News of a potential new airline entering the Australian domestic market has been making headlines for over a week, but it appears there’s little more to the story than a headline – at this stage.
Despite news spreading fast, the airline doesn’t yet have any aircraft.
Traveltalk has reached out to numerous people listed on the company website as being part of the management team including Bill Astling, the Founding CEO; Phil Le Liu, Director and Sally Spring, the airline’s Chief Operating Officer.
Sally Spring, Chief Operating Officer told Traveltalk that the airline team was aware of the significant interest and support shown by the media and public towards Koala Airlines following the launch of its new website.
“The enthusiastic response is a testament to the public’s eagerness for a fresh approach in the aviation sector.
“At this stage, Koala Airlines is in the process of meeting regulatory requirements, finalising aircraft leasing agreements and conducting further planning.
Given the complexity and ongoing nature of these preparations, it is premature for us to provide additional details beyond what is available on our website,” Spring said.
“We still have considerable work to complete.
“Our website was designed to offer a glimpse into our vision and current developments never anticipating the level of interest it has generated. We remain committed to keeping our plans under wraps until they are fully developed and finalised. We thank everyone for their understanding and continued interest and look forward to sharing more information as we progress,” she said.
New images, including mocked up images of Boeing 737 aircraft in Koala livery were uploaded to the website in March 2024, and may have been part of the reason news of the airline gained traction.
A link to the website was also posted on a Facebook group called Airline Secrets Exposed earlier this month and the Daily Mail ran a story on August 28. However, only quotes from the slick looking website were used in the story.
But, despite the fast spreading news, the airline doesn’t have any aircraft in its fleet, and its launch is some time away, if it launches at all.
Koala Airlines has been registered since 2000, but is also linked to Koala Air Australia Pty Ltd and Desert-Air Safaris Pty. Limited which were registered as far back as 1970.
In terms of aircraft, Bonza’s fleet of Boeing 737s have already headed overseas. The majority of those to LOT Polish Airlines.
REX’s Boeing 737s are currently on the ground, but are reported to be heading back to Virgin Australia.
Any imminent launch would be near impossible with the shortage of aircraft available at this time.
So, while news of a new entrant into the market may be exciting and headline making, it appears it will be some time before a new airline gets off the ground in Australia.
