New airline that will compete with Virgin and Qantas reveals when it will finally take off in Australia
It's been 12 months since Melbourne-based Koala Airlines unveiled its management team and logo but it has 'deliberately' kept a low profile ever since.
Chief executive Bill Astling hopes to offer more choice for domestic travellers and shake up the aviation industry by the end of next year, despite having no planes or social media presence.
Despite the failures of short-lived budget carrier Bonza, he is confident of challenging the aviation duopoly between Qantas and Virgin Australia.
'We've deliberately kept a low profile – not because we're stalling, but because we're building something with a long-term, sustainable foundation,' Mr Astling told the Australian Financial Review.
'We've learned from the past – both ours and the industry's – and we're taking a disciplined, strategic approach.
'We're not in the business of giving our competitors a 12-month head start.'
He insisted the business model is 'fundamentally different' to its competitors but remains tight-lipped about the airline's routes and its investors.
Koala Airlines aims to reshape the Australian aviation landscape with its 'game-changing' strategies, with a focus on customer experience rather than cheaper fares, which 'almost entirely led to unsustainable competition.'
'Our goal is to carve out a unique niche that enhances the industry landscape without disrupting existing standards, by creating a lasting impact on the industry,' its website states.
The site also states the airline is finalising negotiations to acquire a new aircraft fleet to upgrade its air operator's certificate.
Aviation experts remain sceptical about Koala Airlines' optimism, given the recent collapse of Bonza and Rex Airlines.
The future of the latter remains in limbo after the federal government recently extended the collapsed airline's administration.
Bonza began operations in January 2023 and collapsed just 15 months later.
'Until you can get to a stage where there's a minimum of 12 aircraft that are flying across the country to be able to get your costs low,' Cirium dashboard editor Ellis Taylor said.
Keith Tonkin previously told Daily Mail Australia: 'We look forward to seeing where they want to fly to and how often and how they serve the customer, and that will really help to understand if their business will be sustainable.'
'There's a very strong presence of Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin, and they own about 90 per cent of the market, so that's a pretty big barrier to entry for an airline.'
Koala's management team boasts a combined 300 years' experience with some of the world's biggest airlines.
The company acquired Desert Air Safaris in 2019, an airline founded in 1970 by airline pilot Dick Lang and his wife, Helen.
Desert Air Safaris ran for five decades, offering flights to remote regions in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands.
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