It comes despite domestic aviation returning to near-normal numbers, with its figures down just 13 per cent on the corresponding month. The news highlights how the wider industry is struggling to balance resourcing against two very different recoveries. 

If strike action goes ahead, it will likely spell more disruption for passengers who have suffered the worst delays on record in April, June and July due to a combination of staff shortages and COVID isolation.

In 1951, the Catalina completed the first return flight from Australia to South America. The aircraft was piloted by Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor, his two-week journey was the first crossing of the South Pacific Ocean and a vital step in expanding the global aviation network.

The Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA) made the recommendation in its new report aimed at alleviating the “critical shortage” of talent in the industry.