Summary Western Australia is the largest state in Australia, surpassing Texas and Alaska. Aviation is vital in Australia due to the vast distances between major centers and providing air shuttles to various mines not easily accessible by road. Small carriers like Skytrans, Airnorth, Alliance, Sharp, and Link are essential for connectivity in Australia.
Australia is big; from east to west, it's 3,860 kilometers (2,938 miles) wide, and the entire continental United States fits inside it. Do you think Texas or Alaska is big? They don't even come close to Western Australia, the country's biggest state. The Oceanic country has a population of just over 26 million inhabitants scattered across its six states and two territories, and aviation remains vital in keeping the country connected, given its vast distances between major centers.
When it comes to Australian aviation, many readers will already know many of the nation's key airlines, which include: Qantas , the national flag carrier of Australia, operates 127 aircraft across seven bases. virgin australia , Sir Richard Branson's Australian venture, operating 96 aircraft across five bases. REX, the carrier that connects the regions, recently had a growing inter-state network before it abruptly went into administration.
Operating 57 regional aircraft, excluding its grounded mainline jet fleet, from 11 bases. jetstar , the low-cost arm of flag carrier Qantas, operating 83 aircraft across ten bases. Earlier today Australia’s REX grounded its Boeing 737 fleet after entering voluntary administration.
(One should note that its regional jet offering is still running). The news comes just months after Australian carrier Bonza also shuttered flights. REX and Bonza’s Boeing 737 fleets were both trying to break into a market that has traditionally been a strong duopoly between flag carrier Qantas and Virgin Australia.
It appears that this was a tougher duopoly to crack than both had bet on. What do you think went wrong for REX? Let us know in the comments below! (Photo: REX) However, many smaller carriers are integral to keeping Australia moving. Many of these airlines operate within their respective states, but they are growing their national presence and even connecting to some unique international destinations.
While we won't be covering every airline in Australia in this article, let's look into, and learn more about five integral Australian airlines. Get all the latest airline route news right here 1 Skytrans Fleet size: Seven aircraft Based in Queensland, Skytrans is an Australian airline focusing on Cairns , Rockhampton, and Townsville air services. The airline operates regular scheduled service, charter, and ACMI services predominantly to Cairns, Brisbane, Horn Island, Rockhampton, and Townsville.
The airline was initially founded in 1990 and took flight in 1993. The carrier went into administration in 2015 and was rebranded two months later. In March 2024, one of the world's largest acmi management companies, Avia Solutions Group, announced its plans to acquire the airline, which was eventually completed later that month.
According to ch-Aviation , the airline fleet is made up of seven aircraft, including: Aircraft Active Inactive DHC-8-100 4 1 DHC-8-300 1 - DHC-8-Q300 1 - While the carrier might be considered small given its fleet size, Skytrans has continued to deliver multimillion-dollar sponsorships and endorsements to communities throughout Queensland. The airline is known for generous donations to over 250 organizations, including the Cairns Taipans (Northern Pride Rugby team), AFL Kickstart, Choice Business Australia, The Queensland Cancer Council, and Harold's House. A small Australian airline has caught the eye of Europe's Avia Solutions Group and is now being acquired by its suitor.
2 Airnorth Fleet size: 11 aircraft From its home at Darwin International Airport (DRW), Capiteq Pty Limited, which trades as Airnorth , is a regional carrier that connects the Northern Territory to Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and East Timor. The airline operates scheduled and charter services and, on average, carries over 300,000 passengers annually. Owned by Bristow Helicopters Limited, the British Civil Helicopter operator based in Aberdeen , Scotland, is currently part of the US-based Bristow Group.
Destinations in the carrier's network include: State Destinations Northern Territory Alice Springs, Bootu Creek, Darwin, Elcho Island, Gove, Groote Eylandt, Katherine, Maningrida, McArthur River Mine, Milingimbi, Tennant Creek Queensland Cairns, Townsville Western Australia Broome, Kununurra, Perth, Truscott International Timor Leste (East Timor) Dili Historically operating with turboprop aircraft such as the Fairchild Metro 23 and Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia , until 2007, the airline introduced the Embraer ERJ-170 aircraft to the fleet, the first time the carrier had operated a jet aircraft. On average, the airline operates up to 300 scheduled and charter services weekly, and its fleet today is made up of: Aircraft Active Inactive EMB-120ER Three Two ERJ 170-100LR Three - ERJ 190-100AR Two - ERJ 190-100LR One - Previously being the sole carrier to operate between Australia and East Timor, recently Qantas also took up the route in March 2022, facing direct competition on Airnorths' route, which it had for a long time held the monopoly. Read more about international operators serving Darwin below.
Some might surprise you: Bali, Dili, and Singapore are it's three international destinations. Have you heard the Simple Flying podcast recently? 3 Alliance Airlines Fleet size: 74 aircraft Alliance Airlines hub is at Brisbane International Airport and has operating bases nationwide, including Adelaide, Cairns, Perth, Townsville, Darwin, and Rockhampton. The airline owns and operates Fokker and Embraer jet aircraft and extensive fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) air charter services for the bustling Australian mining and resources industry.
A growing part of the airline's success has also been private air charters throughout Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and South East Asia, providing aircraft component sales and leasing worldwide. With 74 aircraft currently in its fleet, it has another five on order: Aircraft Active Inactive To be delivered Fokker 70 Nine Four - Fokker 100 22 Three One Embraer 190-100AR 30 Four Four Embraer 190-100LR One One - In August 2020, Alliance announced its intention to grow its jet fleet by adding 14 Embraer E190 aircraft. By December 2020, the order was extended for an additional 16, rounding out 30.
In February 2023, Alliance announced again that it would look to acquire more E190s, this time from Aercap, and are receiving delivery sporadically between September 2023 and January 2026. The airline utilizes its fleet to provide several leasing arrangements with other Australian carriers, which include Qantas, Virgin Australia, and Airnorth; more details are below: Qantas ; 26 x Embraer 190s, since 2021, to operate routes under the QantasLink brand in a wet lease agreement. Virgin Australia , for Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 wet lease agreements to operate its Virgin Australia Regional services in Western Australia.
Airnorth , for three Embraer E190 in a dry lease agreement. For years Embraer worked tirelessly to introduce its regional jets to Australian airlines and now the E190 has found its niche at Alliance Airlines. Australia's flag carrier pursued an interest in the airline in 2019, acquiring a 19.
9% shareholding. It has utilized its partnership with the airline to operate various routes; a popular example of this was Qantas' return of the Brisbane to Wellington route last October, where it initially deployed one of Alliance E190 to shuttle passengers to the New Zealand capital. Read more about it here .
Discover more aviation news for Australia and Oceania here 4 Sharp Airlines Fleet size: 20 aircraft Based in Hamilton, Victoria, Sharp Airlines is a regional carrier focused on airline services in Australia's southern states. Its primary operating bases are Essendon, adelaide airport , Launceston, and Brisbane. It also provides charter flights across Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia.
It maintains a maintenance base in Tasmania at Launceston Airport (LST). While the carrier has several public scheduled routes, it also maintains many charter services to mine sites throughout South Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory. These routes are facilities by its Metro III and Metro 23 aircraft.
A dedicated freight service from Brisbane Airport is operated up the Queensland Coast on behalf of TGE (Team Global Express). According to the Australian civil aircraft register , the airline's fleet is comprised of: Aircraft Number in fleet Passenger capacity Primary use Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III Five 19 Regular public transport (RPT) and charter Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III Three - Cargo Fairchild SA227-DC Metro 23 Ten 19 Regular public transport (RPT) and charter Fairchild SA227-DC Metro 23 Two - Cargo 5 Link Airways Fleet size: 19 aircraft Technically, Vee H Aviation Ptv Ltd, operating as Link Airways, the carrier was established by its parent company, Corporate Air, starting in 2016 under the Fly Corporate brand. Corporate Air had already been operating air charters since 1972.
Fly Corporate went on to establish bases in Brisbane and Canberra to operate regional destinations across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. It also has a heavy maintenance facility at Goulburn Airport, New South Wales. In August 2020, the airline rebranded to widen its target market and was rejuvenated as Link Airways.
Later that year, the airline began scheduled services between CanberraAirport and Hobart, six services a week, and Newcastle, up to 11 services weekly. By 2022, the airline had partnered with Virgin Australia to operate wet lease flights between Canberra and Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport on their behalf. Earlier this year, Link further deepened its relationship with Virgin Australia, announcing on January 18th that VA would start codesharing on 17 regional routes with Link, including ten destinations from Brisbane, three from Melbourne, and two from Canberra and Sydney.
In preparation for the announcement, Link moved its then-Melbourne terminal from Essendon Airport to Tullamarine on January 7. According to the Australian civil aircraft register , the airline's fleet is made up of: Aircraft Number in fleet Registration Saab 340B Plus 11 VH-VEA, VH-VEQ, VH-VER, VH-VEC, VH-VED, VH-VEB, VH-VEF, VH-VEM, VH-VEO, VH-VEP, VH-VEZ Cessna 441 Conquest Four VH-VEW, VH-VEJ, VH-VEH, VH-VEY Beechcraft Baron G-58 One VH-VEG Fairchild SA227-DC Three VH-VEK, VH-VET, VH-VEU Frequent travelers on Link Airways have the opportunity to earn Virgin Australia Velocity miles as part of its adopted frequent flier program through its partnership with Virgin, and passengers onboard its Saab 340B Plus services are treated to drinks and refreshments onboard. Passengers onboard the Fairchild aircraft are provided snacks upon boarding its Saab 340B aircraft can accommodate 34 passengers with a captain, first officer, and one cabin crew, while the Fairchild seats 19 with just a captain and first officer.
According to the airline's website , both aircraft have a cruising altitude of 20,000 feet and a max speed of 310 miles (500 kilometers) per hour. Passengers on Virgin Australia and Link Airways flights can now enjoy an expanded regional network thanks to the new codeshare partnership. Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying.
