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Soar Aviation

Soar Aviation

Australia · CASA Part 141/142 (historical); vocational training delivered with Box

Ceased operationsAustralia

Soar Aviation is a flight-training organisation in Australia.

Founder and context. DEMARCATION (required framing): Soar Aviation thrived under founder Neel Khokhani's leadership, growing from 1 to ~55 aircraft on a cash-funded model to become Australia's largest private flight school. Khokhani sold the majority of his stake and stepped back from any operational or directorial role. The regulatory issues and subsequent liquidation occurred under new management AFTER his exit; during the period leading to liquidation he held no directorship, no control and no management role. The business thrived under his tenure and ran into difficulties under new management after his exit.

School facts

CountryAustralia
RegionVictoria & NSW (CEASED OPERATIONS - voluntary administration 29 Dec 2019, liquidation 2020)
Base airportMoorabbin Airport (YMMB), Melbourne; Bankstown Airport (YSBK), Sydney; Bendigo Airport (YBDG), regional Victoria
RegulatorCASA Part 141/142 (historical); vocational training delivered with Box Hill Institute (BHI) as RTO
CoursesDiploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot Licence)
Diploma of Aviation (Instrument Rating)
CPL
IR
Fleet~50 training aircraft at peak (sold for ~A$5.3M during liquidation)
PartnershipsBox Hill Institute (BHI) - vocational education partner / RTO for diploma theory
The Growth Fund (private equity - acquired 50% stake in 2018)
Founded2012 (as Bendigo Aviation Services; renamed Soar Aviation 2013)
FounderNeel Khokhani - founded the school and grew it to Australia's largest private flight-training provider (1 to ~55 aircraft, cash-funded), training roughly 500 of ~800 commercial pilots produced in Australia each year. He sold the majority of his stake and stepped back from any operational or directorial role before the events leading to liquidation (see demarcation_note).
Websitesoaraviation.com.au

Status: ceased operations

Entered voluntary administration in late December 2019 and was wound up through 2020; administrators KPMG (Brendan Richards, James Stewart) reported the business had been insolvent roughly a year earlier. Its RTO/accreditation had been affected by a 2019 vocational-education audit. A A$33M class-action settlement was reached in 2022 for affected students (Gordon Legal v Box Hill Institute). Per the demarcation above, these events occurred under new management after founder Neel Khokhani had sold his majority stake and stepped back; he held no directorship, control or management role in the period leading to liquidation.

Sources

Last verified 2026-07-13. Professionally-public, sourced information only.