Skytrans TMR Contracts

[Pith Helmet]

The demise of a once reputable airline

It is time to dispel some myths about the current dilemma at Skytrans and state the truth :

The main issues started around 4 years ago when there was planned and deliberate safety and compliances breaches at the hands of former CP TCAS, former CEO Pinocchio and former Commercial Manager Thick Miney. The implications were that CASA became moderately heavy handed and caned them and Rio Tinto and the state Government became aware of dodgy practises leading to greater scrutiny. This was the beginning. Ultimately these events damaged future contracts. All roads lead to Rome - Simon.

1. The Skytrans MD (now the CEO) moans about the state government and contracts and how the REX contract doesn’t help the local community, hypocrites! Skytrans have continuously taken advantage of local communities and passengers and contractors and gladly taken their money while offering a pathetic service in return, continual delays and breakdowns, regular poor service. It was only a matter of time before all this became more public. Skytrans is the product of its own making. All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
2. Money shuffling has been a total rort. Senior managers paid directly from the family trust, excessive salaries, bonus of 30% of a manager’s total salary each year. You guys do the maths. The airline has been a personal bank account for the chosen few, with other numerous rots with consulting companies (owned by the family) providing dubious services and extracting lots of money. If things are so bad, where is the $30 million from aircraft sales in the past 6 months? Funny how Woollcott has suddenly disappeared back to PNG as a Director at APNG, plus APNG have only just formally announced ATR acquisitions, yet they too have been bleeding money. Seems Simon used those funds to restock the family superannuation account and finance APNG while letting Skytrans wind down. I’m sure the staff must be happy about that? All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
3. Consecutive poor CASA audits and non-compliances including breaches of the civil aviation act (flying charters with no flight attendants and flying to ports not listed on their AOC). All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
4. All government routes were handed to them on a platter due to Macair falling over, Skytrans never had to work to earn those routes and they never worked to keep them. Poor OTP, continual breakdowns, sacrificing scheduled RPT to undertake Rio charters. And Simon wonders why REX won the tender? All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
5. The purchase of too many aircraft during the tail end of a mining boom was a woeful and inept business decision. They put all their eggs in one basket. A false assumption that the mining boom would continue was a flawed plan, and the only people to blame are Skytrans senior management. All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
6. CEO Susan Nixon was a potential shining light after the incompetent Pinocchio was sent to PNG. However she saw straight away that the place was a lemon. Although she punted Bellamy and Smith, nobody (Simon) would listen to what she said – sell the failing business. She left after 12 months, the clown from Gladstone wasn’t given more responsibility and the decline of the airline quickly escalated. All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
7. Then you have the proud school teacher, with no real business acumen, coming in and supposedly taking charge of an airline, something she knows nothing about. The result? Well it’s almost completely over now. All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
8. They have also been crying foul because the former CM got rogered by them, then worked against tem in the TMR tender process and the day after the tender is won by REX he pops up working for REX! It would seem that a shocked Simon doesn’t like it when he receives a taste of his own medicine. Oh well, you can’t stop Karma Simon, can you? All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
9. Now you have Simon whinging about REX and the $300 000 supposed difference between the REX bid and the Skytrans bid. News to Simon – There are 3 parts to a bid, price is just one part. Another key part is due diligence which you failed dismally. And to think that you feel the taxpayer should kick the tin for another $300k so you could win a contract and become even greedier? All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
10. The loss of TMR to REX – This doesn’t even begin until Jan 15, yet Skytrans have been bleeding coin for 18 months. That is not the Queensland government’s fault that is their own poor business management. All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
11. Again questions must be asked about where is the $30 mil from aircraft sales? Has it been put back into the business? NO. It has gone back into the companies coffers and moved around. Simon has also sold businesses in Townsville, the family home, the Bentley, offloading assets Simon? All roads lead to Rome - Simon.
12. Sacking of at least 1 good chief pilot, the driving of anther one out of the company, the sacking of one good safety manager and the sacking of one good HAMC has also lead to the decline in standards resulting in a half-baked company struggling to survive. Years of rule breaking will do that to you Simon. All roads lead to Rome - Simon.

Finally, Toodogs, you talk tough whenever the opposition has been weakened. You are weak and spineless, you always have been. Try being a man and actually talk to another person face to face, coward. I used to know cactus personally and work with him (and NO, he is not me), and I can say this – 98% of what he posts is correct, and lately numerous other people have spilled the truth and certain people don’t like it. I am permitted to say Cactus no longer works there, and neither do I thank god, and I won’t say if that is just recently or some time ago, but neither Cactus, Flying bear, justadash nor anyone else is the cause of Skytrans issues. Senior management have stuffed the place, simple as that. I no longer work there either. I have always hoped that staff would open their eyes to how they are being used and abused by ‘the family’, and some saw the writing on the wall and bailed, the rest have been woken up recently. And THAT is a real shame. The only ones that don’t realise that the Wild name is mud, are the Wilds. I wish all the frontliners a better future. Many will get jobs with REX, and REX deserves the community’s full support. Money will stay in the community, and the cycle of aviation life will continue.
Come December 31 there will be 60 people left at Skytrans. Word has it that by the end of February it will be all over. But folks don’t blame Campbell Newman or anybody else, blame Skytrans inept management. Folks please wake up and see through the lies as the family attempts to save face and escape with a clean sheet. They are and have been the problem. And as for the rumours about blimps, Taipans autographs and office desks on gumtree it is all true.

Oh, and Simon, in the below links, you are meant to wear a hi-vis vest and ASIC on the ramp. Wonder what CASA and OTS think? Another flagrant disregard of procedures we have come to expect.

Cairns-based airline Skytrans looks to new services after losing contract to Rex Aviation | Business News | Business and Finance News | | Cairns Post

Skytrans in it for the long haul, to expand services to Cape York after contract loss | Cairns Post