Misplaced Pages

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77-499: For most of the period of the policy, the two airlines were the privately owned Ansett Airlines and the government-owned Trans Australia Airlines . Though persisting for some decades, the policy finally fell into abeyance with airline deregulation in Australia in 1990. The First and Second Chifley ( Labor ) ministries established Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) in 1946, after passing legislation establishing TAA in 1945. TAA

154-479: A duopoly over domestic flights in Australia for almost four decades until the deregulation of the industry which resulted in Compass Airlines , Impulse Airlines and Virgin Australia to compete from 1990. In 1966, interstate courier company Ipec began operating interstate flights carrying freight from Brisbane to Cowra to connect with trucks to and from Melbourne . This was deemed in breach of

231-566: A flight engineer in the cockpit by agreement with Ansett's crew unions. Despite being an existing operator of the Boeing 737 (and long-standing Boeing customer in general), Ansett placed an order worth over $ 1 billion in 1985 for the Airbus A320 , which gradually replaced the 727s in the late 1980s/early 1990s and were branded by the airline as the 'Skystar'. Two years later Ansett ordered 21 new Boeing 737s (in -300 and −500 form ) to phase out

308-529: A 50 per cent stake in a recapitalised and expanded company renamed Ansett New Zealand . Ansett NZ adopted the same white Landor livery as its parent company, but with the four red stars of the New Zealand flag on the tail in place of the six white ones (as per the flag of Australia ) on the Ansett livery, and therefore also lacking the green and orange 'speed stripes' on the tail. In its own preparation for

385-526: A day. Air New Zealand attempted to cut Ansett's costs while expecting to maintain the same level of revenue. This did not work, as the cost cutting hurt Ansett. Additionally, Ansett's fleet had been allowed to deteriorate, a situation that came to a head with a partial grounding of its Boeing 767 fleet during the Christmas 2000 season and a full grounding in Easter 2001. Ansett was thus unable to compete with

462-503: A denser and more accessible service pattern and much lower fares than the ones set by regulation charged by Ansett and TAA. East-West had become Ansett's main competitor in many of its regional services and the airline's growth played a large part in the successful campaign to overturn the Two Airlines Policy. In preparation for deregulation East-West's owners sold the company but within weeks the new owner, Stan Perron , sold

539-467: A longstanding Sydney to Albury service with a newly added Albury to Melbourne sector, thereby including a nominal number of through passengers at lower than normal fares. Another aspect of the policy was that scheduled flights on the same routes would take off about five minutes apart, with Ansett taking off before TAA. The failing Australian National Airways was taken over in 1957 by Ansett . Subsequent governments continued to allow TAA and Ansett to hold

616-591: A monopoly. In February 2000, Air New Zealand acquired full ownership of Ansett, buying out News Corporation's stake for A$ 680 million, surpassing Singapore Airlines 's A$ 500 million bid. Competition from Qantas and a succession of low-cost airlines ( Impulse Airlines and Virgin Blue ), top-heavy and substantially overpaid staff, an ageing fleet, and grounding of the Boeing 767 fleet due to maintenance irregularities left Ansett seriously short of cash, losing $ 1.3 million

693-580: A month back in the air, the Golden Wing Club Lounges reopened, but like the scaled-back flying operation, provided no refreshments or other amenities apart from coffee and water. Ansett was essentially in "lock down" mode, while the administrators tried to source buyers in a very challenging market. Ansett Mark II traded only as "Ansett" in a different font to separate it from the former operation. It traded from Ansett terminals, with Ansett ground staff, crew, and baggage handlers working around

770-587: A number of non-commercial civil operators also purchased the new Model 10. In May 1937, H. T. "Dick" Merrill and J. S. Lambie accomplished a round-trip crossing of the Atlantic Ocean . The feat was declared the first round-trip commercial crossing of that ocean by any aircraft. It won them the Harmon Trophy . On the eastbound trip, they carried newsreels of the crash of the Hindenburg , and on

847-516: A pair of Boeing 747-300s from Singapore Airlines in August 1994 to inaugurate services to Osaka and Hong Kong . Two more B747s were leased from Singapore Airlines the next year to enable services to Jakarta in January 1996 and to Shanghai in the summer of 1997. Ansett branded its B747s as 'Spaceships'. In the late 1990s, Ansett paid millions of dollars for the right to be official airline of

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924-524: A period of debt restructuring and by the start of 1994 the company was reported to be back to making an operating profit. By this point all the regional branding had been dropped, with all aircraft carrying the same Ansett scheme, and a new tail logo called the 'Starmark' (combining the Southern Cross of the previous livery, the blue of the flag livery and a stylised 'A' as a nod to Ansett's 1960s scheme) had been introduced. This final change also saw

1001-527: A press conference the same day, Fox and Lew announced that they had received no financial support from the government for their bid, and were therefore withdrawing. With no other saviours, and no realistic chance for Ansett to be revived as a viable concern, the administrators had no choice but to cease all flying operations at 23:59 on 4 March 2002, with the last commercial flight, AN152 from Perth to Sydney , operated by A320-211 VH-HYI, touching down at 06:53 on 5 March. Staff filled Golden Wing Lounges across

1078-539: A regular employee, ultimately leading the Skunk Works in developing advanced aircraft such as the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird . The Lockheed Electra was one of the first commercial passenger aircraft with retractable landing gear to come equipped with mudguards as standard equipment, although aircraft with fixed landing gear commonly had mudguards much earlier than this. After October 1934, when

1155-736: A star in the Pleiades . The prototype made its first flight on February 23, 1934, with Marshall Headle at the controls. Wind-tunnel work on the Electra was undertaken at the University of Michigan . Much of the work was performed by a student assistant, Kelly Johnson . He suggested two changes be made to the design: changing the single tail to double tails (later a Lockheed trademark), and deleting oversized wing fillets. Both of these suggestions were incorporated into production aircraft. Upon receiving his master's degree, Johnson joined Lockheed as

1232-562: A view to replacing its successful but ageing fleet of Fokker F27s . Ansett also ordered a total of 11 British Aerospace 146s , which gradually replaced Fokker F28 Fellowship jets from 1990. In addition to these heavy spending costs on fleet renewal, a number of substantial investments performed badly, including a share in the US America West Airlines (which filed for bankruptcy and survived) and its Hamilton Island resort (which went into receivership). In 1984, Ansett

1309-429: A whole "new" Ansett out of the ashes of the old, but the trademark font and "Star Mark" logo reinstated. It would be a full-service, two-class, single fleet-type domestic airline. It included very reduced staff numbers and an all new Airbus A320 fleet. The new Ansett would operate out of the old Ansett terminals, and temporarily lease the former Ansett's A320 fleet until newer replacements arrived. Loyalty products such as

1386-524: A wide range of regional airliners of piston-, turboprop and jet-power types. Many of these were only operated in small numbers, adding to crew, training and maintenance costs and several key types were approaching 15 or 20 years old. This incurred increased costs to Ansett. In 1985, the same year the Airbus order was placed, Ansett became a launch customer for the Fokker 50 turboprop, ordering ten aircraft with

1463-656: The Consolidated PBY Catalina , Short Sandringham and Short Sunderland . At various times the Ansett-ANA helicopter division operated the Bell 47J Ranger , Bell 206 , Bristol Sycamore , Sikorsky S-61 and Sikorsky HH-52 Seaguard . Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services owned the Airbus A300 , Airbus A310 and Boeing 757 for leasing. One of the most unusual aircraft that was operated by Ansett

1540-459: The High Court of Australia , so it established Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA) to operate in competition with ANA. Ansett Airways remained a big player as ANA and TAA battled for supremacy in the 1940s and 1950s. Ansett operated around the big two, maintaining budget-fare interstate operations with DC-3s and later Convair CV-340s previously operated by Braniff International Airways in

1617-486: The Sydney 2000 Olympics , an investment generally regarded as unwise. Ansett saw this tie-in as a key marketing opportunity to expand its presence in southern and eastern Asia. Five Boeing 747-400s were leased (four dry leased from Singapore Airlines and one wet leased from Qantas ) to add further services and new routes to Seoul , Taipei , and Kuala Lumpur . The aircraft were branded with 'Sydney 2000' livery. Neither

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1694-643: The USAAF 's C-36 . By the end of the war, the Electra design was obsolete, although many smaller airlines and charter services continued to operate Electras into the 1970s. Electras were popular as private planes for royalty in Asia and Europe. In India , the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir and the Maharaja of Jodhpur both purchased them for their personal use in 1937. The Electra was produced in several variants, for both civilian and military customers. Lockheed built

1771-547: The government of New Zealand opened its skies to the airline. After the government of Australia reneged on an agreement to reciprocate, Air New Zealand tried to acquire a share of Qantas when it was floated in 1995, but was not allowed. Instead, it bought TNT's 50% stake in Ansett Australia for A$ 475 million in 1996, though managerial control remained in the hands of News Corporation. Ansett Australia then had to divest itself of Ansett New Zealand to avoid creating

1848-502: The 1980s, buoyed up by strong business year-on-year and the passing of the Airlines Agreement Act of 1981 which maintained the closely regulated domestic airline system in Australia until at least the end of the decade, thus ensuring Ansett Transport Industries' profits for the foreseeable future. New Boeing 737s and five of the newly introduced Boeing 767 were purchased – the latter to a unique specification retaining

1925-695: The ASIC inquiry dropped, but mostly through asset sales and leasing revenue. The Federal Government did provide an A$ 350 million loan which is being repaid by the Administrators at the same time as the staff are being repaid however, to ensure that there is no exposure to taxpayers, a $ 10 per seat levy was imposed by the Federal Government on Australian airline passengers. Employees ended up receiving 96% of their entitlements. Ansett's administrators, KordaMentha , initially advised creditors that it

2002-579: The Airbus A320 was utilised from Ansett's original fleet during the brief re-launch of operations as "Ansett Mark II" from October 2001 to March 2002. The Boeing 737, Boeing 767, and Boeing 747 fleets were grounded from September 2001 onwards as were the BAe 146 fleet, with the exception of a one-off revenue flight from Cairns to Brisbane in November 2001, operating off the back end of a charter flight for

2079-415: The Ansett group of companies into voluntary administration with PriceWaterhouseCoopers . On 14 September, the administrator determined that Ansett was not viable to continue operations (primarily due to the apparent lack of any funds to cover fuel, catering, or employee wages) and grounded the fleets of Ansett and its subsidiaries Hazelton Airlines , Kendell , Skywest , and Aeropelican . Flights already in

2156-495: The Golden Wing Club and Global Rewards frequent-flyer program would be relaunched. Those members of Golden Wing Club at the time of the collapse would have their memberships reinstated for a six-month period if they used the new Ansett. A new CEO was sourced and hired, and began to put together a new management team. A new head office was planned, and Airbus showcased a new A320 to the consortium. A new catering company

2233-553: The Kendell Bombardier CRJ200 did not return to active flying. The Fokker 50, Saab 340, Twin Otter and Metro 23 regional aircraft were all back flying for Skywest, Kendell, Hazelton and Aeropelican in the weeks following the collapse. Both Kendell and Hazelton merged to create Regional Express Airlines . As of 2013, five former Kendell Saab 340s are in service with Regional Express with the others phased out. Three of

2310-658: The New Zealand government. It then declined to take up an earlier proposed deal to inject over $ 500 million into Air New Zealand and Ansett after talks collapsed. In early September 2001, as the trouble worsened, the New Zealand government prepared to rescue Air New Zealand (eventually buying 83% of the company for NZ$ 885 million), but cut Ansett adrift. Despite public pleas, the Australian government refused to bail out Ansett. Quickly running out of both lines of credit and options, Air New Zealand on 12 September 2001 placed

2387-633: The Olympic Games nor the new routes generated the expected traffic, and several of these new routes were withdrawn shortly after the Games concluded. This destabilised the finances of the company considerably, in tandem with other industrial and internal factors (see below) right before the September 11 attacks affected the global airline industry and economy. Ansett had expanded into New Zealand in 1987 through its subsidiary Ansett New Zealand after

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2464-538: The US government banned single-engined aircraft for use in carrying passengers or in night flying, Lockheed was perfectly placed in the market with its new Model 10 Electra. In addition to deliveries to US-based airlines, several European operators added Electras to their prewar fleets. In Latin America, the first airline to use Electras was Cubana de Aviación , starting in 1935, for its domestic routes. Besides airline orders,

2541-559: The United States. The airline was backed up by extensive road transport operations, including Ansett Freight Express and Ansett Pioneer Coaches, as well as the Ansair coach-building operation. The Menzies government , while supporting TAA, because of the excellent dividends it paid to the government, wanted to avoid TAA having a monopoly on domestic services if ANA collapsed, as seemed likely. The only alternative, as it transpired,

2618-618: The administrators began selling off Ansett's assets. This included its regional subsidiary airlines, which still continued to trade despite Ansett being grounded. A creditors meeting post March 2002 voted in favour of an organised wind-up of the operation, under a deed of company arrangement, as opposed to an immediate liquidation. It was viewed that a deed of arrangement would give creditors a greater return than liquidation would provide. Laid-off Ansett workers were eventually paid most of their entitlements, partly from an A$ 150 million compensation package offered by Air New Zealand in return for having

2695-437: The air at the time the decision was made continued on to their destinations. Customers and almost all employees had no warning of the stoppage in operations. An Ansett Boeing 767–200 operating on behalf of Ansett Airfreight due to depart Melbourne for Launceston, Tasmania, was the first aircraft to be stopped from flying. It was unable to be unloaded until midday the next day, as no paid staff were on duty. Everyone had been told in

2772-574: The air was to attract a buyer for the business and to generate positive cash flow. Attempts by Ansett's Voluntary Administrators to re-engage Singapore Airlines to consider a role in resurrecting Ansett through a meeting on 6 October 2001 resulted in SA agreeing to play a consultancy role in this effort. The revived and scaled-back operation ran on a tight budget, and its service reflected that. It consisted of single-class seating with no catering, interlining baggage, valet parking, or frequent flyer points. After

2849-576: The airline led Ansett to float the business in 1937. As the route network expanded, Ansett Airways imported Lockheed Electra aircraft. During World War II , Ansett opted to suspend all scheduled services, except the Hamilton service, in favour of more lucrative work for the United States Army Air Forces . After the war, Ansett battled to re-establish his domestic routes using war-surplus Douglas DC-3s , converted from C-47s and

2926-494: The airline remaining for sale. In June 2011, it was announced that the Special Employee Entitlements Scheme for Ansett employees had finished making payments to former staff and the administration of Ansett had come to an end. Staff received roughly 96% of their entitlements. The Ansett Australia fleet as of 13 September 2001 (last day of trading) was made up of the following aircraft: Only

3003-501: The airline to Ansett. At this stage the East-West brand was retained, but with an updated livery. Similar deregulation of the airline industry had been introduced in New Zealand in the late 1980s, and Ansett pursued this opportunity to expand its operations internationally. In 1987 Ansett entered into an agreement with the owners of the struggling New Zealand domestic airline Newmans Air which saw Ansett Transport Industries take on

3080-402: The airline went into administration in 2001 following a financial collapse and subsequent liquidation in 2002, subject to a deed of company arrangement. Ansett’s last flight touched down on 5 March 2002. The company was founded by Reginald " Reg" Ansett in 1935 as Ansett Airways Pty Ltd . This was an offshoot of his road transport business, which had become so successful it was threatening

3157-410: The airline. The airline prospered in the 1980s, and its various operating divisions were progressively unified both operationally and in terms of corporate identity. Following the change of ownership, Ansett introduced a new livery designed by Landor Associates , featuring plain white fuselages, simple Ansett logotypes in a serif typeface and a blue tailfin with a stylised Southern Cross logo. Through

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3234-445: The banks finally reclaimed them, or as new owners were found. The two Boeing 747s that were leased from Singapore Airlines were reclaimed within weeks of the collapse and returned to Singapore Airlines, which restored the original colours. They subsequently found new lives and were leased to Fiji 's national carrier Fiji Airways , then known as Air Pacific. The more modern Boeing 767–300 , of which Ansett had two, were reclaimed by

3311-498: The clock to make it a success with limited resources. Designated gates at each of Ansett's terminals were used for the operation, while aircraft not being used were moved away to more distant gates, with the disused concourses being sealed off. In November 2001, Ansett creditors voted to allow the Tesna consortium, led by Melbourne businessmen Solomon Lew and Lindsay Fox , to purchase Ansett's mainline assets. The plan involved creating

3388-614: The country for mass wakes as the final flights came in to land. By this point, the administration of the company had transferred to newly formed insolvency firm KordaMentha . The Australian Securities & Investments Commission began an investigation of whether Ansett had traded while insolvent, and eventually determined in July 2002 that it would be too expensive and difficult to proceed with an action which would, in any case, need to be many separate actions on behalf of individual creditors rather than just one. With Ansett now grounded again,

3465-897: The days leading up to 14 September that flights would continue on schedule, and most Ansett employees did not find out until they showed up for work at dawn that day. Thousands of passengers were left stranded and more than 16,000 people found themselves out of a job, making this the largest mass job-loss event in Australian history. Widespread protests were held by workers, including the blockade of an Air New Zealand plane about to carry then New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark home from Melbourne. The then Ansett administrators alleged that Air New Zealand had engaged in asset stripping of Ansett, and had sustained excessive fuel costs for Ansett due to Air New Zealand's failure to hedge them, leaving Ansett susceptible to major fluctuations in fuel charges during 2000. These claims were denied by Air New Zealand, noting it had funded Ansett's loss of A$ 180 million in

3542-497: The failing Australian National Airways in 1957, resulting in it being the only competitor for the government-owned TAA. While smaller regional airlines were free to operate flights between regional airports and between cities and regional centres, the policy allowed only two airlines to operate flights between major cities in Australia. This led to some minor intrusions by other airlines, for example in 1970, East-West Airlines briefly operated between Sydney and Melbourne by linking

3619-468: The first time. Ansett had anticipated this change and in July of that year had acquired East-West Airlines , a regional airline that had gradually expanded from its origins in New South Wales to become an inter-state operator. East-West had circumvented the regulations of the Two Airlines Policy by flying between the regulated state capitals via smaller intermediate airports, allowing it both offer

3696-818: The former Hazelton Airlines Saab 340s are in service with Regional Express. At various times Ansett Australia and its predecessors, Ansett Airways and Australian National Airways and partnering carriers operated the Boeing 727 , −100, −200 Advanced and the purpose-built 727 LR, Bristol Freighter , Cessna 550 , Convair 340 , Convair 440 , de Havilland Dragon , de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou , de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter , de Havilland Canada Dash 7 , de Havilland Heron , Douglas DC-3 and C-47 Skytrain , Douglas DC-4 , Douglas DC-5 , Douglas DC-6 , Fokker F-27 , Fokker F-28 , Fokker Universal , Lockheed Model 10 Electra , Lockheed L-188 Electra , LET L-200A Morava , Douglas DC-9 , Mohawk 298 , Piaggio P.166 and Vickers Viscount . Ansett Flying Boat Services operated

3773-462: The freight and passenger revenue of Victorian Railways . This led the state government to legislate to put private road transport operators out of business. Reg Ansett countered by establishing an airline, as aviation was under control of the federal government and beyond the reach of the state government. Ansett's first route between Hamilton and Melbourne operated by a Fokker Universal monoplane commenced on 17 February 1936. The rapid success of

3850-411: The government. Two other Ansett BAe 146 aircraft were chartered by the federal government in late 2001 during the federal election campaign. Several of the defunct fleet types did operate ferry flights back to Melbourne from wherever they ended up across Australia in the months after the collapse, and operated the occasional test flight around Melbourne to retain currency. Of the subsidiary fleets, only

3927-685: The initial collapse. With the newer aircraft gone, most of the older Boeing 767–200 fleet were moved from the Melbourne terminal gates as Virgin Blue moved into the former Ansett Terminal, and were placed into long-term storage at the Ansett Engineering Base until late 2004, when most were sold off to Aeroturbine and flown to the United States to be broken up into spare parts. Many of the British Aerospace 146 aircraft were also stored but broken up at Melbourne. As of 2008

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4004-614: The introduction of pure jet aircraft to Australian domestic airlines until 1964, when the Boeing 727–100 "Fan Jet" began flying. In keeping with the Two Airlines Policy, both TAA and Ansett started domestic jet services with the 727 on the same date (October 16), at the same time, on the same route (Sydney to Melbourne). However Ansett won a draw to be the first to land, thus becoming the airline to officially inaugurate jet operations to Australian domestic aviation, seven years after Reg Ansett had moved to block TAA's attempt to first purchase jet airliners. An unusual feature of Ansett's operations

4081-488: The last year. Ansett's administrators later admitted no evidence of any asset stripping was found. After receiving a federal government guarantee, Ansett resumed limited services between major cities on 1 October 2001, using only the Airbus A320 Skystar fleet. This was referred to as Ansett Mark II, an operation run and financed by Ansett Australia under administration. The purpose of getting Ansett back into

4158-507: The law and the service ceased. In 1981, freight services were removed from Two Airlines Policy to allow Ipec to operate services between the mainland and Tasmania . Ansett Australia Ansett Australia , originally Ansett Airways , was a major Australian airline group based in Melbourne , Victoria . The company operated domestically within Australia, and from the 1990s, to destinations in Asia. Following 65 years of operation,

4235-536: The lessors in the following months, while two new Boeing 767–300 aircraft which arrived too late to enter service with Ansett, departed soon after. One aircraft was wet leased on a short-term basis by Qantas to bring additional aircraft to cover the loss of Ansett, but the aircraft retained its Ansett registration while under lease to it. Another new 767-300, which was halfway through its ferry from Canada, never made it to Australia and returned to Canada. The Kendell CRJ-200 jets returned to Canada within twelve months of

4312-572: The low-cost carriers and Qantas, which were able to run at a loss on some routes, as they could not maintain revenue while cutting their costs, which included laying off staff. A deal made in April 2001 for Ansett to purchase Virgin Blue was repudiated by Virgin chief Richard Branson in August, and Singapore Airlines, which was initially blocked from buying Ansett, was also prevented from investing further in Air New Zealand/Ansett by

4389-427: The major engineering leap required to go from an all-piston fleet direct to pure jet aircraft, TAA had been operating prop-jet Vickers Viscounts since 1954, so had expertise in jet technology. Ansett was successful in convincing the government to authorise the importation of more Viscounts and the new Lockheed L-188 Electra , marketed as the "Golden Jet" as with other turboprop airliners of the day. This action delayed

4466-419: The mid-1980s this livery was rolled out to the regional parts of the Ansett system which were also rebranded as the new colours were rolled out, becoming Ansett NSW, Ansett NT, Ansett WA etc.. The Southern Cross livery first appeared on newly purchased long-range versions of the Boeing 727–200 , capable of direct flights between Sydney and Perth . Ansett's new owners placed multiple orders for new aircraft in

4543-469: The new deregulated industry, Ansett rebranded itself in mid-1990, taking on the name Ansett Australia and adopting a new livery with the Australian flag on the tail. This change also saw the end of the East-West name, being replaced by 'Ansett Express', which was adopted for the short-haul and commuter services in New South Wales formerly operated by Ansett NSW and East-West. This rebranding also followed

4620-400: The older 737 models. This diverse fleet of similar aircraft from different manufacturers was unusual in the airline industry. The new Boeing 767s were also beset by mechanical and maintenance issues, leading them to be out of service during several key periods of heavy traffic and operating for the airline at a loss. These issues were further reflected in Ansett's regional operations which had

4697-407: The remaining Lockheed Electras. At this time, the Australian domestic airline travel sector was dominated by Australian National Airways (ANA), established in 1936 by a consortium of British-financed Australian shipowners. The Chifley federal government was determined to establish a state-owned airline to operate all domestic and international services. It was eventually thwarted in this aim by

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4774-402: The remains of one BAe 146 sit derelict at Brisbane Airport , and another BAe 146 remains at Perth Airport , although neither of them are still owned by Ansett or expected to fly again. A lone Boeing 767–200 survived the scrappers cull, was sold and continues to fly in the United States as a charter aircraft. As of 2006, there were still in excess of 217,000 items and two properties belonging to

4851-774: The return trip from the United Kingdom , they brought photographs of the coronation of King George VI . Bata Shoes operated the Model 10 to ferry its executives between their European factories. Probably the most famous use of the Electra was the highly modified Model 10E flown by Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan . In July 1937, they disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean during an attempted round-the-world flight. Many Electras and their design descendants (the Model 12 Electra Junior and Model 14 Super Electra ) were pressed into military service during World War II , for instance

4928-652: The strict rules set down by the Two Airlines Policy, Ansett and TAA operated as virtual carbon copies of each other, operating the same aircraft at the same times, to the same destinations, at fares, which were identical (under strict federal government policy). If either airline wished to change its fares, they had to obtain federal government approval. Reg Ansett then set out to ensure no other competitors could rise up to challenge his airline. He took control of Adelaide -based Guinea Airways (renamed Airlines of South Australia ) and Sydney -based Butler Air Transport (renamed Airlines of New South Wales ). The takeover of Butler

5005-450: The takeover in November 1968. Unlike Ansett's other regional acquisitions MMA retained its own identity (aircraft flew in Ansett livery but with MMA logotypes) for many years, finally becoming Airlines of Western Australia in 1981. Following the takeover of ANA, Reg Ansett lobbied the government to block TAA's purchase of Sud Aviation Caravelle jet aircraft. He was concerned about his airline's ability to finance equivalent jet aircraft, and

5082-492: The withdrawal of the Ansett Express branding, with these services now being flown under the corporate Ansett Australia title. The deregulation of the industry also opened up possibilities for Ansett to move into international flights for the first time. On September 11, 1993, the first international Ansett flight was made to Bali using a Boeing 767. To further expand its international operations, Ansett Australia leased

5159-523: Was achieved with covert support from the Menzies government and by Ansett engineering his employees' purchases of Butler shares (in a similar way as had just been attempted by Butler). He then flew the employees to a general meeting in Sydney and forced a vote in favour of selling out to Ansett. Ansett later purchased Perth -based MacRobertson Miller Airlines , buying 70% of the shares in 1963 and completing

5236-411: Was called Ansett-ANA, the name it retained until 1 November 1968, when it became Ansett Airlines of Australia. Ansett-ANA's excellent profit record was, at least in part, courtesy of the Menzies government's Two Airlines Policy . The policy effectively blocked any other domestic interstate operators by way of a ban on importation of aircraft without a government licence. From 1957 until the 1980s, under

5313-424: Was embroiled in controversy after it banned HIV -positive individuals from travelling on their planes to protect their staff. The Australian Flight Attendants Association ultimately rejected the bans. In October 1987, the Australian parliament voted to repeal the Airlines Agreement Act with effect from October 31, 1990. This deregulated the airline industry in Australia and exposed Ansett to direct competition for

5390-589: Was for Ansett to buy the ANA operation. Ansett's bid had a number of financial supporters, most prominent of these being the Shell Oil Company . Douglas Aircraft Company was also concerned about ANA's demise, as TAA had ceased to be a customer for their aircraft. The ANA directors fiercely resisted this initially, but in October 1957, succumbed to Ansett's offer of £3.3 million for their airline. The new entity

5467-566: Was initially intended to be a monopoly national carrier , subsuming all the routes flown by Australian National Airways and any other non-government airlines. This was successfully challenged in two High Court cases. The Two Airlines Policy was formulated by the Fifth Menzies Ministry with the Civil Aviation Agreement Act 1952 taking effect. The policy took practical effect when Ansett purchased

5544-633: Was not cost-effective to restore them to an airworthy state. The disposal of the former fleet did not progress quickly, given the depressed aviation market and the subsequent lack of demand by other carriers around the world whose operations had been crippled by the 9/11 attacks only months before. Following the final flight, nearly all of the A320 fleet was ferried back empty to Melbourne, where they sat at abandoned gates in storage. The Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 fleets ultimately found new owners first, and departed Australia between March 2002 and December 2006 as

5621-560: Was produced primarily in the 1930s to compete with the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2 . The type gained considerable fame as one was flown by Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan on their ill-fated around-the-world expedition in 1937. Some of Lockheed's wooden designs, such as the Orion , had been built by Detroit Aircraft Corporation with metal fuselages. However, the Electra was Lockheed's first all-metal and twin-engined design by Lloyd Stearman and Hall Hibbard . The name Electra came from

5698-435: Was selected, with new Business and Economy Class in-flight meals trialed on passengers on select Mark II services in readiness for the new operation. The agreement with Ansett's administrators, although well-advanced, collapsed in late February 2002. Without any prior warning, the administrators announced on 27 February that Fox and Lew had withdrawn their bid, citing "[i]nability to complete the transaction on legal advice". At

5775-590: Was the Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair from the 1960s. Three of the airline's own DC-4s were delivered to the United Kingdom for conversion by Aviation Traders Limited, the company run by Sir Freddie Laker as managing director. Lockheed Model 10 Electra The Lockheed Model 10 Electra is an American twin-engined, all-metal monoplane airliner developed by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation , which

5852-483: Was the flying-boat service from Rose Bay in Sydney to Lord Howe Island . This was operated by Ansett Flying Boat Services using Short Sandringham four-engined aircraft. The service ceased in 1974 when the Lord Howe Island Airport was completed. Ansett lost control of the company to Peter Abeles ' TNT and Rupert Murdoch 's News Corporation in 1979, with Abeles taking operational control of

5929-707: Was unlikely that much more money would be realised, due to the depression of the global aviation industry after the September 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, DC , had the effect of reducing the value of aircraft from A$ 300 million to A$ 70 million. In the months following the final flight, the administrators negotiated the sale of the terminal leases back to the airport owners, recouping millions. Auctions were held to sell Ansett's airport furniture and equipment. Its headquarters at 465/489 and 501 Swanston Street , Melbourne were sold to PDG Corporation. Some aircraft stored in heavy maintenance were broken up, as it

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