Steve Padgett

Steve Padgett has been in aviation for over 50 years, learning to fly at age 16 after winning a RAAF Flying Scholarship.

Steve has held a Commercial Pilot Licence, a Flight Instructor Rating with endorsements on Cessna Citation Business Jets.

Steve launched his own company, Aeromil, in 1980 in Sydney and, in 1995, moved Aeromil to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, which was the catalyst for the development of Sunshine Express Airlines in 1998 and the formation of Alliance Airlines in 2002 with Steve Padgett as Chairman.

In 2015, the Aeromil Group of Companies was acquired by Hawker Pacific, with Steve appointed Deputy Chairman of Hawker Pacific Australia.

Steve is a Life Member of the Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA). He is Chairman of the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame and, more recently, was invited to become a Member of the National Council of the Australian Air Force Cadets.

Steve Padgett is recognized as a leader in the aviation industry in the Asia-Pacific region and has been acknowledged by his peers as one of the region’s Top 10 people of influence. In 2019 Steve was awarded the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his service to aviation.