QantasLink

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QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. As of September 2010 QantasLink provides 1,900 flights each week to 54 domestic locations.

Video QantasLink

History

Prior to 2002, Qantas' various subsidiaries operated under separate brands. In 2002 a common brand was created, encompassing AirLink (a franchise, operated at the time by National Jet), Sunstate Airlines, Eastern Australia Airlines, and Southern Australia Airlines.

For a short while, QantasLink took over some of Qantas' non-trunk routes, such as Sydney - Sunshine Coast, using Boeing 717s that were inherited after Qantas acquired Impulse Airlines. QantasLink ceased operating some of these routes after Qantas formed low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways, transferring the Boeing 717 aircraft and routes to the new airline. In 2005/06, eight of the 717s were returned to QantasLink following Jetstar's acquisition of Airbus A320 aircraft, to be operated in Western Australia, Northern Territory and far north Queensland by National Jet (now Cobham Aviation Services Australia).

In May 2014, Qantaslink 717's took over most of Qantas 737 operations in Hobart travelling to and from Melbourne and Sydney.

On 31 July 2015 Network Aviation was rebranded to QantasLink. This was announced by Qantas with the unveiling of a Fokker 100 in QantasLink colours.

On 16 January, by Airline Hub Buzz, Network Aviation was going to lease two Airbus A320's from Jetstar Airways for flights from Perth as part of the Qantaslink brand. More A320's are excepted from orders from the Singapore subsidiary Jetstar Asia.

Maps QantasLink

Fleet

QantasLink flights are operated by the individual airlines that make up the group - Eastern Australia Airlines, Network Aviation and Sunstate Airlines; and also contracted carrier Cobham Aviation. As of March 2017 the QantasLink fleet consists of the following aircraft:

All flights use QF IATA codes, and on 5 January 2009 both Eastern and Sunstate changed from their previous individual callsigns to the common Q-Link (pronounced "Cue-Link").

Expansion

QantasLink increased capacity by replacing many of its smaller Dash 8 Series 100 and Series 200 aircraft with Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s. QantasLink pursued this deal despite landing gear problems with Q400 aircraft by some airlines. This problem also saw a grounding of the Q400s by QantasLink, though all were deemed safe and returned to service.

As part of its further expansion, QantasLink entered the South Australian market in December 2005, with flights from Adelaide to Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island. Interstate flights were also introduced between Kangaroo Island and Melbourne. Due to low passenger loads, these services ceased operation at the end of June 2006, however Qantaslink announced a resumption of Melbourne to Kangaroo Island from December 2017 alongside opening up Adelaide to Kangaroo Island flights . On 8 December 2009, QantasLink announced that it would re-enter the Adelaide to Port Lincoln market from February 2010, using Q400 aircraft flying 23 return services a week.

Since 2005, QantasLink 717 services in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory have been contracted to Cobham Aviation (formerly National Jet Systems), using the QantasLink brand. The hubs for QantasLink under the Cobham contract are in Perth, Western Australia, Cairns, Queensland and Darwin, Northern Territory.

Qantas replaced its daily Melbourne-Launceston mainline service with a three times daily QantasLink Dash 8 service from 1 August 2006. This has now been increased to a four times daily service, supplemented in peak service periods by QantasLink 717 services.

In May 2008, QantasLink announced that It would order nine 717's Tamworth would be the first New South Wales regional airport to be serviced by the Dash 8 Q400, commencing in mid-August 2008.

On 29 March 2010 QantasLink and the Qantas Group announced that it would start the first international QantasLink route, from Cairns to Port Moresby, utilising Q400 aircraft already based in Cairns. The service commenced in July 2010. A QantasLink spokesperson stated that "the airline would not turn into a fully fledged international airline, but could operate international routes in the future".

On 18 December 2014, QantasLink announced that it would add Whyalla, South Australia, to its network, with double daily flights to commence on 13 April 2015. The route is serviced by the 50-seat Q300. In July 2015, Network Aviation was absorbed into the Qantas Link brand. In November 2014, QantasLink became the first airline to fly to the newly opened Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport establishing direct Q400 services to Sydney. In February 2016 as a result of strong demand, Qantaslink increased weekly services by two flights to fifteen weekly returns.

Alliance Airlines delivered the first of three additional Fokker 100s in July 2016, with two more to be delivered by the end of the year.

Former fleet

QantasLink previously operated the following types:

BAe 146-100
BAe 146-200
BAe 146-300
de Havilland Canada Dash 8-102

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Destinations

QantasLink destinations served by Eastern Australia Airlines

Australian Capital Territory
- Canberra - Canberra Airport
New South Wales
- Albury - Albury Airport
- Armidale - Armidale Airport
- Coffs Harbour - Coffs Harbour Airport
- Dubbo - Dubbo City Airport
- Lord Howe Island - Lord Howe Island Airport
- Moree - Moree Airport
- Port Macquarie - Port Macquarie Airport
- Sydney - Sydney Airport Hub
- Tamworth - Tamworth Airport
- Wagga Wagga - Wagga Wagga Airport
Queensland
- Brisbane - Brisbane Airport
- Toowoomba - Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport
South Australia
- Adelaide - Adelaide Airport Hub
- Kingscote - Kingscote Airport (resumes 4 December 2017)
- Port Lincoln - Port Lincoln Airport
- Whyalla - Whyalla Airport
Tasmania
- Devonport - Devonport Airport
- Launceston - Launceston Airport
Victoria
- Melbourne - Melbourne Airport Hub
- Mildura - Mildura Airport

QantasLink destinations served by Sunstate Airlines

Australian Capital Territory
- Canberra - Canberra Airport
New South Wales
- Newcastle - Williamtown Airport
- Sydney - Sydney Airport
Queensland
- Barcaldine - Barcaldine Airport
- Blackall - Blackall Airport
- Brisbane - Brisbane Airport Hub
- Bundaberg - Bundaberg Airport
- Cairns - Cairns Airport Hub
- Charleville - Charleville Airport
- Cloncurry - Cloncurry Airport
- Emerald - Emerald Airport
- Gladstone - Gladstone Airport
- Hamilton Island - Great Barrier Reef Airport
- Hervey Bay - Hervey Bay Airport
- Horn Island - Horn Island Airport
- Longreach - Longreach Airport
- Mackay - Mackay Airport
- Moranbah - Moranbah Airport
- Mount Isa - Mount Isa Airport
- Rockhampton - Rockhampton Airport
- Roma - Roma Airport
- Toowoomba - Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport
- Townsville - Townsville Airport
- Weipa - Weipa Airport

QantasLink destinations served by Cobham Aviation Services Australia (National Jet)

Australian Capital Territory
- Canberra - Canberra Airport
New South Wales
- Sydney - Sydney Airport
Northern Territory
- Alice Springs - Alice Springs Airport
- Ayers Rock - Ayers Rock Airport
- Darwin - Darwin International Airport Hub
Queensland
- Cairns - Cairns Airport Hub
- Brisbane - Brisbane Airport Hub
- Mackay - Mackay Airport
- Rockhampton - Rockhampton Airport
- Gladstone - Gladstone Airport
- Gold Coast - Gold Coast Airport
- Hervey Bay - Hervey Bay Airport
- Sunshine Coast - Sunshine Coast Airport
South Australia
- Adelaide - Adelaide Airport
Victoria
- Melbourne - Melbourne Airport
Western Australia
- Broome - Broome International Airport
- Exmouth - RAAF Learmonth for Exmouth
- Kalgoorlie - Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport
- Karratha - Karratha Airport
- Newman - Newman Airport
- Paraburdoo - Paraburdoo Airport
- Perth - Perth Airport Hub
- Port Hedland - Port Hedland International Airport
Tasmania
- Hobart Airport
- Launceston Airport

File:QantasLink - VH-QOJ - Bombardier Dash 8 Q400.jpg - Wikimedia ...

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Accidents and Incidents

On 29 May 2003, Qantas Flight 1737, a domestic flight from Melbourne to Launceston, was subject to an attempted hijacking.

Qantaslink ramps up customer service | Daily Liberal

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Footnotes

Notes

1. ^ Qantaslink flights operated by Cobham Aviation Services Australia (National Jet) use the call-sign "QJET", with the ICAO code QJE. All flights continue to operate under the IATA code QF. 2. ^ QantasLink flights operated by Network Aviation do not use an ICAO code and utilise the aircraft registration as a callsign.