Fly Tiwi is an Australian airline based 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 ...
, offering scheduled passenger services between the Northern Territory capital and communities located on the
Tiwi,
South Goulburn and
Croker islands, as well as a number of remote
Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...
communities. The company is wholly owned by the Hardy Aviation group, Australia's largest general aviation company and was founded in 2008 in association with the
Tiwi Land Council
The Tiwi Land Council is a land council in the Northern Territory of Australia established in 1978 to represent Aboriginal Australians living on the Tiwi Islands.
It was established following requests by the Tiwi people for recognition of thei ...
and now operates over 50 flights per week between 8 destinations.
History
Schedules services under the 'Fly Tiwi' brand commenced in November 2008, offering flights on routes between Darwin and
Nguiu on Bathurst Island and connecting Darwin with
Pirlangimpi
Pirlangimpi, formerly Garden Point, is a populated place on Melville Island in the Northern Territory, Australia.
History
Pirlangimpi lies from the site of the first British settlement in northern Australia, the short-lived Fort Dundas. The ...
and
Milikapiti on Melville Island several times per day. In January 2009 a third route was added providing daily services to South Goulburn Island and the community of
Minjilang
Minjilang, formerly Mission Bay, is the Aboriginal community located on Croker Island, some east northeast of Northern Territory's capital of Darwin. It is the only settlement of any size on Croker Island, which lies a few kilometres off the ...
on Croker Island, and in May began services to
Ramingining
Ramingining is an Aboriginal Australian community of mainly Yolngu people in the Northern Territory, Australia, east of Darwin. It is on the edge of the Arafura Swamp in Arnhem Land. Wulkabimirri is a tiny outstation (homeland) nearby, and Mur ...
three times per week, adding a fifth route to
Gapuwiyak
Gapuwiyak, also known as Lake Evella, is an Aboriginal Australian community located in north-eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, south of the head of Buckingham Bay and about the same distance south-west of Arnhem Bay. The settlement had ...
twice per week in early 2010.
Fly Tiwi, since 2017, has been servicing these routes daily from Monday to Friday. On 29 June 2010, Fly Tiwi inaugurated services to
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 ...
twice per week, but has since discontinued this service. From mid-2017, Fly Tiwi added another route servicing the community of the
Milingimbi Island
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 and west of Nhulunbuy.
History
Aborigin ...
, which it also services Monday to Friday.
Fly Tiwi is a major sponsor of the
Tiwi Bombers Football Club
The Tiwi Bombers Football Club is an Australian rules football club, currently competing in the Northern Territory Football League.
The club is notable as being the first all- Aboriginal team to play in a major competition.
The team is affili ...
, providing air transport for the team to travel to Darwin to compete in the
Northern Territory Football League
The Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) is an Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory.
The league is one of few (and the highest level) Australian Rules competitions played during ...
competition since 2010.
In February 2012, Fly Tiwi was one of a number of aviation companies that participated with the
Northern Territory Police
The Northern Territory Police Force is the police body that has legal jurisdiction over the Northern Territory of Australia. This police service has 1,537 police members (as at 31 July 2019) made up of 79 senior sergeants, 228 sergeants, 839 con ...
in 'Operation Bristol', a crackdown on the trafficking of illegal drugs to remote communities which resulted in the seizure of
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
and
kava
Kava or kava kava (''Piper methysticum'': Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Greek 'intoxicating') is a crop of the Pacific Islands. The name ''kava'' is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning 'bitter'; other names for kava include ''ʻawa'' (Hawaiʻi), ...
with an estimated street value of over $300,000.
Destinations
As of 2019, Fly Tiwi offers services to the following destinations:
*
Darwin
*
Wurrumiyanga (Bathurst Island)
*
Minjilang
Minjilang, formerly Mission Bay, is the Aboriginal community located on Croker Island, some east northeast of Northern Territory's capital of Darwin. It is the only settlement of any size on Croker Island, which lies a few kilometres off the ...
(Croker Island)
*
Garden Point (Melville Island)
*
Gapuwiyak
Gapuwiyak, also known as Lake Evella, is an Aboriginal Australian community located in north-eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, south of the head of Buckingham Bay and about the same distance south-west of Arnhem Bay. The settlement had ...
(Lake Evella)
*
Milingimbi Island
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 and west of Nhulunbuy.
History
Aborigin ...
*
Ramingining
Ramingining is an Aboriginal Australian community of mainly Yolngu people in the Northern Territory, Australia, east of Darwin. It is on the edge of the Arafura Swamp in Arnhem Land. Wulkabimirri is a tiny outstation (homeland) nearby, and Mur ...
*
Milikapiti (Snake Bay)
*
Warruwi
Warruwi is a mostly Aboriginal community located on South Goulburn Island, off Arnhem Land, in the West Arnhem Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is north-east of Darwin and north-east of Jabiru.
At the 2016 census, Warruwi ...
(South Goulburn Island)
*
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 ...
Flights to and from Darwin International Airport operate out of a dedicated Fly Tiwi terminal located adjacent to the
General Aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
apron.
Fleet
Fly Tiwi scheduled flights are operated using aircraft drawn from Hardy Aviation's fleet of 32. Typically, twin piston engine, 10 seat
Cessna 402
The Cessna 401 and 402 are a series of 6 to 10 seat, light twin-piston engine aircraft. This line was manufactured by Cessna from 1966 to 1985 under the name Utiliner and Businessliner.Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: ''A Field Guide to Airplane ...
and
404 types are used for regular services. Single-engine
Cessna 208B Caravan
The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna.
The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982.
The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargoma ...
are also utilised for regular services. The fleet also includes pressurised
Fairchild Metro
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in S ...
and
Cessna 441
The Cessna 441 Conquest II is the first turboprop powered aircraft designed by Cessna, and was meant to fill the gap between their jets and piston-engined aircraft. It was developed in November 1974, with the first aircraft delivered in Septem ...
s, used for longer routes, as well as a number of smaller types that can operate charters for Fly Tiwi.
See also
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List of airlines of Australia
The airline industry in Australia began in the early 1920s with Western Australian Airways on the west coast, and Australian Aircraft and Engineering Company on the east coast. In 1921, Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (QANTAS ...
References
External links
{{Airlines of Australia
Airlines established in 2008
Australian companies established in 2008
Airlines of Australia
Regional airlines
Companies based in Darwin, Northern Territory