Capiteq Pty Limited,
trading as Airnorth, is a
regional airline
A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...
based at
Darwin International Airport
Darwin International Airport is the busiest airport serving the Northern Territory and the tenth busiest airport in Australia. It is the only airport serving Darwin.
The airport is located in Darwin's northern suburbs, from Darwin city ...
in
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory.
It is the smalle ...
, Australia. It operates scheduled and charter services in the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
.
Airnorth carries over 300,000 passengers per year.
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
The Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA) is a non-profit organisation representing the interests of regional aviation in Australia. RAAA has approximately 100 members and 2500 employees. They Provide air transportation in Australia ...
(RAAA).
History
![Airnorth offices and maintenance hangar at Darwin Airport](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Airnorth_offices_and_maintenance_hangar_at_Darwin_Airport.jpg)
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.
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
The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996. ...
as well as a
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
.
In 1992 the Skyport Group became a major shareholder and in 1993 was sold to Capiteq Ltd and renamed to Airnorth Regional.
During the 1990s, Airnorth had a well established regional network and by 1997 had introduced both
Fairchild Metro 23 and
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia is a twin-turboprop 30-passenger commuter airliner designed and manufactured by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.
The EMB 120 began development during 1974. While initially conceived as a modular series ...
turboprop aircraft to the fleet.
Beginning in September 1999, Airnorth operated charters from Darwin to
Dili, East Timor
Dili (Portuguese/Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in b ...
, on behalf of the
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), ( pt, Administração Transitória das Nações Unidas em Timor Leste), was a United Nations mission in East Timor that aimed to solve the decades long East Timorese cri ...
. In 2000, this became a scheduled service, Airnorth's first international route.
In 2007, Airnorth introduced the
Embraer ERJ-170
The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer.
The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding ...
to its fleet, the first jet aircraft operated by the airline. In 2012, it announced a direct service between Darwin and
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
, the first Australian airline to offer a non-stop connection between these cities.
On 5 February 2015, it was announced that
Bristow Helicopters
Bristow Helicopters Limited is a British civil helicopter operator originally based at Aberdeen Airport, Scotland, which is currently a part of the U.S.-based Bristow Group (, S&P 600 component) which in turn has its corporate headquarters in ...
Australia Ltd., a division of the US-based
Bristow Group, had acquired an 85 percent controlling interest in Airnorth. Bristow stated that Airnorth would retain its name and brand identity. Later in 2015 Bristow Helicopters Australia purchased the remaining shares to obtain full ownership.
Under Bristow's ownership, Airnorth responded to a downturn in the mining industry, restructuring the route network by withdrawing services to
Karratha,
Port Hedland
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
and the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
. A fifth ERJ-170 joined the fleet in 2016. The increased availability of the jets allowed expansion into South East Queensland and Victoria, commencing operations between
Wellcamp Airport near
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...
to
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
and
Cairns
Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...
from March 2016. Within months the airline added further flights from Wellcamp to Townsville with all three new routes codesharing with Qantas.
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.
Destinations
![AirnorthFairchildMetro23KununurraAirport](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/AirnorthFairchildMetro23KununurraAirport.jpg)
The airline operates over 300 scheduled and contract charter departures weekly, serving 21 domestic and international destinations including:
*Northern Territory
**
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
**Bootu Creek*
**
Darwin
**
Elcho Island
Elcho Island, known to its traditional owners as Galiwin'ku (Galiwinku) is an island off the coast of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group located in the East Arnhe ...
**
Gove
**
Groote Eylandt
Groote Eylandt ( Anindilyakwa: ''Ayangkidarrba'' meaning "island" ) is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the fourth largest island in Australia. It was named by the explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 and is Dutch for "Large Island" in ...
**
Katherine
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and Catherina, other variations are feminine Given name, names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria ...
**
Maningrida
Maningrida, also known as Manayingkarírra and Manawukan, is an Aboriginal community in the heart of the Arnhem Land region of Australia's Northern Territory. Maningrida is east of Darwin, and north east of Jabiru. It is on the North Central ...
**
McArthur River Mine
**
Milingimbi
Milingimbi Island, also Yurruwi, is the largest island of the Crocodile Islands group off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia.
Location
Milingimbi lies approximately east of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and west of N ...
**
Tennant Creek
Tennant Creek ( wrm, Jurnkkurakurr) is town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the seventh largest town in the Northern Territory, and is located on the Stuart Highway, just south of the intersection with the western termin ...
*Queensland
**
Cairns
Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...
**
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...
**
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
*Timor Leste
**
Dili
Dili (Portuguese/Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in ...
*Victoria
**
Melbourne (Tullamarine)
*Western Australia
**
Broome
**
Kununurra
**
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
**
Truscott
In addition to scheduled flights, Airnorth operates charter services for a wide variety of companies including mining & resources, defence and government clients.
Fleet
![Airnorth Embraer ERJ-170-100LR 170LR PER Lim](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Airnorth_Embraer_ERJ-170-100LR_170LR_PER_Lim.jpg)
, the Airnorth fleet consists of the following aircraft:
Incidents and accidents
![Airnorth Brasilia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Airnorth_Brasilia.jpg)
*On 22 March 2010, one of Airnorth's
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia is a twin-turboprop 30-passenger commuter airliner designed and manufactured by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.
The EMB 120 began development during 1974. While initially conceived as a modular series ...
aircraft (registration VH-ANB) crashed into bushland near the
RAAF Base Darwin
RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport, for civil aviation purposes. The herit ...
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.
References
External links
Airnorth
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{{Airlines of Australia
{{Regional Aviation Association of Australia
{{Qantas Group
Airlines established in 1978
Australian companies established in 1978
Regional Aviation Association of Australia
Companies based in Darwin, Northern Territory
Qantas