Pearl Aviation is an Australian aviation company that operates charter (some in support of the mining industry) and medical evacuation flights, as well as navigational aid flight inspection services, flight centres and ground handling. It is part of the Paspaley Group. Its main base and flight centre is
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 ...
.
History
The airline was formed and started operations in 1964. It was acquired by
Ansett Airlines
Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Australia. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into Adminis ...
in 1987. The company was divided into airline and non-airline operations and the non-airline operations were purchased in 1996 by
Paspaley Pearling (which by that time had been operating aircraft to its pearl farms for over ten years) and renamed. One of the divisions of east–west that was purchased was an operation at
Sydney Airport
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (colloquially Mascot Airport, Kingsford Smith Airport, or Sydney Airport; ; ) is an international airport in Sydney, Australia, located 8 km (5 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the ...
, conducting air ambulance flights for the
Ambulance Service of New South Wales
NSW Ambulance, previously the Ambulance Service of NSW, is an agency of NSW Health and the statutory provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
Established pursuant to the and op ...
. In 2004 Pearl Aviation was awarded a ten-year contract to operate four
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. ...
s configured as air ambulances for the Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service, after losing a similar Ambulance Service of New South Wales contract to the
Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...
the previous year. In 2010 the Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service terminated the contract with Pearl Aviation.
AeroPearl is a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
between Pearl Aviation and
Aerodata AG of
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, based at Brisbane Airport. It operates under contract to
Airservices Australia
Airservices Australia is an Australian Government owned corporation, responsible for providing safe, secure, efficient and environmentally responsible services to the aviation industry within the Australian Flight Information Region (FIR). S ...
; it uses two
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. ...
s to check the network of Australian civil aviation
navaids, and has also performed similar work in various Asian countries.
Fleet
Current fleet
As of November 2021 the Pearl Aviation fleet includes:
* 2
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. ...
* 0
Fairchild Metroliner
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 San ...
*
Dornier 328
The Dornier 328 is a turboprop-powered commuter airliner. Initially produced by Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH, the firm was acquired in 1996 by Fairchild Aircraft. The resulting firm, named Fairchild-Dornier, manufactured the 328 family in Oberpfaffe ...
* 3
Grumman Mallard
The Grumman G-73 Mallard is a medium, twin-engined amphibious aircraft. Many have been modified by replacing the original Pratt & Whitney Wasp H radial engines with modern turboprop engines. Manufactured from 1946 to 1951, production ended when ...
*
Dassault Falcon 900
The Dassault Falcon 900, commonly abbreviated as the F900, is a French-built corporate trijet aircraft made by Dassault Aviation.
Development
The Falcon 900 is a development of the Falcon 50, itself a development of the earlier Falcon 20. Th ...
The Dornier 328 aircraft were operated from four separate bases in Australia on a ten-year contract for the
Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's international maritime obligations. The authority ...
(AMSA). Some 120 staff are involved in providing the service.
The Grumman Mallard aircraft are operated in support of the Paspaley Pearling Company's ship fleet.
Former fleet
In 2016 Pearl Aviation scaled back its charter services from Darwin due to reduced demand from the mining sector. At that time its fleet included the following aircraft:
* 11 Beechcraft Super King Air
* 4 Fairchild Metroliner
* 3
Cessna Citation II
The Cessna Citation II are light corporate jets built by Cessna as part of the Citation family.
Stretched from the Citation I, the Model 550 was announced in September 1976, first flew on January 31, 1977, and was certified in March 1978.
The ...
* 1
IAI Westwind
The IAI Westwind is a business jet initially produced by Aero Commander as the 1121 Jet Commander.
Powered by twin GE CJ610 turbojets, it first flew on January 27, 1963, and received its type certification on November 4, 1964, before the first ...
At December 2009 the Pearl Aviation fleet consisted of:
[Australian civil aircraft register search](_blank)
using "AeroRescue" as the Registered Operator search parameter. Search conducted 2009-12-30.[Australian civil aircraft register search](_blank)
using "Paspaley" as the Registered Owner search parameter. Search conducted 2009-12-30.Australian civil aircraft register search
using "Pearl Aviation" as the Registered Operator search parameter. Search conducted 2009-12-30.
*3 Beechcraft B300 Super King Air 350
See also
*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 1964
Australian companies established in 1964
Companies based in Darwin, Northern Territory
Former seaplane operators
Charter airlines of Australia