East-West Airlines (Australia)
Encyclopedia
East-West Airlines was an Australia
n regional airline
founded in Tamworth, New South Wales
in 1947. It operated to major regional city-centres and connected these centres to various provincial capitals. It was purchased from its original founders in a share buy-out by Bryan Grey and Duke Minks. For a period in the 1980s it competed vigorously with major airlines Ansett and Australian Airlines
on inter-capital routes. The Australian aviation industry was highly regulated at the time and East-West was not able to fly directly between major capital cities. This was due, in part, to the 'Two Airline policy' which enabled these two major airlines to operate more efficiently resulting in a duopoly. East-West did offer services between major cities via regional centres however. Routes included Melbourne to Sydney
via Albury
or Sydney to Brisbane
via Newcastle
. Because of its operating structure, East-West was able to significantly undercut other airlines. East West Airlines aggressive "Third Airline" campaign forced the Australian Government to eventually scrap the "Two Airline" policy. The Hawke-lead Labour Government worked to protect the anti-competitive agreement which had kept Australian air fares seemingly inflated for many years. Managing Director Bryan Grey along with marketing consultant John Williams created a massive nationwide media campaign and thus attracted many first time flyers with what could be described as Australia's first truly discounted fares in a now deregulated arena. East West set the scene for other airlines to enter the Australian domestic market years later. Grey had been in the management team at Ansett for many years and Williams had previously worked with both TAA and Ansett.
In an obvious gesture to East-West's success, daily newspaper cartoonists poked fun at the two dynasty carriers (Ansett and TAA / Australian) as East West fares and service grew in popularity.
In the early 1980s Bryan Grey sold the Airline to Western Australian business man Ric Stowe.
East-West primarily flew Fokker F27
prop-jets and F28
jets but would eventually operate larger 737-300 equipment for passenger operations and Boeing 727-200s for cargo interests. Ironically, it would be acquired by Ansett from Ric Stowe in 1987. It continued to operate as a separate entity until 1993 when its operations were merged into those already established by Ansett.
Bryan Grey then created Compass Airlines
, the first serious attempt to compete with the existing industry duopoly. This endeavour, however, was short-lived and folded at December 1991.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n regional airline
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
founded in Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
in 1947. It operated to major regional city-centres and connected these centres to various provincial capitals. It was purchased from its original founders in a share buy-out by Bryan Grey and Duke Minks. For a period in the 1980s it competed vigorously with major airlines Ansett and Australian Airlines
Trans Australia Airlines
Trans Australia Airlines or TAA, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its sale to Qantas in May 1996. During that period TAA played a major part in the development of the Australian air transport industry...
on inter-capital routes. The Australian aviation industry was highly regulated at the time and East-West was not able to fly directly between major capital cities. This was due, in part, to the 'Two Airline policy' which enabled these two major airlines to operate more efficiently resulting in a duopoly. East-West did offer services between major cities via regional centres however. Routes included Melbourne to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
via Albury
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
or Sydney to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
via Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
. Because of its operating structure, East-West was able to significantly undercut other airlines. East West Airlines aggressive "Third Airline" campaign forced the Australian Government to eventually scrap the "Two Airline" policy. The Hawke-lead Labour Government worked to protect the anti-competitive agreement which had kept Australian air fares seemingly inflated for many years. Managing Director Bryan Grey along with marketing consultant John Williams created a massive nationwide media campaign and thus attracted many first time flyers with what could be described as Australia's first truly discounted fares in a now deregulated arena. East West set the scene for other airlines to enter the Australian domestic market years later. Grey had been in the management team at Ansett for many years and Williams had previously worked with both TAA and Ansett.
In an obvious gesture to East-West's success, daily newspaper cartoonists poked fun at the two dynasty carriers (Ansett and TAA / Australian) as East West fares and service grew in popularity.
In the early 1980s Bryan Grey sold the Airline to Western Australian business man Ric Stowe.
East-West primarily flew Fokker F27
Fokker F27
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
prop-jets and F28
Fokker F28
The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:...
jets but would eventually operate larger 737-300 equipment for passenger operations and Boeing 727-200s for cargo interests. Ironically, it would be acquired by Ansett from Ric Stowe in 1987. It continued to operate as a separate entity until 1993 when its operations were merged into those already established by Ansett.
Bryan Grey then created Compass Airlines
Compass Airlines (Australia)
Compass Airlines operated in Australia for two brief periods in the early 1990s. The two incarnations of the airline were quite separate with different management and aircraft.-History:...
, the first serious attempt to compete with the existing industry duopoly. This endeavour, however, was short-lived and folded at December 1991.
- 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: EW - ICAO Code: EWA
- Callsign: EastWest
Accidents and incidents
- On 5 December 1950, an East-West Airlines Avro AnsonAvro AnsonThe Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
crashed at Zanatta's property in Pozieres, in the Southern Downs Region, QueenslandQueenslandQueensland 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...
. The plane was en route from Eagle Farm AirportEagle Farm AirportEagle Farm Airport was a small airport located south-west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-History:An area located near Eagle Farm Racecourse was initially used as a landing field in 1922 and Eagle Farm Aerodrome was officially opened in 1925...
(Brisbane) to Armidale AirportArmidale AirportArmidale Airport is an airport serving Armidale, a city in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located from the town centre, on New England Highway. The airport is operated by the Armidale Dumaresq Shire Council.- Facilities :...
when one engine caught fire, filling the cockpitCockpitA cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
with smoke. The aircraft suffered extensive damage on impact, although the pilot and two passengers were unharmed. - On 4 November 1957, an East-West Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The 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...
with 27 people on board took off from Sydney AirportSydney AirportSydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada...
en route to Tamworth AirportTamworth AirportTamworth 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...
. When the aircraft reached a height of 61 metres (200 feet), the No.1 engine began to backfire and loose power. The pilot tried to shut down the faulty engine, but mistakenly shut down the working No.2 engine. The pilot tried to return to the airport for an emergency landing, but the plane had lost too much height. It crashed into a lake approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) north of the airport, with a depth of 4 metres (13 feet) of water, 46 metres (150 feet) from the nearest bank. All 27 people on board survived. - On 31 May 1974, a F27 Fokker FriendshipFokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
departed Orange AirportOrange AirportOrange Airport is located in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales servicing the city of Orange and the towns of Blayney and Cowra. It is located in the area known as Huntley, near Spring Hill and approximately from Orange CBD.-Facilities:...
and was making a nighttime approach to Bathurst AirportBathurst Airport (Australia)Bathurst Airport is an airport serving Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia.Located in the Central Tablelands, Bathurst Airport is presently serviced by one airline, Regional Express Airlines . The airports history dates to just prior the second world war when local politicians campaigned for an...
in turbulent and rainy conditions. Just before reaching the runway threshold, at an altitude of approximately 67 metres (220 feet), the pilots realised the aircraft had drifted too far to the left of the runway centre line to make a safe landing, so they decided to initiate a go-aroundGo-aroundA go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach.- Origin of the term :The term arises from the traditional use of traffic patterns at airfields. A landing aircraft will first join the circuit pattern and prepare for landing in an orderly fashion...
. However, the aircraft encountered a sudden downdraftVertical draftAn updraft or downdraft is the vertical movement of air as a weather related phenomenon. One of two forces causes the air to move. Localized regions of warm or cool air will exhibit vertical movement. A mass of warm air will typically be less dense than the surrounding region, and so will rise...
, and due to its altitude being too low to effect a recovery, the rear fuselage impacted the ground heavily, just outside the boundary of the flight strip. The aircraft slid 625 metres (2050 feet) along the ground, ripping the starboard engine off the wing. The passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft, and all survived.
Historical Fleet
- 3 - Lockheed HudsonLockheed HudsonThe Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
(converted to civil transports) - 8 - Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The 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...
- 20 - Fokker F27 FriendshipFokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
- 9 - Fokker F28 FellowshipFokker F28The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:...
- 2 - Boeing 727-277(F)Boeing 727The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
- 3 - Boeing 737-200Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
- 1 - de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterDe Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterThe DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
- 8 - BAe 146-300BAe 146The British Aerospace 146 is a medium-sized commercial airliner formerly manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2002. Manufacture of an improved version known as the Avro RJ began in 1992...