Company:Airnorth

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Short description: Australian regional airline

Airnorth
Airnorth logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
TL ANO TOPEND
Founded1978
HubsDarwin International Airport
Frequent-flyer programNone[1]
Fleet size12
Destinations21
Parent companyBristow Helicopters Australia
HeadquartersDarwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Key peopleDaniel Bowden (CEO)
Websiteairnorth.com.au

Capiteq Pty Limited,[2] trading as Airnorth, is a regional airline[3] based at Darwin International Airport in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.[4] It operates scheduled and charter services in the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and East Timor.[5]

Airnorth carries over 300,000 passengers per year.[6]

Aircraft Logistics is a subsidiary company and the Part 145 Engineering division of Airnorth. Aircrew Logistics is a subsidiary company that employs the pilots and cabin crew for Airnorth.

Airnorth is a member of the Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA).

History

Airnorth headquarters at Darwin Airport.

Airnorth was established in 1978 and started operations on 4 July that year as Air North International; it was the result of the merger of Airnorth, Rossair and Tillair.[7]

It operated charter flights only until scheduled services were introduced in 1981. At this time, the airline's fleet included the first turbine powered aircraft in the Northern Territory, a Beechcraft Super King Air as well as a Douglas DC-3.[8] In 1992 the Skyport Group became a major shareholder and in 1993 was sold to Capiteq Ltd and renamed to Airnorth Regional.[7] During the 1990s, Airnorth had a well established regional network and by 1997 had introduced both Fairchild Metro 23 and Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprop aircraft to the fleet.[8]

Beginning in September 1999, Airnorth operated charters from Darwin to Dili, East Timor, on behalf of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor. In 2000, this became a scheduled service, Airnorth's first international route.

In 2007, Airnorth introduced the Embraer ERJ-170 to its fleet, the first jet aircraft operated by the airline. In 2012, it announced a direct service between Darwin and Townsville, the first Australian airline to offer a non-stop connection between these cities.

On 5 February 2015, it was announced that Bristow Helicopters Australia Ltd., a division of the US-based Bristow Group, had acquired an 85 percent controlling interest in Airnorth.[9] Bristow stated that Airnorth would retain its name and brand identity.[10] Later in 2015 Bristow Helicopters Australia purchased the remaining shares to obtain full ownership.[6]

Under Bristow's ownership, Airnorth responded to a downturn in the mining industry, restructuring the route network by withdrawing services to Karratha, Port Hedland[11] and the Gold Coast.[12] A fifth ERJ-170 joined the fleet in 2016.[13] The increased availability of the jets allowed expansion into South East Queensland and Victoria, commencing operations between Wellcamp Airport near Toowoomba to Melbourne and Cairns from March 2016.[14] Within months the airline added further flights from Wellcamp to Townsville with all three new routes codesharing with Qantas.[15]

Bristow Group announced ongoing concerns regarding its financial position and its ability for future operations over the subsequent 12 months. In April 2019 a major shareholder was pushing for the board to be replaced and underperforming Airnorth and Eastern Airlines to be sold.[16]

Destinations

Airnorth Fairchild Metro 23 at Kununurra Airport

The airline operates over 300 scheduled and contract charter departures weekly, serving 21 domestic and international destinations including:

  • Northern Territory
    • Alice Springs
    • Bootu Creek*
    • Darwin
    • Elcho Island
    • Gove
    • Groote Eylandt
    • Katherine
    • Maningrida
    • McArthur River Mine
    • Milingimbi
    • Tennant Creek
  • Queensland
    • Cairns
    • Townsville
  • Timor Leste
    • Dili
  • Western Australia
    • Broome
    • Kununurra
    • Perth
    • Truscott

In addition to scheduled flights, Airnorth operates charter services for a wide variety of companies including mining & resources, defence and government clients. [17] [18]

Airnorth previously flew to Melbourne, Victoria before terminating the service in early 2022.

Fleet

Airnorth Embraer ERJ-170 at Perth Airport

(As of October 2019), the Airnorth fleet consists of the following aircraft:[19][20][21][22]

Airnorth Fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
Embraer EMB-120 5 — 30
Embraer ERJ-170 3 — 76
Embraer ERJ-190 3 — 94
Total 11 0

Incidents and accidents

Airnorth Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia at Darwin International Airport during the dry season.
  • On 22 March 2010, one of Airnorth's Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia aircraft (registration VH-ANB) crashed into bushland near the RAAF Base Darwin golf course at approximately 10:10 (ACST), shortly after taking off from Darwin International Airport on a training flight. The two crew members, who were the only people on board, were killed.[23][24][25]

References

  1. ↑ "https://www.qantas.com/au/en/frequent-flyer/earning-points/flights/airnorth.html " Previously, flyers could credit flights to Qantas Frequent Flyer, but this partnership ended effective 1/5/2020.
  2. ↑ "Australian Business Number results for Capiteq/Airnorth". November 2014. https://abr.business.gov.au/SearchByAbn.aspx?SearchText=24+008+137+559. 
  3. ↑ "CASA website link to Airnorth's Air Operator Certificate". 2 September 2021. https://www.casa.gov.au/search_aoc/airnorth. 
  4. ↑ "Contact us ." Airnorth. Retrieved on 10 February 2011. "Administration 4 Lancaster Road, Marrara."
  5. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: pp. 70–71. 2007-03-27. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Corporate profile | Airnorth". http://www.airnorth.com.au/about-airnorth. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Airnorth". Airline History. https://airlinehistory.co.uk/airline/airnorth-ii/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Airnorth Operates Sophisticated Regional Jets in Some of the World's Most Challenging Environments". Bristow Group. 18 June 2015. http://bristowgroup.com/bristow-news/latest-news/2015/airnorth-operates-sophisticated-regional-jets-some/. 
  9. ↑ Desloires, Vanessa; Thompson, Sarah (6 February 2015). "Bristow Group buys 85pc Airnorth stake". The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney). http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/bristow-group-buys-85pc-airnorth-stake-20150206-137n9e.html. 
  10. ↑ "Bristow Helicopters Australia Acquires Controlling Interest In Airnorth" (Press release). Houston, Texas: Bristow Group. 5 February 2015. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "Airnorth axes Pilbara flights to the Kimberley and Darwin". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 April 2016. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-19/air-north-axes-pilbara-flights-to-the-kimberley-and-darwin/7339294. 
  12. ↑ Stevenson, A (14 April 2015). "Airnorth to stop Mount Isa-Gold Coast direct flights as mining downturn impacts". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-14/regional-airline-to-stop-mount-isa-gold-coast/6390920. 
  13. ↑ Butt, P (25 September 2016). "Airnorth expects new jet to prove popular with passengers". Northern Territory News. http://www.ntnews.com.au/business/airnorth-expects-new-jet-to-prove-popular-with-passengers/news-story/f554720d3d99f9f531303073727bc3ef. 
  14. ↑ "Airnorth begins Wellcamp operations". Australian Aviation. 14 March 2016. http://australianaviation.com.au/2016/03/airnorth-begins-wellcamp-operations/. 
  15. ↑ "Airnorth expands from Wellcamp with new Townsville flights". Australian Aviation. 9 September 2016. http://australianaviation.com.au/2016/09/airnorth-expands-from-wellcamp-with-new-townsville-flights/. 
  16. ↑ Huber, Mark (22 April 2019). "Shareholder Blasts Bristow's Board, Leaders". https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2019-04-22/shareholder-blasts-bristows-board-leaders. 
  17. ↑ "Darwin direct | Townsville Bulletin News". http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2011/11/16/283521_news.html. 
  18. ↑ "Destinations". http://www.airnorth.com.au/plan-your-trip/destinations. 
  19. ↑ Australian civil aircraft register search , using "Capiteq" as the search parameter; search conducted 16 August 2022.
  20. ↑ "Our Fleet". Airnorth. https://www.airnorth.com.au/about/our-fleet-and-seat-map/. 
  21. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World: 4. October 2019. 
  22. ↑ Andrew Curran (2 February 2022). "Australia's Airnorth Adds 2 Embraer E190 Planes To Its Fleet". Simple Flying. https://simpleflying.com/air-north-2-embraer-e190s/. 
  23. ↑ "Two pilots killed in Darwin plane crash". Northern Territory News. 22 March 2010. http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2010/03/22/133611_ntnews.html. 
  24. ↑ "Media briefing: Aircraft accident at Darwin Airport". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 22 March 2010. http://www.atsb.gov.au/newsroom/2010/201006.aspx. 
  25. ↑ "Two killed in plane crash at Darwin". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press. 22 March 2010. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/two-killed-in-plane-crash-at-darwin-20100322-qq12.html. 

External links



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