QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...

and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld

airline alliance An airline alliance is an aviation industry arrangement between two or more airlines agreeing to cooperate on a substantial level. Alliances may provide marketing branding to facilitate travelers making inter-airline codeshare connections within c ...

. It is a major competitor to

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 ...

and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. As of September 2010 QantasLink provides 1,900 flights each week to 54 domestic locations.

History

QantasLink's origins as a single brand for Qantas' regional airline subsidiaries go back to October 1993, when Qantas acquired Australian Airlink Pty Ltd and its fleet from parent company

National Jet Systems National Jet Systems, formerly ''Cobham Aviation Services Australia - Airline Services'', is an Australian regional airline based at Adelaide Airport, operating regular scheduled services as part of the QantasLink brand.

, which up to that point had been operating flights on major regional routes for Australian Airlines. The Australian Airlink name remained and the fleet was repainted in Qantas livery, and National Jet Systems was subsequently contracted by Qantas to operate Australian Airlink aircraft. Prior to 2002, Qantas' various subsidiaries operated under their own names, eventually adopting the Australian Airlines, and later, Qantas liveries. In 2002 a common brand was created, encompassing AirLink (a franchise, operated by National Jet Systems), Sunstate Airlines, Eastern Australia Airlines, and Southern Australia Airlines; Southern Australia has since ceased operations. For a short while, QantasLink took over some of Qantas' non-trunk routes, such as Sydney -

Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast may refer to: * Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia **Sunshine Coast Region, a local government area of Queensland named after the region **Sunshine Coast Stadium * Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), geographic subregion of the Br ...

, using Boeing 717s that were inherited after Qantas acquired Impulse Airlines. QantasLink ceased operating some of these routes after Qantas formed low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways, transferring the Boeing 717 aircraft and routes to the new airline. In 2005/06, eight of the 717s were returned to QantasLink following Jetstar's acquisition of

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the fam ...

aircraft, to be operated in Western Australia, Northern Territory and far north Queensland by National Jet Systems. On 31 July 2015, Network Aviation was rebranded to QantasLink. This was announced by Qantas with the unveiling of a Fokker 100 in QantasLink colours. In January 2018, Network Aviation confirmed it would lease two Airbus A320s from Jetstar Airways for flights to and from Perth as part of the QantasLink brand. On 20 May 2020, Qantas announced the purchase of Cobham Australia's National Jet Systems subsidiary which had operated the Boeing 717-200 on behalf of QantasLink for 15 years, bringing both employees and the fleet in-house. On 4 February 2021, Qantas announced that they will be leasing 3 Embraer E190 with the option for up to 14 to operate on routes like Adelaide-Alice Springs, Darwin-Alice Springs, and Darwin-Adelaide.

Fleet

Current fleet

QantasLink flights, except those flown by Boeing 717, are operated by the individual airlines that make up the group - Eastern Australia Airlines, Network Aviation and Sunstate Airlines. All flights use QF

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tarif ...

codes. Turboprop aircraft operate under the

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

callsign QLK ("Q-LINK"). Until 5 January 2009, Eastern and Sunstate operated under their own callsigns. Network Aviation aircraft operate under their own callsign NWK ("NETLINK"). Boeing 717s operate under the callsign QJE ("Q-JET"). , QantasLink operates the following aircraft:

Former fleet

QantasLink previously operated the following types: * BAe 146-100 * BAe 146-200 *

BAe 146-300 The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro Internationa ...

* de Havilland Canada Dash 8-100

Gallery

File:QantasLink B717-231 (VH-NXO) departing Perth Airport.jpg, Boeing 717-200 in the former livery File:VH-LQB (15935628913).jpg, De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 in the former livery File:Network Aviation (VH-NHP) Fokker 100, in new Qantaslink "new roo" livery, taxiing at Wagga Wagga Airport (2).jpg, Fokker 100 in the current livery File:QantasLink (VH-SBB) Bombardier DHC-8-315Q Dash 8, in new QantasLink "new roo" livery, taxiing at Wagga Wagga Airport (1).jpg, De Havilland Canada Dash in current livery File:QantasLink (National Jet Systems) British Aerospace BAe-146-100 PER Smith-1.jpg, A former BAe 146-100 File:Bombardier Dash 8-102, QantasLink (Eastern Australia Airlines) JP322064.jpg, A former De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100

Fleet development

QantasLink increased capacity by replacing many of its smaller Dash 8-100 and Q200 aircraft with Q400s. QantasLink pursued this deal despite landing gear problems with Q400 aircraft by some airlines. This problem also saw a grounding of the Q400s by QantasLink, though all were deemed safe and returned to service. As part of its further expansion, QantasLink entered the South Australian market in December 2005, with flights from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

to Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island. Interstate flights were also introduced between Kangaroo Island and

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 metro ...

. Due to low passenger loads, these services ceased operation at the end of June 2006, however QantasLink announced a resumption of Melbourne to Kangaroo Island from December 2017 alongside opening up Adelaide to Kangaroo Island flights. On 8 December 2009, QantasLink announced that it would re-enter the Adelaide to Port Lincoln market from February 2010, using Q400 aircraft flying 23 return services a week. Since 2005, QantasLink 717 services in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Tasmania have been contracted to Cobham Aviation (formerly National Jet Systems), using the QantasLink brand. The hubs for QantasLink under the Cobham contract are in

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 ...

, Western Australia, Cairns, Queensland,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Queensland,

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 Mounta ...

, New South Wales,

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, Australian Capital Territory and

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, Tasmania. Qantas replaced its daily Melbourne- Launceston mainline service with a three times daily QantasLink Dash 8 service from 1 August 2006. This has now been increased to a four times daily service, supplemented in peak service periods by QantasLink 717 services. In May 2008, QantasLink announced that it would order nine 717s. Tamworth would be the first New South Wales regional airport to be serviced by the Q400, commencing in mid-August 2008. On 29 March 2010 QantasLink and the Qantas Group announced that it would start the first international QantasLink route, from Cairns to

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, utilising Q400 aircraft already based in Cairns. The service commenced in July 2010. A QantasLink spokesperson stated that "the airline would not turn into a fully fledged international airline, but could operate international routes in the future". On 18 December 2014, QantasLink announced that it would add

Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...

, South Australia, to its network, with double daily flights to commence on 13 April 2015. The route is serviced by the 50-seat Q300. In July 2015, Network Aviation was absorbed into the Qantas Link brand. In November 2014, QantasLink became the first airline to fly to the newly opened Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, establishing direct Q400 services to Sydney. In February 2016 as a result of strong demand, QantasLink increased weekly services by two flights to fifteen weekly returns.

Alliance Airlines Alliance Airlines Pty Limited based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia with operational bases in Adelaide, Cairns, Melbourne, Perth, Townsville, Darwin and Rockhampton. Alliance Airlines owns and operates a fleet of Fokker and Embraer aircr ...

delivered the first of three additional Fokker 100s in July 2016, with two more to be delivered by the end of the year. In May 2020, Qantas bought National Jet System and brought the Boeing 717 crew and fleet in-house. In December 2021, Qantas announced an initial order of 20

Airbus A220-300 The Airbus A220 is a family of five-abreast narrow-body airliners by Airbus Canada Limited Partnership. It was originally designed by Bombardier and had two years in service as the Bombardier CSeries. The program was launched on 13 July 2 ...

with additional purchase options to replace its Boeing 717. Qantas got five E190's wet leased from

. All (as of 5 June 2021) in Alliance Livery - with artist impression/rendering of the E190's QantasLink Livery.

Destinations

;QantasLink destinations served by Alliance Airlines: *Australian Capital Territory **

- Canberra Airport *East Timor ** Dili - Dili Airport *New South Wales ** Newcastle - Williamtown Airport **

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 ...

*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'' A ...

- Alice Springs Airport ** Darwin - Darwin International Airport Hub *Queensland ** Cairns - Cairns Airport ** Gold Coast - Gold Coast Airport ** Townsville - Townsville Airport **

Sunshine Coast Airport Sunshine Coast Airport (formerly Maroochydore Airport) is an Australian international airport located at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast and approximately north of centre of Brisbane, within South East Queensland agglomeration. I ...

*South Australia **

Adelaide Airport Adelaide Airport , also known as Adelaide International Airport, is the principal airport of Adelaide, South Australia and the fifth-busiest airport in Australia, servicing 8.5 million passengers in the financial year ending 30 June 201 ...

Hub *Tasmania **

- Hobart Airport *Victoria **

- Melbourne Airport ;QantasLink destinations served by Eastern Australia Airlines: *Australian Capital Territory **

- Canberra Airport *New South Wales **

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – t ...

Albury Airport Albury Airport is a regional airport located northeast Albury, New South Wales, Australia. The airport, which also serves Albury's adjacent twin city of Wodonga, Victoria was the fifth busiest in New South Wales as of 2016. The airport also ho ...

** Armidale - Armidale Airport ** Ballina - Ballina Airport **

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It ...

Broken Hill Airport Broken Hill Airport is an airport located southeast of Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia. The airport currently is used as a base of operations for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia South-Eastern section thus making it a ver ...

** Coffs Harbour - Coffs Harbour Airport **

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Go ...

Dubbo City Airport Dubbo City Regional Airport is a regional airport in Dubbo, Australia. The airport is located northwest of Dubbo and is operated by the Dubbo City Council. It is also known as Dubbo Airport or Dubbo City Airport. History Aeroplanes b ...

** Griffith -

Griffith Airport Griffith Airport is an airport serving Griffith, New South Wales, Australia. It is located north of Griffith and operated by the Griffith City Council. Facilities The airport is at an elevation of above sea level. It has two runways: ...

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Po ...

- Lord Howe Island Airport **

Merimbula Merimbula is a town on the Merimbula Lake, located on the Far South Coast or Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, Australia. At the , the population was 3,544. The population within 10 km of the Merimbula Post office is over 18,000 people ...

Merimbula Airport Merimbula Airport is an airport serving Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia. It is located south of Merimbula and is owned and operated by Bega Valley Shire Council. Facilities The airport is at an elevation of above mean sea level. It ha ...

** Moree -

Moree Airport Moree Airport is an airport in Moree, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is from the city center. The airport has some scheduled services but mainly provides general aviation facilities, maintenance and support for agricultural aviation ...

** Orange - Orange Airport **

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Se ...

- Port Macquarie Airport **

Hub ** Tamworth -

Tamworth Airport Tamworth Airport is a regional airport serving Tamworth, a city in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located from the town centre, on New Winton Road. The airport is owned and operated by the Tamworth Regional Council and is l ...

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 ...

Wagga Wagga Airport Wagga Wagga Airport is located adjacent to RAAF Base Wagga, and southeast of Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Australia. The airfield is an operational base, but is leased by the City of Wagga Wagga, Wagga Wagga City Council on a 30-year leas ...

*Queensland **

- Brisbane Airport Hub ** Hervey Bay -

Hervey Bay Airport Hervey Bay Airport is the main airport for the city of Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia and the Fraser Coast region which incorporates the nearby city of Maryborough. The airport, which is located southeast of Pialba, re-opened in mid-20 ...

** Toowoomba - Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport *South Australia **

Hub ** Kingscote - Kingscote Airport ** Mount Gambier - Mount Gambier Airport ** Port Lincoln - Port Lincoln Airport **

- Whyalla Airport *Tasmania ** Burnie-Wynyard -

Burnie Airport Burnie Airport , also called Burnie Wynyard Airport or Wynyard Airport, is a regional airport located adjacent to the town of Wynyard, about west from Burnie, Tasmania, Australia. Formally named the Wynyard Aerodrome, the first official openi ...

** Devonport -

Devonport Airport Devonport Airport is a regional airport serving Devonport, a city in the Australian state of Tasmania. It is located from the town centre at Pardoe Downs, on Wesley Vale and Airport Roads. The airport is operated by the Tasmanian Ports Cor ...

** Launceston -

Launceston Airport Launceston Airport is a regional airport on the outskirts of Launceston, Tasmania. The airport is located in the industrial area of Western Junction from Launceston city centre. It is Tasmania's second busiest after Hobart Airport; it can als ...

*Victoria **

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban populat ...

– Bendigo Airport **

- Melbourne Airport Hub ** Mildura -

Mildura Airport Mildura Airport is located southwest of Mildura, Victoria, Australia. It is the busiest regional airport in Victoria, the 32nd busiest Australian airport Refers to "Regular Public Transport (RPT) operations only" and has twice been named Aust ...

;QantasLink destinations served by Sunstate Airlines: *Australian Capital Territory **

- Canberra Airport *New South Wales **

** Cooma -

Cooma–Snowy Mountains Airport Cooma–Snowy Mountains Airport is an airport located southwest Cooma, New South Wales, Australia. The airport serves the town of Cooma and the resorts of the Snowy Mountains and Australian Alps. The airport experiences increased traffic duri ...

(seasonal) ** Newcastle - Williamtown Airport **

Hub *Queensland ** Barcaldine -

Barcaldine Airport Barcaldine Airport is an airport in Barcaldine, Queensland, Australia. Airlines and destinations See also * List of airports in Queensland This is a list of airports in the Australian state of Queensland. __TOC__ List of airports ...

** Blackall - Blackall Airport **

- Brisbane Airport Hub **

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The B ...

Bundaberg Airport Bundaberg Airport is a regional airport serving Bundaberg, a city in the Australian state of Queensland. It is located southwest of the city centre, on North Childers Road and Takalvan Street. The airport is owned and operated by the Bundabe ...

** Cairns - Cairns Airport Hub ** Cloncurry -

Cloncurry Airport Cloncurry Airport is an airport in Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. History Cloncurry Airport has been the focal point for many of Australia's greatest innovations. Cloncurry was involved with the beginnings of QANTAS, and the original QAN ...

** Emerald - Emerald Airport **

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-cons ...

Gladstone Airport Gladstone Airport is an airport serving Gladstone, a city in the Australian state of Queensland. It is located in the suburb of Clinton, about from the town's centre, off Aerodrome Road. The airport is owned and operated by the Gladsto ...

** Hamilton Island - Great Barrier Reef Airport ** Hervey Bay -

** Horn Island -

Horn Island Airport Horn Island Airport is an airport on Horn Island in the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia. World War II The Civil Constructional Corps and the Department of Main Roads began construction of an advanced operational airbase on the island ...

** Longreach -

Longreach Airport Longreach Airport is situated in Longreach, Queensland, Australia. The airport is northeast of the city. The Royal Flying Doctor Service has one of its nine Queensland bases at Longreach Airport. History Longreach has played a major part ...

** Mackay -

Mackay Airport Mackay Airport located in South Mackay, Queensland, Australia is a major Australian regional airport that services the city of Mackay, with flights to the cities of Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville, Hamilton Island, Cairns and Sydney. In t ...

Moranbah Moranbah is a coal mining town and locality in the Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Moranbah had a population of 8,735 people. In addition to the permanent population, Moranbah also has a large fly-in fly-out popul ...

- Moranbah Airport ** Mount Isa - Mount Isa Airport ** Proserpine - Proserpine Airport **

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of t ...

Rockhampton Airport Rockhampton Airport (''Connor Park'') is a major Australian regional airport in West Rockhampton that services the city of Rockhampton, with direct flights to the cities of Brisbane, and Mackay. Flights have previously operated to Sydney and M ...

** Toowoomba - Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport ** Townsville - Townsville Airport **

Weipa Weipa () is a coastal mining town in the local government area of Weipa Town in Queensland. It is the largest town on the Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast. The Port of Weipa is mainly involv ...

- Weipa Airport *Papua New Guinea **

Port Moresby Airport Port Moresby International Airport , also known as Jacksons International Airport, is an international airport located outside Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. It is the largest and busiest airport in Papua New Guinea, with an estimated 1.4 mil ...

;QantasLink destinations served by National Jet Systems: *Australian Capital Territory **

- Canberra Airport Hub *New South Wales ** Coffs Harbour - Coffs Harbour Airport **

Hub *Northern Territory **

- Alice Springs Airport ** Ayers Rock - Ayers Rock Airport ** Darwin - Darwin International Airport *Queensland ** Cairns - Cairns Airport **

- Brisbane Airport Hub ** Mackay -

** Gold Coast - Gold Coast Airport **

** Townsville - Townsville Airport *South Australia **

*Victoria **

- Melbourne Airport Hub *Western Australia ** Broome -

Broome International Airport Broome International Airport is a regional airport located west of the Broome GPO, Western Australia. Broome International Airport is the regional hub of the northwestern part of Western Australia. It is considered the gateway to the Kimber ...

** Kalgoorlie - Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport ** Karratha - Karratha Airport ** Newman - Newman Airport **

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 o ...

** Port Hedland - Port Hedland International Airport *Tasmania ** Hobart Airport Hub **

Incidents

* On 29 May 2003, Qantas Flight 1737, a domestic flight from Melbourne to Launceston operated by a QantasLink Boeing 717 registered VH-NXN, was subject to an attempted hijacking.

Footnotes

;Notes 1. QantasLink flights operated by National Jet Systems (

Cobham Aviation Services Australia Cobham Aviation Services may refer to several Australian aviation companies formerly owned by Cobham: * National Jet Express (formerly Cobham Aviation Services Australia - Regional Services), a charter airline and aviation services provider that w ...

) use the call-sign "QJET", with the ICAO code QJE. All flights continue to operate under the IATA code QF. 2. QantasLink flights operated by Network Aviation do not use an ICAO code and utilise the aircraft registration as a callsign.

References

External links

QantasLink Official Info
{{Airlines of Australia Link Regional airline brands Oneworld affiliate members Airlines established in 2002 Australian companies established in 2002 Companies based in Sydney