Alliance Airlines was established in 2002 when Brisbane based Queensland Airline Holdings acquired the AOC (Airline Operator Certificate) and assets of the dormant Flight West Airlines,[4] which had been established in May 1987 and ceased scheduled services in 2001. Alliance commenced operations with two Fokker 100 aircraft[5] and has since expanded its fleet and operational capabilities to service the growing demand from the mining and energy sector. It is a subsidiary of Alliance Aviation Services that was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2011 and now has approximately 920 full-time equivalent employees.[6]
Alliance was recognised as the first aircraft operator in Australia to attain Flight Safety Foundation Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS) Gold Status in 2013[7]
In November 2015, Alliance announced the purchase of 6 Fokker 70 and 15 Fokker 100 aircraft from Austrian Airlines.[8] In 2016, the airline was recognised as the first regional aircraft operator in Australia to attain IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification.[9] In November 2018, Alliance was awarded CAPA Asia Pacific Regional Airline of the Year.[10]
In February 2019, Qantas acquired a 19.9% shareholding.[11][12]
In August 2020, Alliance announced a deal to purchase 14 Embraer E190 jets adding to their current fleet and then in December 2020 ordered a further 16 more Embraer E190 jets bringing their total to 30. The first E190, named Brazilian Lad was received by the airline on 29 October 2020 at Brisbane Airport and was expected to enter service in February 2021.
In May 2022, Alliance announced it had agreed terms to be taken over by Qantas. The deal was subject to regulatory and shareholder approval[13] and in April 2023, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission opposed the takeover, and it was subsequently abandoned by both companies.[14][15]
On 27 February 2023, Alliance announced it would purchase an additional 30 E190s from Aercap for delivery between September 2023 and January 2026, the aircraft will be initially certified and maintained at their new base in Rockhampton, Queensland.[citation needed]
As of November 2023, Alliance operates a select number of routes under its own name but with the majority of its services by fly-in fly-out.[16] These include:
Alliance Airlines operates fly-in fly-out air services (FIFO) to over 20 mine sites[17] and services mining projects in Australia including Ballera, Cannington, Cloncurry, Cape Preston, Leinster, Mount Keith, Phosphate Hill, Telfer, Barimunya, Coondewanna, Newman, Leonora, Century Mine and The Granites.[18]
^Authority, Civil Aviation Safety (24 June 2021). "Aircraft register search". Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
Media related to Alliance Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
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