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| Founded | 1951 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 30 April 1988 | ||||||
| Hubs | Cairns International Airport | ||||||
| Headquarters | Cairns, Australia | ||||||
Air Queensland, formerly Bush Pilots Airways, was an Australian airline which operated from 1951 until 1988.
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| Founded | 1951 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 30 April 1988 | ||||||
| Hubs | Cairns International Airport | ||||||
| Headquarters | Cairns, Australia | ||||||
Air Queensland, formerly Bush Pilots Airways, was an Australian airline which operated from 1951 until 1988.
Bush Pilots Airways was formed in 1951 and operated in Queensland, Australia until 1988. Its first aircraft was a de Havilland DH-90 "Dragonfly" registered as VH-AAD. This was purchased from Adastra Airways Ltd in Sydney in 1951 and flown to Cairns, Queensland by Bush Pilots founder Bob Norman. [1]
In 1963 Bush Pilots Airways acquired Somerset Airways which was established in 1950 and operated out of Longreach Airport with Auster J-1N Alpha and Beech Bonanza [2] [3] [4]
In May 1972 Bush Pilots absorbed Queensland Pacific Airways Ltd, taking over its Douglas DC-3 aircraft.
In 1978 Bush Pilots Airways changed their name to BPA. BPA operated Douglas DC-3 aircraft, Britten-Norman Trislanders and Swearingen Metroliners. Operations were largely in Queensland, Australia, although the airline also provided service to Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory. The services north from Brisbane (and return) were very popular with business travellers and tourists alike. A typical run involved stops in regional cities between Brisbane and Townsville, such as Maroochydore, Maryborough, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton, and Mackay. Short-distance services operated from Cairns to inland and coastal locations such as Cooktown, Karumba and Normanton. With such frequent stops a high altitude was never achieved, offering good views of this scenic part of the state.
On 1 December 1981 BPA became Air Queensland. Air Queensland was the last airline in Australia to use Douglas DC-3s on regular scheduled services, the last being withdrawn on 7 April 1988. [5] The Air Queensland name ceased to exist on 30 April 1988 when the airline was absorbed into Australian Airlines (later absorbed into Qantas). The last General Manager was Ron Entsch. [6]
A Douglas DC-3 formerly operated by Bush Pilots Airways was on display at Cairns International Airport from 1984 until 2008, when it was removed due to concerns over its structural integrity. [7]
By 1988 Air Queensland served 44 destinations throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory.
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| Commenced operations | 1971 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 1972 | ||||||
| Parent company | Queensland Pacific Trading Company | ||||||
| Headquarters | Australia | ||||||
Queensland Pacific Airways was a trading name of Queensland Pacific Trading Company. It acquired DC-3 aircraft when Qantas disposed of its last Douglas DC-3s in 1971. In 1972, it was absorbed by Bush Pilots Airways (BPA), which eventually became Air Queensland. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), renamed Australian Airlines in 1986, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its merger with Qantas in September 1992. As a result of the "COBRA" project, the entire airline was rebranded Qantas about a year later with tickets stating in small print "Australian Airlines Limited trading as Qantas Airways Limited" until the adoption of a single Air Operator Certificate a few years later. At that point, the entire airline was officially renamed "Qantas Airways Limited" continuing the name and livery of the parent company with the only change being the change of by-line from "The Spirit of Australia" to "The Australian Airline" under the window line with the existing "Qantas" title appearing above.
Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Victoria. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into administration in 2001 following a financial collapse and subsequent organised liquidation in 2002, subject to deed of company arrangement. The last flight touched down on 5 March 2002.
Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served domestic Canadian as well as international routes until it was purchased by Pacific Western Airlines and absorbed into Canadian Airlines International.
The de Havilland Express, also known as the de Havilland D.H.86, was a four-engined passenger aircraft manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company between 1934 and 1937.
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QantasLink is a regional airline brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. As of 2023, QantasLink provides over 2,000 flights each week to over 50 metropolitan and regional destinations across Australia, as well as short-haul international services to New Zealand, Solomon Islands and East Timor.
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 suburb of Garbutt. Townsville Airport is serviced by major Australian domestic and regional airlines, and in 2011/12 handled 1.7 million passengers making it the 11th busiest airport in Australia.
Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s.
The de Havilland DH.84 Dragon is a successful small commercial aircraft that was designed and built by the de Havilland company.
The de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover is a small transport aircraft that was built by de Havilland Australia (DHA) in the 1940s and 1950s. The aircraft had some similarities with the two-engine British-built de Havilland Dove but used a trimotor configuration.
Geraldton Airport is an airport located 6 nautical miles east of Geraldton, Western Australia, in Moonyoonooka along the Geraldton – Mount Magnet Road.
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Qantas is Australia's largest airline. Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland, on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited by Paul McGinness, Sir Hudson Fysh and Sir Fergus McMaster, the latter of whom was chairman. Arthur Baird was employed as a chief aircraft engineer. McGinness left QANTAS for other interests, and Hudson Fysh remained with the company as General Manager & Managing Director. He retired as Sir Hudson Fysh KBE DFC, Chairman of QANTAS in 1966.
Albert Aubrey (Aub) Koch, MBE was a pioneering Australian military and civil pilot. He trained at Point Cook in 1926, and following graduation accepted a Short Service Commission in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as there were no places available in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at the time. After four years service in Egypt and Palestine, he returned to Australia and was commissioned into the Citizen Air Force, flying with No. 1 Squadron at Laverton, where he gained flying instructor qualifications. Soon after, he was employed by Guinea Airways as an aircraft captain, and spent five years in Papua and New Guinea (PNG), gaining fame as the rescuer of the Archbold expedition. Koch was transferred to the RAAF Active Reserve upon going to PNG. He joined Qantas a year before World War II broke out, employed predominantly on the Singapore route. He was unfortunate to be the captain of the only Qantas aircraft known to be shot down during that war, when the Short Empire flying boat Corio was lost off Timor. Post war he was recruited by Lester Brain at the formation of Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), specifically to be Senior Pilot DC4 Skymaster. At 45, he retired from active flying to become Inspector of Safety and Accidents, TAA.
The Queensland Air Museum is a not-for-profit community-owned aviation museum located at Caloundra Airport in Queensland, Australia. Its mission is to collect and preserve all aspects of aviation heritage with an emphasis on Australia and Queensland. The museum has the largest collection of historical aircraft in Queensland and it also has a large collection of aircraft engines, equipment, artefacts, photographs and books.
Sir Robert Henry Norman was an Australian aviator and businessman, best known for establishing Bush Pilot Airways, which later became Air Queensland.
Airlines of Australia (AOA) was an airline that serviced Australia, originally commencing as New England Airlines in 1931, until being absorbed by Australian National Airways (ANA) in July 1942. ANA itself was sold to Ansett in October 1957, which was liquidated in 2002.
