{{Short description|Regional airline of Australia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} {{Use Australian English|date=April 2012}} {{Infobox airline |airline = Flight West |logo = Flight West Airlines logo.png |IATA = YC |ICAO = FWQ |callsign = UNITY |founded = {{start date|1987|05||df=yes}} |ceased = {{end date|2001|12||df=yes}} |hubs = Brisbane<br>Cairns<br>Townsville |headquarters = Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |key_people = Dennis Buchanan (founder) |website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20000818004137/http://www.flightwest.com.au:80/ www.flightwest.com.au]}}
'''Flight West''' was an Australian regional airline headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland. Established in May 1987, it operated predominantly in Queensland. It entered voluntary administration in June 2001 before being sold to Queensland Aviation Holdings, the parent company of Alliance Airlines in April 2002.
==History== [[File:Flight West EMB-120.jpg|thumb|Embraer EMB 120 at Brisbane Airport in December 1999]] [[File:Flight West Fokker 28 CNS King.jpg|thumb|Fokker F28 at Cairns Airport in July 2000]] [[File:70cp - Flight West Airlines Fokker 100; VH-FWI@SYD;04.09.1999 (6116239036).jpg|thumb|Fokker 100 at Sydney Airport in September 1999]] Flight West was established by Dennis Buchanan in 1987 to operate subsidised passenger services to remote communities on Government of Queensland contracts.<ref>Major Airline Directory ''Australian Aviation'' issue 150 May 199 page 53</ref>
Initially the airline used Beechcraft Super King Air aircraft on these services from a base at Brisbane Airport and then quickly expanded, adding DHC-6 Twin Otters an EMB 110, Jetstream 32s and then ex Ansett Fokker F28s to initially operate the Brisbane to Norfolk Island service later purchasing two Fokker 100s.<ref name=AboutFlightWest>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010603114339/http://www.flightwest.com.au/about.html About Flight West Airlines] Flight West</ref> A second base was established at Cairns Airport. It was soon operating the most extensive network of routes throughout regional Queensland.
From bases in Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville 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.
The airline was affiliated with (but independent of) Ansett which ceased operations on 14 September 2001. Before entering liquidation in June 2001, Flight West serviced 34 destinations and employed over 420 staff.<ref name=AboutFlightWest/>
===Collapse=== On 16 June 2001, the airline was placed into voluntary administration with PwC appointed to manage the company.<ref name=AA175>Flight West Falls ''Australian Aviation'' issue 175 August 2001 pages 39/40</ref> Ansett announced on 27 June that it would lease eight of the company's aircraft and restart 16 routes effective immediately.<ref>{{cite news | title=Ansett to fly west | work=The Daily Telegraph|date=27 June 2001}}</ref><ref>Flight West Airlines ''Australian Aviation'' issue 176 September 2001 page 67</ref> On 13 September 2001, Ansett itself collapsed, again halting Flight West services.<ref>Flight West looks for a buyer ''Australian Aviation'' issue 178 November 2001 page 22</ref> After extensive restructuring, the airline was offered for sale on 29 September 2001.<ref>{{cite news | title=Airline for sale |work=The Dominion Post|date=29 September 2001}}</ref> In an effort to revitalise the airline, the Federal Government announced on 6 November that it would underwrite the airline's operating costs for three months. The airline began flights between Brisbane and Gladstone on 17 November 2001.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bail-out for state airline|work=The Courier-Mail|date=6 November 2001}}</ref><ref>Flight West to Gladstone ''Australian Aviation'' issue 179 December 2001 page 20</ref> After the airline failed to sell, it was placed into voluntary administration on 4 December 2001.<ref>{{cite news|title=Flight West Lands in Voluntary Administration|work=The Australian|date=4 December 2001}}</ref>
In April 2002, Queensland Aviation Holdings purchased Flight West and intended to restructure the company under a new name, Alliance Airlines.<ref>Flight West Sold ''Australian Aviation'' issue 183 May 2002 page 5</ref> Two Embraer EMB 120s and two Fokker 100s were included in the sale.<ref>Alliance Airlines takes off ''Australian Aviation'' issue 187 September 2002 page 15</ref>
==Fleet== In the mid 1990s, the fleet was composed of Beechcraft King Airs, DHC-6 Twin Otters, de Havilland Canada Dash 8s, Embraer EMB 110s 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 100s.
At the suspension of services, Flight West operated a fleet of 16 jet and turboprop aircraft:<ref name=AA175/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010603115756/http://www.flightwest.com.au/fleet.html Flight West Fleet of Aircraft] Flight West</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! Aircraft !! In fleet!! Notes |- | Jetstream 32ER || 4 || |- | Embraer 120ER Brasilia || 7 || |- | Fokker F28-4000 || 3 || |- | Fokker 100 || 2 || |}
==Destinations== Flight West operated 34 routes at the time its services were suspended.<ref name=AboutFlightWest/>
Over the airline's 14-year history, it operated to destinations in Queensland, New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Norfolk Island including:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010603122109/http://www.flightwest.com.au/route.html Flight West Routes] Flight West June 2001</ref> {{Columns-list|colwidth=15em| *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 *Moree *Mornington Island *Mount Isa *Normanton *Norfolk Island *Proserpine *Quilpie *Richmond, *Rockhampton *Roma *Sydney *Thursday Island *Townsville *Weipa *Windorah *Winton}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|Flight West Airlines}} *[http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Flight+West Flight West Photos] *Norfolk Island, ''Airways Magazine'' May 2000 pages 41–42
{{Airlines of Australia|state=collapsed}}
Category:Airlines established in 1987 Category:Airlines disestablished in 2001 Category:Ansett Australia Category:Companies based in Brisbane Category:Defunct airlines of Australia Category:1987 establishments in Australia Category:2001 disestablishments in Australia