Where to Watch in
Subscription
Plot
In the annals of aviation history, Air Australia (2007) charts an enthralling course through the turbulence and triumphs of the nation's airline saga. This narrative takes wing in the heart of World War One, when courage met the clouds in the form of four audacious airmen - Norman Brearley, Charles Kingsford Smith, Wilmot Hudson Fysh, and Paul McGinness. These brave pioneers, under the auspices of Prime Minister Billy Hughes, dared to defy the expansive void of Australia's landscape and the vast expanse between it and Europe, setting the foundations for the nation's earliest airlines.
Air Australia is a tale of grit and grandeur, a testament to the tenacity of those who dared to dream and the iron will of politicians who wouldn't let those dreams falter. Amid the perilous beginnings marred by accidents and fatalities, there shone episodes of ground-breaking flights that snatched headlines and hearts alike. Tensions soared not just in the skies, but behind closed doors where boardroom battles raged and the struggle to keep the airlines airborne against a backdrop of bureaucrats and backers formed a dramatic subplot.
As the era of aviation pioneers gave way to a corporate climate, the narrative of Air Australia shifts its focus to the rise of industry titans such as Sir Reginald Ansett, Sir Peter Abeles, Robert Holmes a Court, and Rupert Murdoch. The stakes soared ever higher as take-overs began to eclipse take-offs in the gripping world of Australia's airline industry. Air Australia is a captivating revisit to this golden yet tumultuous chapter in the nation's history, leaving no stone unturned and no sky uncharted.
Where to watch Air Australia?
Air Australia is a documentary show featuring Colin Friels.
Air Australia is currently streaming on Kanopy.