When plucky start-up airline Bonza collapsed in 2024, everyone was quick to point the finger at its business model as the reason for its failure – yet often overlooked was the role its financiers, 777 Partners, played in its demise by abruptly cutting off funding without warning.

With the Miami-based investment firm now drowning in lawsuits and criminal investigations, Bonza's former chief executive, Tim Jordan, this week came out swinging in an Australian Aviation interview where he pointed the finger squarely in its direction over the carrier's fate.

On this week's Australian Aviation Podcast, Jake and David dissect the Tim Jordan interview, examine how 777 Partners pulling the plug spelt the end for Bonza, and look at the lessons for Australia's next potential domestic airline.

Plus, as the Qantas-Virgin duopoly continues to squeeze the domestic market, we ask: how much of it is actually the major airlines' fault?

When Bonza burst onto the scene in 2023 with its bright purple tails, its budgie smugglers, and its unique "point-to-point" business strategy, the scrappy start-up airline – and its chief executive Tim Jordan – looked to be sparking a revolution in the domestic market.

Just over a year later, however, the lofty goal of being "here for Allstralia" lay in ruins, with Bonza's financier 777 Partners abruptly pulling funding and letting its aircraft be repossessed, leaving Jordan and the rest of the airline's staff and passengers holding the bag.

It's easy in hindsight to say that the idea was doomed from the start, that there was no market for Bonza's idea of connecting regional centres and holiday destinations without connecting through big hubs, but according to Jordan, that's far from the real story.

In this exclusive interview with the Australian Aviation Podcast, his first since his airline's collapse, Jordan tells Jake Nelson how the Bonza dream turned into a nightmare – and why he still thinks there's room for more domestic airlines in Australia's skies.

As Gulf travel remains dicey and Australian travellers rush to connect through Asia, the usual hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong are being joined by other contenders eager to take a slice of the layover pie – and Malaysia Airlines is jockeying to make Kuala Lumpur one of them.

A stone's throw from Singapore and with a raft of connections into Asia and Europe, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA, to its friends) has the backing of Malaysia's flag carrier, generally lower airfares, and room to grow – but can it take on the might of Changi?

On this week's Australian Aviation Podcast, fresh from a long weekend in Kuala Lumpur at the MATTA travel expo, Jake delivers his trip report on Malaysia Airlines and KLIA's offerings for travellers, and he and David discuss how viable KL could be as an alternative to the bigger hubs.

Plus, what's in the federal government's new consumer protection legislation – and how does it stack up?