Airnorth

Airnorth
IATA ICAO Callsign
TL ANO TOPEND
Founded 1978
Hubs Darwin International Airport, Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport
Frequent-flyer program Qantas Frequent Flyer
Alliance Qantas
Fleet size 13
Destinations 22
Company slogan "Together We Fly"
Parent company Bristow Helicopters Australia
Headquarters Darwin, Northern Territory Australia
Key people
  • Dapo Oyeleke, (Director)
  • Michael Bridge, (Director)
  • Adam Peacock, (Company Secretary)
  • Daniel Bowden, (CEO)
  • Peter McNally, (COO)
Website airnorth.com.au

Capiteq Limited,[1] trading as Airnorth, is a regional airline[2] based at Darwin International Airport in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.[3] It operates scheduled and charter services in the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and East Timor.[4]

Airnorth carries in excess of 300,000 passengers per year[5]

Aircraft Logistics is the Engineering division of the Airnorth Group, an authorised Part 145 maintenance provider, and occupies a 3,700sqm hangar located at Darwin Airport.

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. 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 King Air as well as a Douglas DC3.[6] In 1993 the Skyport Group became a major shareholder and Capiteq Ltd was formed. It was formerly known as Air North International. During the 1990s, Airnorth had a well established regional network and by 1997 had introduced both Fairchild Metroliner and Embraer Brasilia turboprop aircraft to the fleet.[6]

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

In October 2003 Airnorth acquired the assets of Airlines of South Australia (ASA) with the intention of gradually merging the two companies and operating under Airnorth's Air Operator's Certificate. In March 2004 Airnorth acquired the assets of Emu Airways, but in 2005 sold off both ASA and Emu. On 9 November 2005, ASA and Emu Airways ceased operations.

In 2007 Airnorth introduced the Embraer E170 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[7] Bristow stated that Airnorth would retain its name and brand identity.[8] Later in 2015 Bristow Helicopters Australia purchased the remaining shares to obtain full ownership.[5]

Under Bristow's ownership Airnorth responded to a downturn in the mining industry, restructuring the route network by withdrawing services to Karratha, Port Hedland[9] and the Gold Coast.[10] A fifth E170 joined the fleet in 2016.[11] The increased availability of the jets allowed expansion into South East Queensland and Victoria, commencing operations between the new Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport near Toowoomba to Melbourne and Cairns from March 2016.[12] Within months the airline added further flights from Wellcamp to Townsville with all three new routes codesharing with Qantas.[13]

Destinations

Airnorth Fairchild Metro 23 at Kununurra Airport

The airline operates over 300 scheduled and contract charter departures weekly, serving over 20 domestic and international destinations including:

In addition to scheduled flights, Airnorth operates ad-hoc charter services for a wide variety of companies including mining & resources, defence and government clients. [14] [15]

Fleet

Airnorth Embraer 170 at Perth Airport

As of January 2017 the Airnorth fleet consists of the following aircraft:[16][17]

Airnorth Fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers
Embraer ERJ-170 5 0 76
Embraer EMB-120 5 0 30
Metro 23 3 0 19
Total 13 0

Incidents and accidents

Airnorth Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia at Darwin International Airport during the dry season.

On-time performance

Airnorth does not currently report on-time performance through the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "Australian Business Number results for Capiteq/Airnorth".
  2. ↑ "CASA website link to Airnorth's Air Operator Certificate".
  3. ↑ "Contact us." Airnorth. Retrieved on 10 February 2011. "Administration 4 Lancaster Road, Marrara."
  4. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. pp. 70–71.
  5. 1 2 http://www.airnorth.com.au/about-airnorth
  6. 1 2 "Airnorth Operates Sophisticated Regional Jets in Some of the World’s Most Challenging Environments". Bristow Group. 18 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Desloires, Vanessa; Thompson, Sarah (6 February 2015). "Bristow Group buys 85pc Airnorth stake". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "Bristow Helicopters Australia Acquires Controlling Interest In Airnorth" (Press release). Houston, Texas: Bristow Group. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "Airnorth axes Pilbara flights to the Kimberley and Darwin". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Stevenson, A (14 April 2015). "Airnorth to stop Mount Isa-Gold Coast direct flights as mining downturn impacts". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  11. ↑ Butt, P (25 September 2016). "Airnorth expects new jet to prove popular with passengers". Northern Territory News.
  12. ↑ "Airnorth begins Wellcamp operations". Australian Aviation. 14 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Airnorth expands from Wellcamp with new Townsville flights". Australian Aviation. 9 September 2016.
  14. ↑ http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2011/11/16/283521_news.html
  15. ↑ http://www.airnorth.com.au/plan-your-trip/destinations
  16. ↑ Australian civil aircraft register search, using "Capiteq" as the search parameter.
  17. ↑ "Our Fleet". Airnorth.
  18. ↑ "Two pilots killed in Darwin plane crash". Northern Territory News. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  19. ↑ "Media briefing: Aircraft accident at Darwin Airport". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  20. ↑ "Two killed in plane crash at Darwin". Australian Associated Press. Sydney Morning Herald. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  21. ↑ "Airline On Time Performance Statistics —Monthly".
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