Eastern Australia Airlines Pty Ltd is an airline based on the grounds of Sydney Airport in Mascot, New South Wales, Australia.[1] It is a regional domestic airline serving sixteen destinations within Australia under the QantasLink banner. Its main base is Sydney Airport, with a hub at Melbourne Airport.[2]
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| Founded | 1949 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AOC # | CASA.AOC.0003 | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Qantas Frequent Flyer | ||||||
| Fleet size | 19 | ||||||
| Destinations | 25 | ||||||
| Parent company | Qantas | ||||||
| Headquarters | Mascot, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||
History
editThe airline was established and started operations in 1949. It began in Tamworth as Tamworth Air Taxi Service (shortened to Tamair later on). The name was changed to Eastern Australia Airlines in 1986. Australian Airlines purchased 26% of Eastern Australian Airlines from East-West Airlines in 1988, and the airline became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1991. Qantas purchased Australian Airlines in 1992.[citation needed]
In 2002, Qantas merged its Mildura-based subsidiary Southern Australia Airlines with Eastern, the resulting operation using the Eastern name.[citation needed]
In August 2008 it was announced that Eastern Australia would shortly commence operating 72-seat Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft on services to regional centres in New South Wales, supplementing services with smaller 50-seat Dash 8s and allowing the removal of 36-seat Dash 8s from service on some routes altogether with the retirement of all 100 series Dash 8s.[3]
In June 2015, Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce announced that Eastern Australia would operate regional services in New Zealand, using Jetstar-branded Bombardier Dash 8 turboprops.[4]
In September 2019, Jetstar CEO Garath Evans announced a proposal to withdraw from regional flying in New Zealand. This was followed up by a confirmation in October 2019. Jetstar cited soft demand, higher fuel costs and a loss making operation as reasons for the withdrawal. Following the withdrawal, the five Jetstar-branded Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft were transferred back to Australia.[5][6]
Destinations
editEastern Australia Airlines operates services to the following domestic scheduled destinations. Between December 2015 and November 2019 Eastern Australian Airlines operated regional domestic services within New Zealand under the Jetstar brand.[7]
- Australia
- From Sydney
- Albury, New South Wales
- Armidale, New South Wales
- Bendigo, Victoria
- Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
- Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
- Dubbo, New South Wales
- Griffith, New South Wales
- Lord Howe Island
- Merimbula, New South Wales
- Mildura, Victoria
- Moree, New South Wales
- Orange, New South Wales
- Port Macquarie, New South Wales
- Tamworth, New South Wales
- Toowoomba, Queensland
- Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
- From Melbourne
- Albury, New South Wales
- Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
- Devonport, Tasmania
- Kingscote, South Australia (seasonal)
- Launceston, Tasmania
- Mildura, Victoria
- Mount Gambier, South Australia
- Adelaide, South Australia
- Merimbula, New South Wales (seasonal)
- Burnie, Tasmania
- From Adelaide
- Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
- Kingscote, South Australia
- Mount Gambier, South Australia
- Port Lincoln, South Australia
- Whyalla, South Australia
Fleet
edit_(9117230727).jpg)
Current fleet
editAs of June 2024[update], Eastern Australia Airlines operates the following aircraft:[8]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8-200 | 3 | — | 36[9] | |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 | 16 | — | 50[10] | |
| Total | 19 | — | ||
Historical fleet
editFormerly, Eastern Australia Airlines also operated the following aircraft types:
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 404[citation needed] | 9 | — | — |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100[11] | 17 | 1988 | 2004 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 23–29 March 2004. 66.
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 3 April 2007. p. 75.
- ^ "QantasLink Announces New Q400 Schedule for NSW". 6 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ Bradley, Grant (18 June 2015). "Regional shake-up: Jetstar to break Air New Zealand's domestic stranglehold". The New Zealand Herald. NZME. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ "Jetstar proposes withdrawal from regional flying in New Zealand"; Jetstar Media Release.. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "Jetstar confirms withdrawal from five regional domestic routes in New Zealand"; Jetstar Media Release.. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ Qantas online schedule.. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ "QantasLink". Planespotters.net. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "Qantaslink Seat Map Dash 8 Q200 36 Economy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ "Qantaslink Seat Map Dash 8 Q300 50 Economy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 November 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ "Eastern Australia Airlines Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
External links
edit
Media related to Eastern Australia Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
