Shannon is the managing director of Airlines of Tasmania (“Par Avion”), a family-owned aviation business, focusing on Flying Training and Tourism based at Cambridge Aerodrome in Hobart. He has been working here mowing lawns or washing planes since childhood. Wanting a career as an airline pilot, Shannon flew a Cessna 172 solo at age 16, gained his private licence at age 17, however, stepped away from aviation to focus on studies at the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor of Commerce & Bachelor of Information Systems, and got a graduate role at a Big 4 bank and worked here for several years, working across all parts of Tasmania and including a period in Sydney.

With “head office” applying pressure to move to the “mainland” permanently, Shannon took up a 6 month career break to return to aviation, and 11 years later hasn’t returned.

Shannon is an advocate for tourism and aviation, being actively involved in the promotion of the state through various trade missions both domestically and internationally, he feels extremely lucky to not only be able to personally fly over this beautiful state, but also promote the state as an ideal flying training location and tourism destination and share his love of this place with others.

Shannon is a Fellow in the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, a Fellow in the Institute of Managers and Leaders and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has a Diploma of Business, a Masters in Applied Finance, and was awarded the Tourism Ministers Young Achiever Award in 2015.