QantasLink's origins as a single brand for Qantas' regional airline subsidiaries go back to October 1993, when Qantas acquired Australian Airlink Pty Ltd and its fleet from parent company National Jet Systems,[2] which up to that point had been operating flights on major regional routes for Australian Airlines. The Australian Airlink name remained and the fleet was repainted in Qantas livery, and National Jet Systems was subsequently contracted by Qantas to operate Australian Airlink aircraft.
Prior to 2002, Qantas' various subsidiaries operated under their own names, eventually adopting the Australian Airlines, and later, Qantas liveries. In 2002 a common brand was created, encompassing AirLink (a franchise, operated by National Jet Systems), Sunstate Airlines, Eastern Australia Airlines, and Southern Australia Airlines; Southern Australia has since ceased operations.
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, with the 717s to be operated in Western Australia, Northern Territory and far north Queensland by National Jet Systems.
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.[3]
On 20 May 2020, Qantas announced the purchase of Cobham Australia's National Jet Systems subsidiary which had operated the Boeing 717-200 on behalf of QantasLink for 15 years, bringing both employees and the fleet in-house.[4][5] In August 2020, National Jet systems closed the Perth and Cairns bases of their operation, with Western Australian operations to be taken over by Network Aviation.[6]
On 4 February 2021, Qantas announced an initial 3 year deal with Alliance Airlines that they will be leasing 3 Embraer E190 with the option for up to 14 to operate on routes like Adelaide–Alice Springs, Darwin–Alice Springs, and Darwin–Adelaide.[7] Qantas has steadily expanded upon its lease agreement and use of the aircraft, with the company currently agreed to operate 26 aircraft by April 2024, with 4 options remaining.
Fleet
Current fleet
QantasLink flights, except those flown by the Embraer 190s, are operated by the individual airlines that make up the group – Eastern Australia Airlines, National Jet Systems, Network Aviation and Sunstate Airlines. All flights use QF IATA codes. Turboprop aircraft operate under the ICAO callsign QLK ("Q-LINK"). Until 5 January 2009, Eastern and Sunstate operated under their own callsigns. Network Aviation aircraft operate under their own callsign NWK ("NETLINK").
As of November 2024[update], QantasLink operates the following aircraft:[8]
Throughout the mid-2000s, QantasLink increased capacity by replacing many of its smaller Dash 8-100 and Q200 aircraft with Q400s. QantasLink continued to acquire the Q400 despite landing gear problems experienced by other airlines during this period. This problem also saw a grounding of five Q400s during August 2010, though all were deemed safe and returned to service.[25]
From 2005, QantasLink 717 services in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Tasmania were contracted to National Jet Systems, using the QantasLink brand. The hubs for QantasLink under the contract are in Perth, Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, and Hobart.
In December 2005, as part of its further expansion, QantasLink entered the South Australian market 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, services to Kangaroo Island ceased operation at the end of June 2006.[26]
On 1 August 2006, Qantas replaced its daily Melbourne-Launceston mainline service with a three times daily QantasLink Dash 8 service. 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 mid-life 717s.
In Mid-August 2008, it was announced that Tamworth would be the first New South Wales regional airport to be serviced by the Q400.[27]
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.[28]
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".[29]
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.[30]
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.[31]
In July 2016, Alliance Airlines delivered the first of three additional Fokker 100s, with two more delivered by the end of the year.[32]
In December 2017 QantasLink announced a resumption of flights from both Melbourne and Adelaide to Kangaroo Island after a 11 year hiatus.[26]
In January 2018, Network Aviation confirmed it would transfer two Airbus A320s from Jetstar Airways for flights to and from Perth as part of the QantasLink brand.[33][34] Network Aviation has steadily increased its use of ex-Jetstar Airbus A320s with a current fleet of 15.
In December 2021, Qantas announced an initial order for 20 Airbus A220-300 with additional purchase options to replace its Boeing 717.[35] On the 29th of June, Qantas announced it was exercising 9 purchase right options for the A220-300 aircraft, taking the total number of A220-300s on firm order to 29, which will begin arriving from late 2023 to 2027.[36]
In February 2023, Qantas announced an order for 5 mid-life Airbus A319s aircraft to increase short term capacity and support the growth of the resource sector in Western Australia for delivery from 2024.[37] Qantas announced in February 2024, following a strong performance in the resources sector that 4 additional A319 aircraft had been purchased, bringing the total to 9.[38]
On 25 June 2024, Qantas announced an order for 14 mid-life Dash 8-400 (Q400) aircraft to begin phasing out the Q200 and Q300 aircraft.[17] The first Q400 is expected to arrive into the Qantaslink fleet from the end of 2024, bringing the Q400 fleet to 45, with a single aircraft type providing increased reliability and reducing complexity and cost for the group. Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Group CEO, added how the new mid-life aircraft will "provide certainty to the regions over the next decade while we work with aircraft manufacturers and other suppliers on electric or battery powered aircraft that are the right size and range for our network.”[17] The fleet renewal will also cause all aircraft to be retired from the Eastern Australia Airlines fleet and the company will cease to operate as an airline.[21]
In October 2024, Qantaslink planned the last commercial flight for the Boeing 717 on the 26th of October from Sydney to Canberra as QF1511, with the flight met with a fan-fair for both customers, media and crew after 20 years of the aircraft operating for the Qantas Group in Australia.[39] However due to a shortage of aircraft around the network, the last 717, VH-YQW, got an unexpected re-activation. The aircraft flew between Perth and Paraburdoo from the 6th to the 26th of November,[40] before returning to Sydney to continue to operate flights on select days between the city and Hobart until the 11th of December.[41] The final aircraft was retired on the 30th December 2024, being ferried from Canberra to Brisbane to be used as a training aid.
On 28 October 2024, Qantaslink and Skytrans announced a partnership for the operation of Lord Howe Island flights. This would see Qantaslink's three De Haviland Canada Dash 8-200 acquired by Skytrans[16] for them to carry out these operations from February 2026. These flights will be code-shared by Qantas, with the flights to operate out of Qantas Terminal 3 at Sydney Airport.[42]
Former fleet
QantasLink previously operated the following types:[43][44]
On 29 May 2003, Qantas Flight 1737, a domestic flight from Melbourne to Launceston operated by a QantasLink Boeing 717 registered VH-NXN, was subject to an attempted hijacking.[56]
1. ^ QantasLink flights operated by National Jet Systems use the call-sign "Q-JET", with the ICAO code QJE. All flights continue to operate under the IATA code QF.
^CASA civil aircraft register searchArchived 25 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine, using "Eastern Australia Airlines", "Network Aviation" and "Sunstate Airlines" as keyword search parameters; and "717-200" as Aircraft Model search parameter. Search conducted 9 May 2019. Included in the results are five Eastern Australia Dash 8-300s operated on behalf of Jetstar in New Zealand.
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