O'Connor Airlines was an

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

based in

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with a population of 25,591 as of the 2021 census. The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier (volcano), Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. It operated scheduled services from Mount Gambier to destinations in South Australia and Victoria. Its main base was Mount Gambier Airport, with a hub at

Adelaide Airport Adelaide Airport, also known as Adelaide International Airport, is an International airport, international, Domestic airport, domestic and general aviation airport serving Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Located approximately 6 km ...

, which serviced

Mildura Airport Mildura Airport is located southwest of Mildura, Victoria, Australia. It is the busiest regional airport in Victoria, the 33rd busiest Australian airport Refers to "Regular Public Transport (RPT) operations only" and has twice been named Au ...

and Port Augusta Airport. The airline also serviced Whyalla Airport until September 2007.

History

The airline was established and started operations in 1973. Beginning as a one-aeroplane flight school in

, O'Connor Airlines developed, over some years, into a freight and passenger service flying to 18 regional and country centres across the state. This was to change when it lost the freight contact. It subsequently relaunched itself, rebasing in

, and began services from that city to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. The IATA Code OL was used up to 1990. It then started flying to

Whyalla Whyalla is a city in South Australia. It was founded as Hummock's 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 ...

. It began to service

Mildura Mildura ( ) is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 at the 2021 census. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point, Merbein and Red ...

in 1998, purchasing a

QantasLink QantasLink is a full-service, Regional airline, regional brand of Australian flag carrier airline Qantas. As of 2024, QantasLink provides over 2,000 flights each week to 65 metropolitan, regional and remote destinations across Australia, as wel ...

route. In 2006, after

Airlines of South Australia Airlines of South Australia was an airline operated by Ansett Transport Industries from 1959 until 2005. The name was revived by an unrelated operator that operated from 1987 until 2005. History Airline 1959–1986 On 1 July 1959, Ansett T ...

ceased operations, it began flying from Adelaide to

Port Augusta Port Augusta (''Goordnada'' in the revived indigenous Barngarla language) is a coastal city in South Australia about by road from the state capital, Adelaide. Most of the city is on the eastern shores of Spencer Gulf, immediately south of the ...

. The airline used

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

facilities at both Adelaide and Melbourne airports. Originally, it used those of

Australian Airlines Australian Airlines was a full-service airline based in Australia, serving Australian and Asian destinations between 2002 and 2006. It was an all-economy, full-service international leisure carrier, and was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qant ...

. In November 2007 O'Connor Airline was placed into

voluntary administration As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions, similar to bankruptcy in the United States. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on ...

with debts of between $4–5m AUD. This was largely blamed on high maintenance costs and high competition. Administrators McGrath Nicol was at the time looking for a buyer of the service. O'Connor Airlines ceased operations on 14 December 2007 after its administrators were unable to find a buyer willing to purchase the airline as a going concern. On 21 February 2008, the airline's creditors voted for a pooled Deed of Company Arrangement (DoCA) for the airline group to be broken up and then commence trading again under new ownership. Many of the assets were subsequently purchased by Mount Gambier businessman Adrian de Bruin, including the

Air Operator's Certificate An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial air transport purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets and s ...

, and used to establish de Bruin Air.

Destinations

Port Augusta Airport Port Augusta Airport is an airport located west of Port Augusta, South Australia. Overview The airport serves as a gateway to the city of Port Augusta, as well as isolated mineral projects in the north of the state. Other operations include ...

** Mount Gambier Airport ** Whyalla Airport * Victoria **

Melbourne Airport Melbourne Airport , known locally as Tullamarine Airport, is an international airport serving Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operating 24/7 service, 24 hours a day with on-site parking, shopping and dining, Melbourne Airport is the List of th ...

*O'Connor flew to Renmark for a brief period in 2001. During 2000 the airline carried 41,732 passengers. Melbourne services ceased 1 July 2007 and Whyalla services ceased 3 September 2007

Fleet

The O'Connor Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft (at March 2007): *2 BAe Jetstream 32

References

External links

O'Connor AirlinesPress Release of Melbourne Cessation
{{Airlines of Australia, state=collapsed Airlines established in 1973 Airlines disestablished in 2007 Defunct airlines of Australia 1973 establishments in Australia 2007 disestablishments in Australia