Exclusive: Koala Airlines fends off winding-up application

Aviation start-up Koala Airlines has survived a winding-up application in the Victorian Supreme Court. The application, which had been filed by apparent creditor Wealth Creation Pty Ltd, was on Wednesday dismissed with the consent of both parties, with no orders made as to costs. It comes after Australian Aviation exclusively reported on the application earlier this month. Koala had gained some attention in national press, including the ABC’s Four Corners, following the collapse of Bonza and Rex last year as a potential new competitor to the domestic duopoly of Qantas Group and Virgin Australia. On its website, Koala – founded in 2018 by industry veteran Bill Astling – features numerous renders of 737 MAX 8s in its own livery, the same aircraft type used by Bonza before its liquidation. Despite Koala claiming to hold the Air Operator’s Certificate CASA.AOC.0317, no such AOC exists in the CASA register, with the closest entry – CASA.138AWK.0317 – being registered to the State of Western Australia.<br/>