Flight West Airlines

Infobox Airline
airline=Flight West Airlines
logo=Flight West Airlines logo.pnglogo_size=300px
IATA=YC
ICAO=FWQ
callsign=Unity
founded=May 1987
headquarters=Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
key_people=
fleet_size=8 Fokker 100 aircraft
destinations=
website= http://www.flightwest.com.au

Flight West Airlines was an Australian regional airline established in May 1987. It operated predominantly in Queensland. The airline went into voluntary liquidation on 19 June 2001. The airline was affiliated to but independent of Ansett airlines, which ceased operations on 14 September 2001.

Former Code Data

*IATA Code: YC
*ICAO Code: FWQ

History

Flight West Airlines was established by Sir Dennis Buchanan in 1987 to operate subsidised passenger services to remote communities on Queensland Government contracts.

Initially the airline used Beechcraft King Air aircraft on these services from a base in Brisbane, and then quickly expanded, adding DHC-6 Twin Otters and an EMB 110 to the fleet. A second base was established in Cairns. It was soon operating the most extensive network of routes throughout regional Queensland.

From bases in Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns it served major cities and small regional communities throughout the state including communities on Cape York Peninsula and in the Torres Strait, major coastal cities and islands, and cities and towns in western Queensland.

Fleet

In the mid 1990’s the fleet comprised of Beechcraft King Airs, DHC-6 Twin Otters and de Havilland Dash8s and Embraer EMB 110 and EMB 120s. By the late 1990s the airline had disposed of the Twin Otters and EMB 110s. It acquired Jetstream J32s and jet aircraft in the form of three ex-Ansett Fokker F28s followed shortly after by two newer Fokker F100s.

At the suspension of services, Flight West operated a mixed fleet of 16 jet and turboprop aircraft.

Destinations

Flight West operated 34 routes at the time its services were suspended.

These included routes in New South Wales, the Northern Territory and to Norfolk Island.

The Fokker jets were used on services linking Norfolk Island with Brisbane and Sydney, and between Brisbane, Townsville, Gladstone, Longreach and Emerald.

In Brisbane, the airline operated from the Ansett Domestic terminal. In Cairns the airline operated from its own terminal on the western side of the airport adjacent to the Captain Cook Highway for a short time, before transferring its operations to the Ansett Terminal in the main terminal complex on the eastern side of the airport.

The Flight West base in Cairns was later sold to Transtate airlines.

The Collapse

Most of the assets of Flight West, including the Fokker jets and the Embraer EMB 120s were purchased by Queensland Airline Holdings, the parent company of Alliance Airlines. Alliance Airlines operated the Fokker 100s on selected charter routes from Brisbane, Townsville and Mount Isa for a period of time before suspending these regular services and operating ad hoc charter services.

Destinations

At various times, Flight West's destinations included, but were not limited to: Bamaga, Barcaldine, Bedourie, Birdsville, Blackwater, Boulia, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Charleville, Coen, Cooktown, Doomadgee, Edward River, Emerald, Gladstone, Hervey Bay, Hughenden, Julia Creek, Kurumba, Kowanyama, Lockhart River, Longreach, Mackay, Mornington Island, Mount Isa, Normanton, Norfolk Island, Proserpine, Quilpie, Richmond, Rockhampton, Roma, Sydney, Thursday Island (Horn Island), Townsville, Weipa, Windorah and Winton.

ee also

*Alliance Airlines
*Fokker
*Regional airline
*Charter airline

External links

* [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Flight+West Flight West Photos]
* [http://www.allianceairlines.com.au/ Alliance Airlines]

References

* [http://www.ministers.dotars.gov.au/ja/releases/2001/june/a86_2001.htm Deputy Prime Minister's Press Release - liquidation]
* [http://www.wilmap.com.au/QLDTRAV.HTML Queensland travel website] (unofficial)
* Norfolk Island, "Airways Magazine", May 2000 pp41-42. (ISSN 1074-4320)