Bonza’s Tim Jordan breaks his silence
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
When Bonza burst onto the scene in 2023 with its bright purple tails, its budgie smugglers, and its unique “point-to-point” business strategy, the scrappy start-up airline – and its chief executive Tim Jordan – looked to be sparking a revolution in the domestic market. Just over a year later, however, the lofty goal of being “here for Allstralia” lay in ruins, with Bonza’s financier 777 Partners abruptly pulling funding and letting its aircraft be repossessed, leaving Jordan and the rest of the airline’s staff and passengers holding the bag. It’s easy in hindsight to say that...
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Is Kuala Lumpur the next Changi?
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
As Gulf travel remains dicey and Australian travellers rush to connect through Asia, the usual hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong are being joined by other contenders eager to take a slice of the layover pie – and Malaysia Airlines is jockeying to make Kuala Lumpur one of them. A stone’s throw from Singapore and with a raft of connections into Asia and Europe, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA, to its friends) has the backing of Malaysia’s flag carrier, generally lower airfares, and room to grow – but can it take on the might of Changi? On this week’s Australian Aviation...
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Aviation’s clash of the titans
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
We often talk about the duopoly in Australia’s airline sector – but if you ever needed proof of its power, you’ll find it in the latest eye-popping data from the ACCC, which shows Qantas Group and Virgin between them operated almost 99 per cent of all domestic flights in the back half of 2025. With Rex’s domestic jets and Bonza’s point-to-point flights a distant memory, we return to the age-old question: can any new contender hope to carve out a niche for itself in a market dominated by the two warring giants of the skies? In this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake and David...
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Is Australia on a Bali high?
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
Australians’ love affair with Bali is nothing new, but it sure does seem we’re seeing a lot of new and expanded flights there over the past few months – from Jetstar to AirAsia, Avalon to Newcastle, our biggest overseas holiday destination seems to be enjoying a real moment in the sun. But as Jetstar begins flights connecting through Bali to Singapore and AirAsia offers a smorgasbord of onward fly-through services, could Denpasar become more than just an endpoint for Australian travellers and evolve into a hub in its own right? On this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake and David...
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Is our jet fuel supply in dire Straits?
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
It’s a safe bet that before a few weeks ago, not a lot of us would have been able to name the Strait of Hormuz, let alone point to it on a map – but now that it’s become one of the biggest geopolitical headaches on the planet (and the reason petrol prices are skyrocketing), suddenly that unassuming body of water is a household name. More pressingly for aviation, of course, is the fact that the conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil has been choked off, meaning jet fuel is suddenly harder to come by. Airlines are raising costs and slashing services to compensate, and there are worried...
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Bonza boss bites back
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
High airfares are a continual thorn in the side of Australian travellers, and especially those in the regions – which is one reason why Tim Jordan embarked on his ill-fated attempt to be “here for Allstralia” with Bonza, flying point-to-point regional services with a low-cost ethos. After a couple of years out of the limelight, Jordan has put his head back above the ramparts with a submission to the Productivity Commission pointing the finger squarely at the dominance of the big airlines – particularly Qantas – as a major contributor to the high cost of flying from the regions. On...
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Should airlines say goodbye to Dubai?
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
There is, as a wise journalist (no, not us, we said “wise”) has pointed out, always an aviation angle. As Iranian bombs rained down across the Gulf following strikes by the US and Israel, countries like the UAE and Qatar suddenly found themselves uncomfortably less insulated than they thought, with even airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi being damaged in the crossfire. Unfortunately, these countries also happen to be major global aviation hubs, and thousands of flights over the past few days have been cancelled, leaving passengers stranded – which raises the question: in the wake of the...
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Are high-speed trains the new planes?
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
After decades of will-they-won’t-they, the government seems determined to press on with high-speed rail from Sydney to Newcastle (honestly pinky promise for real this time) as the first stage of an ambitious plan to connect the eastern corridor all the way from Melbourne to Brisbane. If all goes ahead, then, what will that mean for aviation on the east coast? Could Australia finally see more competition on the Golden Triangle from an entirely different source – and will airports reap the benefits nonetheless? On this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake and David dig into the...
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Revenge of the sky kittens
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the airport, the debate over noisy aircraft – excuse us, “sky kittens” – has reared its head once again, with community advocates calling for a curfew in Brisbane. According to the Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance (BFPCA), curtailing the sky kittens’ purring with a nightly curfew would boost residents’ well-being and property values at minimal economic cost – but the airport has pushed back, saying it could be disastrous for Queensland residents. On this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake and David wade into the...
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A busy week for the bush
Australian Aviation Podcast Network
With Productivity Commission and Senate inquiries set to spin up later this year, it’s been a blockbuster week for regional aviation in the news. From support for regional cities left in the lurch by the Rex administration, to calls for a “fairer” system for the regions, to rebrands and axed routes, the headlines have been dominated by turboprops and council-owned airports, shining a much-needed spotlight on the country. On this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, special guest host and former Rex and Virgin Australia pilot, Captain Michelle Huntington, returns to lend Jake her...
info_outlineAs AI becomes more ubiquitous in everyday life, airlines like Qantas and Virgin Australia are looking to increase their use of AI tools in operational and customer-facing areas of their business.
Proponents say AI can improve efficiency, safety, productivity and customer experience in aviation – but what are the risks?
On this week’s Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake and David are joined by Daniel Croft of AI Daily to discuss whether we should welcome our new robot overlords.
Plus, where do Australian airlines stand in the region’s on-time performance stakes?