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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]
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| Founded | 1978 | ||||||
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| Hubs | Darwin International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | None[1] | ||||||
| Fleet size | 12 | ||||||
| Destinations | 21 | ||||||
| Parent company | Bristow Helicopters Australia | ||||||
| Headquarters | Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia | ||||||
| Key people | Daniel Bowden (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | airnorth | ||||||
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).
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 E-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 E-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]
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The airline operates over 300 scheduled and contract charter departures weekly, serving 21 domestic and international destinations including:
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- Timor Leste
- Western Australia
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 and Toowoomba before terminating the service in early 2022.
As of November 2024[update], the Airnorth fleet consists of the following aircraft:[19][20][21]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | ||||
| Embraer EMB-120 | 5 | — | — | 30 | 30 | |
| Embraer E-170 | 3 | — | — | 76 | 76 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | ||||
Airnorth also has a dry lease agreement of 4 Embraer E-190 from Alliance Airlines to complement it's existing E170 Fleet.[22]
- 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]
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