Qantas has dominated this week’s airline news so naturally this episode is all about them. We start with the news that long-time, and often controversial, CEO Alan Joyce has announced his intention to step down in November, handing the reins to the company’s current Chief Financial Officer, Vanessa Hudson.
Hudson has been working at the airline in various roles over her 28 year career, and her appointment comes as no surprise, despite claims of a world-wide search for Joyce’s replacement, taking in around 40 potential candidates. Alan Joyce began his airline career in 1988 at Aer Lingus, coming to Australia in 1996 for roles at Ansett before joining Qantas in 2000. He became the CEO of low-cost offshoot Jetstar in 2003 before being appointed Qantas CEO in 2008.
Meanwhile, Qantas is once again taking unions to court, this time over the question of A380 Second Officer vacancies, and whether they’re able to bypass the long standing convention of pilot seniority to fill current gaps. Their proposal includes recruiting aircrew from outside the company. The Australian & International Pilots Association wants the seniority system retained, and the decision of the court may well have broader implications for Australian workers, should they be unsuccessful.
Alan Joyce and Vanessa Hudson
Image credit: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
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Episode 743: Taking the MRH-90 for a drink
After a busy couple of weeks, the guys are back in the studio as Grant recovers from another weekend of air show commentary duties, this time at Benalla, 130 miles north of Melbourne. We discuss the role these regional air shows play in terms of promoting the importance and fun of aviation in the community.
Meanwhile, the Army’s fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters has been temporarily grounded following an incident this week. The crew of a Taipan conducting a special forces training exercise off Jervis Bay, 200km south of Sydney, had to ditch their aircraft after it appeared to lose power. Only minor injuries were sustained by some on-board, and the aircraft was successfully recovered. An investigation is now underway,
Staying with military, Northrop Grumman Australia’s newly-modernised Brisbane Maintenance and Modification Centre (BMMC) has been officially re-opened; a major facility for the sustainment of the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) aviation capability. Northrop Grumman has invested $20 million in the BMMC project and the facility conducts continuous through life support to RAAF fleets including its six KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft and 10 C-27J Spartan transport aircraft, and will provide jobs for around 100 people.
And across the Ditch in New Zealand, Bevan Dewes’ immaculately restored, former Royal New Zealand Air Force Harvard Mk.IIa (NZ1044) landed at its new home in Masterton, New Zealand on March 19th, 2023 following a three-year rebuild effort with Twenty24 Ltd, at Wanaka. Registered as ZK-OTU, the aircraft made its first post-restoration flight from Wanaka on March 10th.