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Airnorth

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For the Canadian airline, see Air North.

Airnorth
IATA ICAO Call sign
TL ANO TOPEND
Founded1978
HubsDarwin International Airport Perth Airport
Frequent-flyer programNone[1]
Fleet size12
Destinations21
Parent companyBristow Helicopters Australia
HeadquartersDarwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Key peopleDaniel Bowden (CEO) Simon Gibbons (COO)
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

[edit]
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 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]

In 2022, Airnorth expanded its airline seat capacity by introducing two Embraer ERJ190 aircraft to its fleet, enhancing its ability to meet growing passenger demand. By 2024, the airline has further strengthened its operations and now operates a total of three ERJ190s, providing greater flexibility, efficiency, and comfort across its regional and interstate routes.[citation needed]

Airnorth Embraer 190 VH-XFM taxiing at Perth Airport

At the beginning of 2024, Airnorth established a new base in Perth, marking a significant step in the airline's expansion strategy. This move enhances connectivity for passengers in Western Australia and strengthens Airnorth's presence in the region.[citation needed]

In recent years, Airnorth has provided ACMI (wet-lease) coverage for major Australian airlines using its Embraer E-Jet fleet. This includes wet lease partnerships with Virgin Australia, Network Aviation, and Alliance Airlines.[citation needed]

Destinations

[edit]
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:

Airnorth Embraer E-170 at Perth Airport

In addition to scheduled flights, Airnorth operates charter services for a wide variety of companies including mining & resources, defence and government clients. [16] [17]

Airnorth previously flew to Melbourne and Toowoomba before terminating the service in early 2022.

Fleet

[edit]

As of November 2024, the Airnorth fleet consists of an all Embraer fleet with the following aircraft:[18][19][20]

Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
J Y Total
Embraer EMB-120 5 — — 30 30
Embraer E-170 3 — — 76 76
Embraer E-190 3 — — 100 100 Dry leased from Alliance Airlines
Total 12 0

Airnorth also has a dry lease agreement of 3 Embraer E-190 from Alliance Airlines to complement it's existing E170 Fleet.[21]

Incidents and accidents

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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.[22][23][24]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "https://www.qantas.com/au/en/frequent-flyer/earning-points/flights/airnorth.html Archived 26 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine" 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. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  3. ^ "CASA website link to Airnorth's Air Operator Certificate". 2 September 2021. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Contact us Archived 8 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine." Airnorth. Retrieved on 10 February 2011. "Administration 4 Lancaster Road, Marrara."
  5. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 27 March 2007. pp. 70–71.
  6. ^ a b "Corporate profile | Airnorth". Archived from the original on 25 April 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Airnorth". Airline History. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Airnorth Operates Sophisticated Regional Jets in Some of the World's Most Challenging Environments". Bristow Group. 18 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  9. ^ Desloires, Vanessa; Thompson, Sarah (6 February 2015). "Bristow Group buys 85pc Airnorth stake". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  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. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  12. ^ Stevenson, A (14 April 2015). "Airnorth to stop Mount Isa-Gold Coast direct flights as mining downturn impacts". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  13. ^ Butt, P (25 September 2016). "Airnorth expects new jet to prove popular with passengers". Northern Territory News. Archived from the original on 29 September 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  14. ^ "Airnorth begins Wellcamp operations". Australian Aviation. 14 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  15. ^ "Airnorth expands from Wellcamp with new Townsville flights". Australian Aviation. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  16. ^ "Darwin direct | Townsville Bulletin News". Archived from the original on 17 April 2012.
  17. ^ "Destinations". Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  18. ^ Australian civil aircraft register search Archived 28 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, using "Capiteq" as the search parameter; search conducted 16 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Our Fleet". Airnorth. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World: 4. October 2019.
  21. ^ McMilan, Scott (28 November 2023). "Alliance Aviation Services Limited (ASX code: AQZ) 2023 Annual General Meeting Managing Director's Address" (PDF) (Press release). Alliance Aviation Services Limited. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Two pilots killed in Darwin plane crash". Northern Territory News. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  23. ^ "Media briefing: Aircraft accident at Darwin Airport". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 22 March 2010. Archived from the original on 6 June 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  24. ^ "Two killed in plane crash at Darwin". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
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