• What the trolls said when an Aboriginal woman started an airline
• Why Desert Alliance members drove 16 hours to get to a meeting
• The seat shortage that pushed a mining contractor into the sky

When Dr Amanda Healy announced she had co-founded an airline, the abuse arrived fast."The kickback that we got, and certainly that I got when I announced that we had started the airline, was interesting and fascinating to say the very least," Dr Healy told the AEMEE conference in Broome on Wednesday.

"All the rednecks came out in force making smart-aleck comments about how much the government was paying for it, how 'we'd sniff all the petrol before we took off'. You know, all of those sorts of things that come out."

The Wonnarua woman co-founded Indigenous maintenance and engineering company Warrikal. In July she launched Altura Airlines from Perth with aviation executives Michael Evans and Phil Garcia of Maroomba Airlines. She gave the room on Yawuru Country one message.

"If I can do it, anyone can," she said.

The seat problem

Dr Healy said the airline grew out of a problem every resources contractor knows. She worked for BHP, Rio Tinto and WMC before starting her first business in Port Hedland in 2003.

"There were common issues in the industry no matter where you worked: not enough beds, cars, transport, let alone for short-term maintenance issues," she said.

Workforce is Warrikal's biggest cost. Shutdowns often line up with slowdowns in shipping, production, loading or mining, and the timing "can change in a moment".

"It's hard to get enough seats on a plane to meet the needs of our clients," she said. "During the COVID years, it was difficult to get regular plane services, and you may be aware that many of those flights that used to exist still don't."

She started looking for a fix in earnest in late 2023. A Perth law firm introduced her to Mr Evans and Mr Garcia. One was a former operations manager at Cathay Pacific. The other was Qantas's engineering manager in Karratha for the aircraft flying the Pilbara. Maroomba has flown for 45 years, and the pair took it over seven years ago.

"We agreed that we could work together to improve service, create opportunity, and vertically integrate my existing business to provide a more comprehensive solution for our clients," Dr Healy said.

"Flying is not really something that was ever on my bingo card, and I'm definitely not planning on learning how to, but I'm keen to delve into the business side of flying."

Off the roads

This year Altura is flying Indigenous Desert Alliance members to meetings in Alice Springs. Dr Healy said she was surprised to learn that some members had driven 15 or 16 hours to get to the alliance's annual meetings.

"Such a safety hazard," she said. "We were really excited to be able to provide some alternative to that environment and hopefully save a few lives."

Altura's fleet of Dash 8 turboprops seats between 36 and 80 passengers. It has three Airbus A320s on order, each carrying about 170 people, for mining, regional and interstate work. Dr Healy said she hoped to have them flying early in the new year. The airline has hangar space at Perth Airport and will move to Terminal 2 when the jets arrive.

Pilots from the mob

Altura has three young Indigenous people on pilot scholarships.

"Next time we hopefully will have a couple of Indigenous people doing the flying," Dr Healy said. "So watch this space. We hope we're opening an exciting new industry for some of our future employees."

The training plan covers the whole operation, from engineering and logistics to catering and ground operations.

"We'll make sure opportunities will be open to our mob," she said.

The name comes from the Spanish word for altitude. Dr Healy said it "reflects our desire to make sure we do everything we can to the highest level".

She linked the venture to economic participation more broadly.

"I think it's the only way our people will finally begin to close the gaps and work with self-determination and take responsibility for our own futures," she said. "In my view, it's been stacked against us for some time. It is a bold step, and it has been an interesting ride."

Advice for the room

Dr Healy gave the business owners in the audience four pieces of advice.

"Take opportunities where you can," she said. "No opportunity is too big or too small."

On partnerships: "Are you looking for huge learning opportunities or solid income? Each of which are achievable, or both together. But make sure you structure your discussions around what works for you."

On risk: "Don't be afraid to take risks, but make sure you think about them carefully and talk to friends, lawyers, whoever you can. It should not be a secret what you're planning."

On Elders: "I'm an Elder. I'm old, that's for sure, but I'm always happy to help people when I can and happy to impart any knowledge or understanding that I have."

Dr Healy ended by comparing business with culture.

"If we did not practise culture, it would lose its relevance and wouldn't have any impact on us as a community; it is exactly the same for business," she said. "We tend to consider stepping into something more challenging to be out of our scope. It's not. You can do it too."