Sadly, or perhaps not depending on how you want to look at it, it's been very quite here in Australia for aviation news the past few weeks. The doom and gloom of the global recession is making it's mark here on the local carriers, but it's happening so frequently in all sectors of business that it barely rates a mention among the tidal wave of bad economic news.
As I type this, there have been a few little trickles of information coming off the wires regarding troubles for OzJet. It seems the people at Perth Airport are a little unhappy at not being remunerated by OzJet for landing fees. If they're not paying these rather essential fees as required, one has to wonder what else they are struggling to pay. Sadly, it seems the relatively recent entrant to Aussie skies may soon be going the same was as the likes of Ansett & Compass.
From the beginning, I was curious to see how OzJet's approach to the local market would fare. Flying refurbished Boeing 737-229Adv aircraft with build dates going back to the late 1970s, OzJet pitched itself to the business market, hoping to snare a slice of the busy east coast routes between Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane. The concept didn't last very long and the airline quickly reverted to charter operations. Apparently they'd been operating flights between Perth & Bali, but with Perth now refusing them landing rights, it appears all is not well. I'll be watching with interest to see how things play out for OzJet. It would be a shame to see them leave our skies permanently.
So, thanks to the Geeks for their concern, but despite my stunning lack of fitness, it's not quite time to warm up the defibrillator yet! As soon as news worthy articles come to hand, I'll forward them on for all to hear. Check out the Geeks website this week & have a look at their tee shirts. The "Australia Desk" ones look the best, don't you think??
