Ansett

ANSETT was founded by R M Ansett, via holding company Ansett Transport Industries (ATI), as ANSETT AIRWAYS P/L on 05Feb1936 and started services on 17Feb1936. ATI purchased BARRIER REEF AIRWAYS in 1952, and acquired the assets of TRANS OCEANIC AIRWAYS in 1953, absorbing them into ANSETT FLYING BOAT SERVICES. ANSETT purchased the struggling A.N.A. (Australian National Airways) on 03Oct1957 and renamed the combined operation ANSETT-ANA the next day. ATI purchased BUTLER AIR TRANSPORT (and renamed it AIRLINES of N.S.W. in Dec1959. It had various titles, before becoming ANSETT EXPRESS. in Nov1990), and its subsidiary QUEENSLAND AIRLINES in 1958, GUINEA AIRWAYS (renamed AIRLINES of SOUTH AUSTRALIA) in 1959. In 1961 ATI acquired MANDATED AIRLINES LTD, renaming it ANSETT-M.A.L. (renamed ANSETT AIRLINES OF PNG in 1968). In Apr1963, ATI acquired a controlling interest in MACROBERTSON MILLER AIRLINES (MMA) (formed in 1927) and renamed it AIRLINES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA in Jul1981 and ANSETT W.A. in Nov1984. ‘ANA’ was dropped on 01Nov1968, with the trunk airline becoming ANSETT AIRLINES of AUSTRALIA. AIRLINES of NORTHERN AUSTRALIA was created in 1981, becoming ANSETT N.T. in 1985. ATI acquired EAST-WEST AIRLINES & KENDELL AIRLINES in 1987. During 1994 ATI fully absorbed its subsidiaries ANSETT W.A., ANSETT EXPRESS. and EASTWEST into ANSETT. It was renamed again in 1990 to ANSETT AUSTRALIA. The international and regional passenger and cargo airline ceased operating 14Sep2001. It restarted on 29Sep2001., with vastly diminished domestic services, using only 6 A320 aircraft, but eventually ceased operations on 06Mar2002.
Ansett’s other airline operations included Aeropelican, Air Vanuatu, Ansett New Zealand/TRANZAIR, Connair, Hazelton, Lloyd, Pacific Aviation, Patair, Skywest, Southern Airlines, SPANZ, Transcorp, & Victorian Air Coach Services (VACS).

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