Airlines of South Australia
Encyclopedia
Airlines of South Australia refers to
and an Auster
, and added a 52-seat Convair
440 VH-BZH.
From inception, ASA provided services from Adelaide
to Port Lincoln, Minnipa, Ceduna, Cowell
, Cleve
, Kimba
, Radium Hill, Broken Hill, Kangaroo Island
, Port Pirie, Whyalla, Renmark, Mildura and Woomera
.
Throughout the 1960s, services were briefly added to Naracoorte, Millicent
and tours to Hayman Island
, Queensland
from Adelaide while several initial services were progressively discontinued. A Piaggio P166 and a Fokker F-27 Friendship (the first of several) replaced older aircraft.
In November 1968 Airlines of South Australia was renamed Ansett Airlines of SA (AASA). By 1973, the fleet had reduced to three Fokker F-27s. In the mid-1970s, AASA trialled special interest weekend flights and began services to Mount Gambier
. In 1979, charter flights to the gas fields at Moomba
began. In 1980, a route sharing agreement was commenced with Rossair
, and in 1981 Ansett reverted AASA back to the original name Airlines of South Australia. However, ASA faced increasing competition through the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in 1985, Ansett announced that another subsidiary Kendell Airlines would progressively move onto South Australian routes. In February 1986, Ansett announced that ASA would cease operations by July. The last passenger flight was made to Whyalla in June 1986.
. It operated scheduled between Adelaide
, Port Lincoln
, Port Augusta
, and Kingscote
all in South Australia
, as well as charter flights. It was part of the RegionalLink Airlines group which also included Airnorth
and Emu Airways
. Its main base was Adelaide International Airport
(ADL). Both ASA and Emu Airways ceased operations on 9 November 2005.
The airline was established in 1987 as Lincoln Airlines (based in Port Lincoln
). It merged with Augusta Airways (based in Port Augusta
) and was renamed Airlines of South Australia (ASA) in 1997.
In October 2003, Airnorth
(based in Darwin
, Northern Territory
) purchased both Airlines of South Australia and Emu Airways
(another small regional airline, based in Adelaide
, operating from Adelaide to Kingscote
) and merged the three companies into a single business entity called RegionalLink owned by aviation services company Capiteq Group. The participating airlines continued to trade in their local markets under their own names, the logos of which were featured on the fuselages of aircraft within the group.
On Monday 31 October 2005 Capiteq Limited, the parent company of Airlines of South Australia and Emu Airways, announced its intention that both airlines would cease operations effective Wednesday 9 November 2005, citing the entry of QantasLink
(soon to start flying to Port Lincoln and Kingscote) and other factors in their decision. This left Port Augusta with no scheduled air service.
- A subsidiary of Ansett Airlines that operated from 1959 until 1986, and
- An independent airline that operated between 1987 and 2005.
Ansett subsidiary (1960-1986)
The original Airlines of South Australia (ASA) first flew on 18 January 1960, replacing Guinea Airways, which had been purchased by Ansett in 1959. ASA took over the Guinea Airways existing fleet of five DC-3sDouglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
and an Auster
Auster
Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.-History:The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes Limited, making light observation aircraft designed by the Taylorcraft Aircraft Corporation of...
, and added a 52-seat Convair
Convair
Convair was an American aircraft manufacturing company which later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft, and went on to produce a number of pioneering aircraft, such as the Convair B-36 bomber, and the F-102...
440 VH-BZH.
From inception, ASA provided services from Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
to Port Lincoln, Minnipa, Ceduna, Cowell
Cowell, South Australia
Cowell is a coastal town on Franklin Harbour on the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia on the Lincoln Highway 111 km south from the major town of Whyalla...
, Cleve
Cleve
-Surname:* Astrid Cleve , Swedish biologist, geologist, chemist and researcher, first woman in Sweden to obtain a doctorate in science* Bastian Clevé , German film director...
, Kimba
Kimba
Kimba may refer to:*Kimba, South Australia, a town on the Eyre Peninsula*District Council of Kimba, a local government area based in Kimba, South Australia*Kimba the White Lion, a 1950 anime and the first produced for color television broadcast...
, Radium Hill, Broken Hill, Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
, Port Pirie, Whyalla, Renmark, Mildura and Woomera
Woomera, South Australia
The town, or village, of Woomera is located in the south east corner of the Woomera Prohibited Area ; colloquially known as the Woomera Rocket Range...
.
Throughout the 1960s, services were briefly added to Naracoorte, Millicent
Millicent
Millicent is a female given name that has been in use since the Middle Ages. The English form Millicent derives from the Old French Melisende, from the Germanic amal "work" and swinth "strength"...
and tours to Hayman Island
Hayman Island
Hayman Island is the most northerly of the Whitsunday Islands, part of the Cumberland Islands, which are located off the coast of Central Queensland, Australia at...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
from Adelaide while several initial services were progressively discontinued. A Piaggio P166 and a Fokker F-27 Friendship (the first of several) replaced older aircraft.
In November 1968 Airlines of South Australia was renamed Ansett Airlines of SA (AASA). By 1973, the fleet had reduced to three Fokker F-27s. In the mid-1970s, AASA trialled special interest weekend flights and began services to Mount Gambier
Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....
. In 1979, charter flights to the gas fields at Moomba
Moomba, South Australia
Moomba is a Santos-owned gas exploration and processing town located in the Cooper and Eromanga Basins, in central Australia, approximately 770 kilometres north of Adelaide....
began. In 1980, a route sharing agreement was commenced with Rossair
Rossair (Australia)
Rossair Charter is an air charter company based in Adelaide, Australia.-History:The company was established in 1963. In 2004 it was bought by Aus-Air Pty...
, and in 1981 Ansett reverted AASA back to the original name Airlines of South Australia. However, ASA faced increasing competition through the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in 1985, Ansett announced that another subsidiary Kendell Airlines would progressively move onto South Australian routes. In February 1986, Ansett announced that ASA would cease operations by July. The last passenger flight was made to Whyalla in June 1986.
New entity (1987-2005)
Airlines of South Australia (ASA) was reborn in 1987 as a small regional airlineAirline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
. It operated scheduled between Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln, South Australia
- Transport :Port Lincoln is the port for the isolated narrow gauge Eyre Peninsular Railway.There is also a subsidiary port at Proper Bay which may be restored to use for iron ore traffic. The export of iron ore through Port Lincoln has been approved by the South Australian Government. Port...
, Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
, and Kingscote
Kingscote, South Australia
- Facilities :Kingscote has a school offering years 1 to 12, a hospital, supermarket, post office and Government offices. It is the administrative centre for the Kangaroo Island Council, whose offices have recently undergone a significant upgrade....
all in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, as well as charter flights. It was part of the RegionalLink Airlines group which also included Airnorth
Airnorth
Capiteq Limited, trading as Airnorth, is a regional airline based on the property of Darwin International Airport in Marrara, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It operates scheduled and charter services in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia, with an extension to East Timor...
and Emu Airways
Emu Airways
Emu Airways was an airline based in Adelaide in Australia operating tourist flights to nearby Kangaroo Island. It was part of the RegionalLink Airlines group which also included Airnorth and Airlines of South Australia .- History :...
. Its main base was Adelaide International Airport
Adelaide International Airport
Adelaide Airport is the principal airport in the South Australian capital of Adelaide and the fifth busiest airport in Australia, servicing 7,362,000 passengers in the year ending 30 June 2011. Located adjacent to West Beach, it is approximately west of the city-centre...
(ADL). Both ASA and Emu Airways ceased operations on 9 November 2005.
The airline was established in 1987 as Lincoln Airlines (based in Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln, South Australia
- Transport :Port Lincoln is the port for the isolated narrow gauge Eyre Peninsular Railway.There is also a subsidiary port at Proper Bay which may be restored to use for iron ore traffic. The export of iron ore through Port Lincoln has been approved by the South Australian Government. Port...
). It merged with Augusta Airways (based in Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
) and was renamed Airlines of South Australia (ASA) in 1997.
In October 2003, Airnorth
Airnorth
Capiteq Limited, trading as Airnorth, is a regional airline based on the property of Darwin International Airport in Marrara, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It operates scheduled and charter services in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia, with an extension to East Timor...
(based in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
) purchased both Airlines of South Australia and Emu Airways
Emu Airways
Emu Airways was an airline based in Adelaide in Australia operating tourist flights to nearby Kangaroo Island. It was part of the RegionalLink Airlines group which also included Airnorth and Airlines of South Australia .- History :...
(another small regional airline, based in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, operating from Adelaide to Kingscote
Kingscote, South Australia
- Facilities :Kingscote has a school offering years 1 to 12, a hospital, supermarket, post office and Government offices. It is the administrative centre for the Kangaroo Island Council, whose offices have recently undergone a significant upgrade....
) and merged the three companies into a single business entity called RegionalLink owned by aviation services company Capiteq Group. The participating airlines continued to trade in their local markets under their own names, the logos of which were featured on the fuselages of aircraft within the group.
On Monday 31 October 2005 Capiteq Limited, the parent company of Airlines of South Australia and Emu Airways, announced its intention that both airlines would cease operations effective Wednesday 9 November 2005, citing the entry of QantasLink
QantasLink
QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines, Virgin Australia and Skywest Airlines. As of September 2010 QantasLink provides 1900 flights each week to 54 domestic and...
(soon to start flying to Port Lincoln and Kingscote) and other factors in their decision. This left Port Augusta with no scheduled air service.
Code Data
- IATAInternational Air Transport AssociationThe International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
Code: RT - ICAO Code: LRT
Fleet (ASA 1987-2005)
- 1 Embraer Brasilia
- 2 Embraer BandeiranteEmbraer EMB 110 BandeiranteThe Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties...
- 3 Piper Chieftain