Airnorth

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]

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
  • Toowoomba
  • 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.

Airnorth Embraer ERJ-170 at Perth Airport

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

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]

Media related to Airnorth at Wikimedia Commons

• Airnorth