Airlines of Australia was an airline that serviced Australia, originally commencing as New England Airlines in 1931, until being absorbed by Australian National Airways in July 1942.
Airlines of Australia was an airline that serviced Australia, originally commencing as New England Airlines in 1931, until being absorbed by Australian National Airways in July 1942.
Airlines of Australia was originally incorporated as New England Airways on 1 January 1931, with George A. Robinson as managing director and his future son-in-law, Keith Virtue (1909–1980) as director and chief pilot. [1] [2]
Taking over Qantas' Brisbane to Lismore route, the company first used a four-passenger Mahoney-Ryan B-1 (VH-UIZ) and three-passenger de Havilland Puss Moth (VH-UPM). [3]
Further aircraft were purchased, and more routes acquired and extended. [4]
In October 1935 the new company of Airlines of Australia Limited was floated to replace and incorporate New England Airways. [5] It commenced operations in January 1936. The new company also acquired the rights to manufacturing Sikorsky flying boats. [6]
Australian National Airways (ANA) gained a controlling interest in Airlines of Australia in April 1937, although the two airlines and assets retained separate public identities until 1 July 1942. Their two surviving Stinsons were then renamed VH-UKK Binana and VH-UYY Tokana. Airlines of Australia also held shares in ANA. [7] By 1954, the company was showing a financial loss. [8]
The airline colour was red.
Airlines of Australia owned over twenty aircraft, including:
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.
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The de Havilland DH.80A Puss Moth is a British three-seater high-wing monoplane aeroplane designed and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company between 1929 and 1933. It flew at a speed approaching 124 mph (200 km/h), making it one of the highest-performance private aircraft of its era.
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Australian National Airways, Ltd. (ANA) was a short-lived Australian airline, founded on 3 January 1929 by Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm.
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The Riddle of the Stinson is a 1987 Australian television film about the 1937 Airlines of Australia Stinson crash at Lamington, Queensland, Australia and the rescue of its survivors by local Queenslander Bernard O'Reilly.
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The 1937 Airlines of Australia Stinson crash was an accident which occurred on 19 February 1937. The Airlines of Australia Stinson Model A airliner disappeared during a flight from Brisbane to Sydney, carrying five passengers and two pilots. Both pilots and two passengers were killed in the crash. One of the surviving passengers died while attempting to bring help to the other survivors.
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