringing joy and cheer to all the good shareholders of the land – especially those who’ve invested in airlines. Qantas has posted another bumper profit as it looks to snap up even more A321XLRs, Virgin Australia has celebrated its 25th anniversary with a healthy result, Alliance is flying more hours than ever, and across the Tasman, even Air New Zealand is still in the black despite its many headaches. Jake and guest host Benjamin Foster unpack all the major airlines’ results and...
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Should Qantas trim back its beard ban?
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
As it recovers from massive fines and reputational headaches, Qantas has a new hairy problem to deal with over its move to make QantasLink flight crews adopt the same grooming standards as mainline Qantas and Jetstar pilots: namely, no beards allowed. Qantas insists this is for safety reasons, with a report saying facial hair can interfere with oxygen masks – but hirsute Qantas pilots are crying “not by the hair on our chinny-chin-chins,” and pointing to studies showing beards shave hardly anything off the safety margin. So, who’s right? Jake is joined by special guest host and fellow...
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Has Qantas learned its lesson?
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
It’s the largest corporate fine for industrial relations breaches in Australian history: a mammoth $90 million, handed down to Qantas for the illegal outsourcing of around 1,800 ground workers during the pandemic – on top of $120 million already imposed in compensation. At 75 per cent of the maximum penalty, it will doubtless put the fear of God (and the unions) into other large companies who might be considering similar moves, and the national carrier has offered an apology – but is it really sorry, or, as Justice Michael Lee speculated, only sorry it got caught? Jake and special guest...
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Shaping the future of air traffic management with Daniel Wang and Rodney Sciortino, Rohde & Schwarz
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
The latest episode of the Australian Aviation Podcast spotlights two finalists in the 2025 Australian Aviation Awards, with host Steve Kuper joined by Daniel Wang, head of programs for ATC and air defence at Rohde & Schwarz, and Rodney Sciortino, head of civil air traffic control. Together, they explore how the global technology company is delivering cutting-edge solutions across both the defence and civil aviation sectors, from deployable ATC towers to AI-driven technologies, cyber security safeguards, and the growing role of drones in airspace management. One of the standout...
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Confronting the Tiger in the room
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
It’s been five years since a Tigerair plane last graced Australia’s skies – and the aviation ecosystem is still coping with Tigerair’s extinction. That’s according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which has found that domestic capacity has still not recovered to June 2019 levels though demand is now back where it was before the pandemic, as the loss of Tigerair created a hole of around 400,000 monthly seats made worse by later reductions from Rex. Jake Nelson and guest host Daniel Croft of Cyber Daily take a look at the...
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A new coat of paint for Skytrans
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
After 30 years criss-crossing regional Queensland, it’s the end of the road for Skytrans – not for the airline itself, which will keep flying, but for the name. New owner Avia Solutions Group is rebranding the carrier as SmartLynx Australia, echoing some of its other brands overseas. Along with the name change will come a new paint job for the airline’s existing aircraft, with the Skytrans livery to be covered in neutral white, allowing the planes to be more easily used for wet leasing and charter flights when needed – but for Queenslanders who know and love the Skytrans brand, will...
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Farewell, Adam Thorn
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
It’s the bombshell the aviation industry never saw coming, one that has shaken the sector to its core: after five and a half years at Australian Aviation, renowned luminary and thought leader Adam Thorn is leaving Momentum Media. Over the course of his tenure, Adam has seen COVID-19 shutdowns, travel chaos, and the collapse of multiple Australian airlines – and while he’ll still be leading the print magazine, in many ways it’s the end of an era, a seismic shift rivalling even the exit of Alan Joyce from Qantas in 2023. Co-hosts Jake Nelson and Benjamin Foster join Adam to reflect...
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Are power banks a flight risk?
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
They’ve become an indispensable part of our modern digital lives, but airlines are increasingly wary of portable lithium batteries and power banks, which can have an alarming tendency to catch fire if damaged or short-circuited. Though power banks are already required to be carried in cabin luggage to ensure easy access if something goes wrong, some carriers have gone further, banning their use and charging entirely during flights – and Virgin Australia may be next, after a bag burst into flames in an overhead locker on a flight to Hobart. As in-seat charging ports become more common, Adam...
info_outlineIt’s been five years since a Tigerair plane last graced Australia’s skies – and the aviation ecosystem is still coping with Tigerair’s extinction.
Jake Nelson and guest host Daniel Croft of Cyber Daily take a look at the ACCC’s report and ask who – if anyone – could fill the gap Tigerair left behind.
Plus, how can we solve the growing mental health crisis in general aviation?