Hello Dreamliner, pharewell Phantom

But for the parent airline, it’s been a very long time coming. The Australian aviation industry, Qantas and Boeing have changed enormously in those 12 years.

Back then Jetstar was a nascent budget airline flying a dozen or so Boeing 717s and Airbus A320s under the leadership of a young Alan Joyce.

Back then the troubled gestation of the 787, including its delayed first flight, supply chain and production headaches, and a grounding due to smoking batteries, were still in the future.

And back then, Qantas was on the cusp of a run of record profits, before the global financial crisis, record fuel prices, the QF32 uncontained engine failure, a grounding during a bitter industrial dispute and a record financial loss all buffeted, and helped reshape Qantas to the airline business it is today.

Under a still fairly young Alan Joyce today’s Qantas is a business transformed, one that again is enjoying robust profits, is innovating in its use of digital technologies, and is enjoying a significantly improved reputation for service delivery. On top of all that, Qantas is again reclaiming its crown as an innovator in longhaul flying, with its plans to begin nonstop flights between Perth and London with the 787 next year, not to mention the planned ‘Project Sunrise’ nonstop flights from the east coast of Australia to London and New York from 2022.

There’s little doubt that Qantas has, to use Alan Joyce’s own words, got its “mojo” back.

And I’m really confident that at Australian Aviation we too are rediscovering our mojo. This edition is a milestone issue in not only reporting on Qantas’s long-awaited first 787 delivery, but for also being the last Australian Aviation to be published by Phantom Media.

The first issue of Australian Aviation published by Phantom Media hit the streets just over 12 years ago in early 2005, around the time that Qantas was contemplating its 787 order. Since that March 2005 edition a further 140 issues of the magazine have been published by Phantom Media, the small business set up by myself, Lee-Anne Simm and Andrew McLaughlin to take the reins at Australian Aviation from founding editor Jim Thorn.

But from the January-February 2018 issue it is time to hand over the reins for Australian Aviation to its new owners, Aviator Media.

The driving force behind Aviator Media is Christian ‘Boo’ Boucousis, a former RAAF Hornet pilot who since leaving the military has enjoyed a successful business career.

Boo is an entrepreneur with the energy, ideas and enthusiasm to take Australian Aviation to new Heights.

Change ahead won’t be too dramatic. Indeed I am excited to be staying on as managing editor of Australian Aviation, and I’ll still remain invested in the brand, both emotionally – as I have for 25 years now since I started with the magazine as a cadet journalist in 1992! – and financially, as a minor shareholder in Aviator Media.

Under Aviator Media’s stewardship I know that Australian Aviation will hit new heights by delivering more of what our readers love – more stories and pages in the magazine, more content on our website, and more engagement on our social media Channels.

I haven’t been this excited about the future of Australian Aviation for, I’d say, 12 years!