Pel-Air Aviation Pty Ltd (trading as Pel-Air) is an

airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines for ...

based in

Mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of

Regional Express Holdings Regional Express Pty. Ltd., trading as Rex Airlines (and as Regional Express Airlines on regional routes), is an Australian airline based in Mascot, New South Wales. It operates scheduled regional and domestic services. It is Australia's large ...

, which also owns Australian airline

Regional Express Airlines Regional Express Pty. Ltd., trading as Rex Airlines (and as Regional Express Airlines on regional routes), is an Australian airline based in Mascot, New South Wales. It operates scheduled regional and domestic services. It is Australia's large ...

(Rex). Pel-Air specialises in

air charter Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a airline ticket, ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad h ...

and ad hoc services, operating executive charter services throughout

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

, as well as a freight service. It also operates medevac and government support services with its fleet of Westwind aircraft. Its main bases are

Brisbane Airport Brisbane Airport is the primary international airport serving Brisbane and South East Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, in total amounting to more than 22.7 million passeng ...

Adelaide Airport Adelaide Airport , also known as Adelaide International Airport, is the principal airport of Adelaide, South Australia and the List of the busiest airports in Australia, fifth-busiest airport in Australia, servicing 8.5 million passenger ...

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 ...

and

Essendon Airport Essendon Fields Airport , colloquially known by its former name Essendon Airport, is a public airport serving scheduled commercial, corporate-jet, charter and general aviation flights. It is located next to the intersection of the Tullamarin ...

History

The company was founded in 1984 and the following year acquired its first Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Westwind aircraft. In January 1989 it commenced scheduled passenger-carrying operations in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

via subsidiary company Qwestair, initially with a leased Beech 200 Super King Air flying between

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 ...

and Telfer. A Westwind replaced the King Air in March of that year, and a

Cessna 310 The Cessna 310 is an American four-to-six-seat, low-wing, twin-engine monoplane produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engine aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II. Development The 310 first fle ...

was added in January 1992 to operate between

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 Ha ...

and Telfer via

Marble Bar Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphosed ...

and Woodie Woodie. Qwestair ceased operations in November 1995 after the Perth-Telfer route was awarded to another company, and the two Westwinds then in use returned to operations. Also in 1995 Pel-Air took over

Newcastle Aviation Pel-Air Aviation Pty Ltd (trading as Pel-Air) is an airline based in Mascot, Sydney, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Regional Express Holdings, which also owns Australian airline Regional Express Airlines (Rex). Pel-Air special ...

, an operator of

Fairchild Metro III 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 Sa ...

, and leased Metro II and

Mitsubishi MU-2 The Mitsubishi MU-2 is a Japanese high-wing, twin-engine turboprop aircraft with a pressurized cabin manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It made its maiden flight in September 1963 and was produced until 1986. It is one of postwar Japa ...

freighters. Following the takeover the Mitsubishis and Metro IIs were handed back to their owners and the Metro III fleet was expanded. In 1996 won a contract to provide support to the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

, resulting in further expansion of the fleet with the acquisition of four Learjets. In 1997 acquired several Metro II aircraft and on-sold them to the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

for use as training aids at

RAAF Base Wagga RAAF Base Wagga (formerly RAAF Base Forest Hill) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located southeastAeronautical Chart of the town of Wagga Wagga, in the suburb of Forest Hill, New South Wales, Australia. The base is ...

near

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

. In 2003 the company introduced a new type into its fleet when it took delivery of a leased

Beechcraft 1900C The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With ...

freighter. The type proved to be more expensive to operate than the Metro III and the two aircraft in the fleet were handed back to their lessors. In 2005 another new type was added to the fleet when the company placed an Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia freighter into service, for use on nightly flights between Sydney and Brisbane carrying

Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The Sydney Morning Herald' ...

newspapers. Also in 2005 it was announced that would be purchased in stages by

; the company becoming a wholly owned subsidiary in mid-2007. Also in 2007,

Aspen Medical Aspen Medical is an Australian-based health service company with operations in Australia and internationally. The company headquarters are in Canberra with regional offices in Brisbane and Perth. In 2020, the company recorded a total turnover ...

entered an existing joint venture between and CareFlight International to operate

air ambulance Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...

flights out of Darwin International Airport using one of the Westwind aircraft. pelairwestwindmascot

In June 2008 it was announced that a Pel-Air Westwind II would be based at

Perth Airport Perth Airport is an international, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. It is the fourth busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements and falls within the boundaries of ...

for use as an air ambulance in conjunction with CareFlight. This service was withdrawn in June 2009. In late 2008 the company added another new type to the fleet, when it took delivery of two

Saab 340A Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB * Saab Automobile, a fo ...

freighters, previously operated in passenger service with the parent company's other airline subsidiary

."Rex Plans to Phase Out Older Saab 340A Aircraft" - Rex Media Release
retrieved 21 January 2009. A third Saab 340 was converted to a freighter and transferred from Regional Express a year later. In February 2009 Pel-Air began

fly-in fly-out Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas by flying them temporarily to the work site instead of relocating employees and their families permanently. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is ...

operations from

Townsville Airport Townsville Airport is a major Australian regional airport that services the city of Townsville, Queensland. The airport is also known as Townsville International Airport, and Garbutt Airport, a reference to its location in the Townsville sub ...

on behalf of

Barrick Gold Barrick Gold Corporation is a mining company that produces gold and copper with 16 operating sites in 13 countries. It is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has mining operations in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Democrati ...

, after the previous operator

MacAir Airlines MacAir Airlines Pty Ltd was a regional airline based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It operated scheduled passenger services throughout Queensland from major regional locations, as well as regular and ad hoc charters for the minerals indu ...

collapsed; using Saab 340Bs of sister airline Rex to provide the service. Fly-in fly-out operations expanded later that year when flights from

on behalf of

Iluka Resources Iluka Resources is an Australian-based resources company, specialising in mineral sands exploration, project development, operations and marketing. Iluka is the largest producer of zircon and titanium dioxide-derived rutile and synthetic rutil ...

commenced in August under a three-year contract. Pel-Air (VH-VAE) Beechcraft B200C King Air, under contact for Ambulance Victoria, at Wangaratta Airport

Pel-Air (VH-VAE) Beechcraft B200C King Air, under contact for Ambulance Victoria, at Wangaratta Airport

In April 2009 Regional Express Holdings announced that due to the cancellation of a number of contracts it would cease all scheduled Metro III freight operations at the end of May. Remaining scheduled freight operations would be conducted using the Saab 340As."Rex to Cease Metro 3 Freight Services" - Regional Express Holdings Media Release
retrieved 10 June 2009. Also in April Regional Express Holdings launched RexJet Executive Charter as a division of Pel-Air, in a rebranding and expansion of the group's existing passenger air charter business. In July 2009 the parent company announced that Pel-Air had been named as preferred tenderer for the provision of air ambulance services in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. The company took over from the previous operator, 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 ...

, in mid-2011. In February 2020 Regional Express announced Pel-Air will be providing Air Ambulance services on behalf of

New South Wales Ambulance 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 oper ...

, placing an order with Beechcraft for five

King Air 350 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. ...

aircraft. Pel-Air further announced the procurement of 2

Pilatus PC-24 The Pilatus PC-24 is a light business jet produced by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. Following the success of the PC-12 single engine turboprop, work on the twin engine jet began in 2007 for greater range and speed, keeping the rugged airf ...

aircraft to be introduced into NSW ambulance service from the second half of 2023. Pel-Air will take over from the previous operator, the

, in January 2022 on a 10-year contract.

Fleet

Pel-Air (VH-EKT) Saab 340A at Sydney Airport

Pel-Air (VH-SLD) Learjet 35A taxiing at Wagga Wagga Airport

As of September 2021 the Pel-Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:Australian civil aircraft register search
using "Pel-Air" as the search parameter. *4 Hawker Beechcraft B200C King Air- Ambulance Victoria *5 Hawker Beechcraft B350 King Air- Ambulance NSW *3

IAI 1124 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 ...

*1 IAI 1124A Westwind II *3 Saab 340AF

Previously operated

* Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia * Fairchild SA-227AC Metro III * Fairchild SA-227AT Expediter * Gates Learjet 35A * Gates Learjet 36 * Gates Learjet 36A

Incidents and accidents

*On 10 October 1985 one of the company's Westwind aircraft crashed into the sea off

after departing

on a flight to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

; the two crewmembers were killed. *On 27 April 1995 the company suffered a second fatal Westwind crash when one of its aircraft hit a hill on approach to

Alice Springs Airport Alice Springs Airport is an Australian regional airport south of Alice Springs, Northern Territory. The airport was notably involved in Australia's first domestic airline hijacking, and later a suicide attack by a former airline employee wh ...

, killing the three occupants. *On 18 November 2009 a third Westwind, a 1124A Westwind II, was written-off near Norfolk Island during an air ambulance flight from

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...

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 ...

on behalf of

CareFlight CareFlight is an air medical service headquartered in Westmead, New South Wales, Australia. History CareFlight was founded in Sydney, Australia in May 1986 as an aeromedical charity. Its mission is to save lives, speed recovery ...

. The aircraft was scheduled to land at Norfolk Island to refuel but weather conditions there had deteriorated while it was en route. After several failed landing attempts the crew successfully

ditched In aviation, a water landing is, in the broadest sense, an Landing, aircraft landing on a body of water. Seaplanes, such as floatplanes and flying boats, land on water as a normal operation. Ditching is a controlled emergency landing on the ...

in open sea in darkness and bad weather. All six occupants were rescued.Australian Transport Safety Bureau Aviation Safety Investigation Report - IAI 1124A VH-NGA
retrieved 4 December 2009."CareFlight/Pel-Air Medical Evacuation Incident - Samoa to Melbourne" - Regional Express Holdings Media Release
retrieved 20 November 2009.

References

External links

Pel-Air
{{Airlines of Australia Airlines established in 1984 Australian companies established in 1984 Airlines of Australia Air ambulance services Charter airlines of Australia

History

Fleet

Previously operated

Incidents and accidents

See also

References

External links