Kendell

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Kendell Airlines

IATA KD	ICAO KDA	Callsign Kendell
Founded		1967
Hubs		Wagga Wagga
Frequent flyer program		Global Rewards
Member lounge		Golden Wing Club
Alliance		Star Alliance
Fleet size		23 turboprop, 16 Saab 340s, seven Fairchild Metro 23s and 12 Bombardier CRJ200 jet aircraft.
Destinations		Adelaide, Broken Hill, Ceduna, CooberPedy, Kingscote, Mt Cambier, Olympic Dam, Pt Lincoln, Whyalia, Canberra, Rockhampton, Brisbane, Melbourne, Albury, Burnie, Canberra, Devonport, Hobart, King Island, Launceston, Merimbula, Miidura, Mt Gambier, Portland, Wagga Wagga, Sydney, Ballina and Coffs Harbour
Parent company		Ansett Australia
Headquarters		Wagga Wagga, Australia
Key people		Don Kendell (founder, former owner and CEO)
Website: www.kendell.com.au

Kendell Airlines was once Australia's largest regional airline. It serviced major regional centres in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania from Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney as well as working with Ansett Australia in providing the Capital Shuttle between Sydney and Canberra. Kendell was placed into administration with its parent company, Ansett Australia Group in 2001. Unlike Ansett Australia, Kendell continued to operate a limited schedule, and also filled a temporary void left by Ansett Australia by flying between Sydney-Canberra-Melbourne and Melbourne-Mt Gambier-Adelaide.

In 2002, Kendell, and fellow Ansett subsidiary, Hazelton Airlines, were sold to a consortium known as Australiawide Airlines. In August 2002, Hazelton and Kendell, under the ownership of Australiawide Airlines , merged to create Regional Express which operate 12 of Kendell's Saab 340 aircraft.

1 History
2 The name behind the Airline
3 Fleet
- 3.1 At time of Ansett collapse
4 External links

[edit] History

Don Kendell, after training as a pilot in Australia and pursuing a successful career flying Herons, DC3s and Viscounts for British European Airways in the United Kingdom between 1955 and 1959, returned to farming in south western New South Wales.

However, aviation remained a strong interest and in 1965 he moved to Wagga Wagga to become involved in a small general aviation operation. Don and his wife Eilish later purchased the operation and incorporated it in 1967 as Premiair Aviation, an air charter and flying school company.

In 1971 he took over the Wagga Wagga-Melbourne route from Ansett, flying a Piper Navajo. At that time the name of the company was changed to Kendell Airlines and it added the West Wyalong-Sydney and Wagga Wagga-Canberra routes to start what has since become one of Australia's most successful airlines.

The network grew as Kendell added Riley Heron aircraft and, after the oil crisis of the late 1970s, its first 19-seat (eventually reduced to 16 seats) fully pressurised turboprop Fairchild Metro 2 (Metroliner) in 1979, (registered as VH-KDR, today VH-IAU). On 16 February 1985 Kendell introduced its first 34-seat Saab 340A (registered as VH-KDK) advanced technology regional airliner - the first airline in the southern hemisphere to operate the Saab - and less than 12 months later, Kendell virtually doubled its network overnight when it took over the South Australian routes of Airlines of South Australia, an operator owned by Ansett Australia. In May 1986 Kendell added its second Saab 340 (VH-KDP), and followed with its third in October 1988 (VH-KDI). Today (as of 2006) the fleet has expanded 30 Saab 340s with the current Regional Express, (including City of Mt Gambier) and 12 of the 16 Kendell Saabs still remain.

Kendell's first Aircraft, a Piper Navajo Cheiftan in the early 1970s

Since then Kendell has coped with competition and expanded its route network, adding additional Saab 340 and Metro aircraft to its fleet. Kendell has expanded partly through the acquisition of routes and services from Ansett Australia. Deregulation of the domestic trunk routes in 1990 made it difficult for trunk operators to maintain unviable regional and country services.

On the other hand, Kendell has been able to operate such services successfully with more appropriate aircraft and a lower cost structure.

Services to Burnie, Tasmania, were introduced in 1989 in the wake of the crippling pilots' dispute. This did not affect Kendell which later extended to Devonport. Wagga Wagga and Albury to Sydney were added to the network in 1995.

A further milestone was the start in March 1996, in conjunction with Ansett Australia jet services, of the "Capital Shuttle" - a high frequency service between Sydney and the nation's capital, Canberra. As part of this high quality service, Kendell operates up to 1 3 return flights a day.

Kendell's first Saab 340 City of Mt Gambier in its original livery

The "Capital Shuttle" is significant in that this was the first service where Ansett Australia and Kendell operated services on the same route. It was also the first regular service Kendell has operated on what has been traditionally defined as a trunk route.

In July and August 1996, this principle of Ansett jet services being complemented by turboprop Kendell services was extended to the Sydney-Coffs Harbour and Sydney-Ballina routes.

During the 1980s the Kendell fleet grew to include four Saab 340s (VH-KDK in 1985, KDP in 1986, KDI in 1988 and EKD in 1989) and eight Metro 2 aircraft and 1 Merlin IV (a total of 9 Metroliners), most of the latter acquired from a number of operators who did not survive the rigors of establishing an airline during this period. By 1992 it was recognised the older Metroliners needed to be replaced with new and more comfortable aircraft in the 19-passenger seat range. The 5th and final Saab 340 in the original livery VH-EKT City of Burnie and then the 6th VH-KDB (operatated in a different Netherlines livery) was added in 1990 to the Kendell Fleet.

The new Fairchild Metro 23 aircraft was selected and between 1992 and 1995 Kendell acquired seven new Metro 23s and phased out all of the older Metro 2's, five which are still operating in Australia with other private airlines (such as Horizon). The Metro 23 was almost identical, but much quieter and faster in operation. 5 of these Metroliners remain as of June 2006, 3 with Regional Express and 2 with Sunshine Express.

The continuing expansion led to additional Saab 340s (in Ansett Colour schemes) being acquired and the Saab fleet now comprises 16 of the type including new Saab 340B aircraft (and 1 more Saab 340A) which entered service starting in 1995. The original 6 Saab 340's were converted to the Ansett colour scheme and later Regional Express livery (except for VH-KDP).

Kendell's outstanding record was recognised in 1990 when it won the inaugural Civil Aviation Authority's Airways Award for Excellence for the Best Airline. Qantas and Continental Airlines were runners-up.

In August 1991, Kendell moved its head office to larger premises at 86 Bayiis Street, Wagga Wagga.

In February 1992, Kendell was awarded the prestigious Regional Airline of the Year Award by the Washington based international aviation magazine, Air Transport World.

The expansion of services has also meant expansion in staff and facilities. Kendell now has operational bases at Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney with its main engineering base at Wagga Wagga complemented by a major facility at Adelaide, line maintenance bases at Melbourne and Sydney, and the new jet maintenance base in Canberra.

Kendell has come a long, long way from its beginnings in 1967. In the first week of its scheduled service to Melbourne in 1971, Kendell carried a total of 36 passengers on its 10 return flights. Today it carries an average of more than 19,000 passengers every week on nearly 1000 flights.

Kendell's DH Heron registered VH-KAM

The major route expansion and the purchase of 12 new CRJ jet aircraft will see the airline more than double in size.

The expansion will see Kendell operate high frequency 50 seat CRJ jet services from Melbourne to Launceston and from Melbourne to Hobart. It will also extend its network to operate regional jets Melbourne to Canberra; Sydney to Canberra, Launceston and Hobart; non-stop services Canberra to Brisbane and Canberra to Adelaide; and Brisbane to Rockhampton and Mackay.

[edit] The name behind the Airline

Don Kendell

Don Kendell, founder and Chairman of the airline that bears his name, has had a life-long love of flying. The success of Kendell Airlines is due largely to his love of aviation, together with his persistence inherited from his time on the land and business acumen.

Even as a small boy on his parents' wheat and sheep property in south western New South Wales, aviation held a fascination for Don. He remembers as a seven-year-old he ran barefoot for nearly a mile through paddocks full of saffron thistle to just watch a biplane take off.

He attended Geelong College after a period at bush schools but returned to his parents' property near Lockhart, NSW, to help during a drought in 1946. But the flying bug was strong and in 1949 at the age of 19, Don took flying lessons in Wagga Wagga and soon obtained his licence.

After a period in the RAAF Reserves, successful barnstorming trips around western Victoria flying Tiger Moths and a round Australia odyssey looking for flying work, Don set off for England in 1955.

There he sat for and passed his commercial pilots licence and started working for British European Airways flying Herons, DC3s and later turboprop Viscounts. While in the United Kingdom he met and married Eilish Burke.

He returned to Australia and farming in 1959 but the aviation bug soon took hold again and in 1965 he and his wife moved to Wagga Wagga to become partners in a small flying business.

After buying out their partners, Don and Eilish Kendell set up Premiair Aviation with two Piper Cherokee aircraft. The company was incorporated in 1967 and the name changed to Kendell Airlines in 1971. Since then Kendell has grown steadily despite setbacks caused by rural downturns and the oil crisis.

In a business notorious for a very high failure rate, Kendell Airlines has prospered and grown while many other companies have come and gone.

Don Kendell's individual style and integrity has earned him enormous respect and admiration throughout the airline industry.

He has a simple philosophy: Offer a reliable, frequent service at the best possible price. He would also be the first to admit that there is no room for sentiment in the airline business - if a route does not pay then you cease to operate it. It is a yardstick that has stood him in good stead.

In 1992, Don Kendell was made a member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Queen's Birthday Honors for his services to aviation.

While retired from day to day activity with the airline, Don retained a keen interest as Chairman. Don Kendell died on 14 October 2001 [1] at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer.

[edit] Fleet

Kendell had 23 turboprop, pressurised regional airliners - 16 Saab 340s and seven Fairchild Metro 23s and was in the process of taking delivery of 12 new 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 jet aircraft. Kendell had options for a further 12 CRJ aircraft.

[edit] At time of Ansett collapse

Notice: The following information may be incorrect:

11 Bombardier Aerospace CRJ200 (VH-KJF, -KJG, -KJJ, -KJN, -KJQ, -KJS, -KJU, -KJV, -KJX, -KJY, -KXJ, -KJZ)
16 Saab 340 (VH-EKG, -EKH #, -EKK #, -EKN, -EKX #, -KDQ #, -KDR #, -KDV # and 340A VH-EKD #, -EKT #, -KDB #, -KDI #, -KDK #, -KDP, -KEQ # -LPI)
7 Fairchild Metro 23 (VH-KAN #, -KDJ @, -KDO #, -KDT, -KED #, -KEU @, -KEX @)

# Operating with current airline Regional Express
@ Operating with Sunshine Express
Note VH-KDR was re-registered as VH-ZLR in July 2006 and the door outlines changed from dark red to light grey.