Virgin Australia Regional Airlines
| File:Skywest logo.gif | |||||||
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| Founded | 1963 | ||||||
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| Fleet size | 7 Fokker F50 3 Fokker F100 aircraft | ||||||
| Destinations | Frequent destinations include: Albany, Argyle, Broome, Carnarvon, Esperance, Exmouth, Geraldton, Kalbarri, Kalgoorlie, Newman and Port Hedland | ||||||
| Headquarters | Perth, Western Australia, Australia | ||||||
| Key people | Paul Daff (CEO) Hugh Davin (CEO Skywest Aviation) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.skywest.com.au | ||||||
Skywest is a regional airline based in Perth, Australia servicing key towns in the state of Western Australia as well as charter flights to Bali, Indonesia.
History
Skywest began service in 1963 as Carnarvon Air Taxis. The airline was owned by Ansett Australia, operating flights on their behalf, until Ansett's demise in 2002. Skywest was then successfully purchased by private investors. In 2004 it was the subject of a hostile takeover attempt by a Singapore-based private equity fund, which succeeded in gaining a majority stake. On 8 February 2007, news broke that the airline may be the target of a tie-up with Singapore-based Tiger Airways,[1] although Tiger denied this. [2]
Fleet
Skywest currently operates a combined fleet of seven Fokker 50 and three Fokker 100 aircraft which are utilised for scheduled services as well as a range of charter requirements.
Skywest has recently announced the lease of four 180-seat A320s from Icelandic transport group Avion, which will mainly be used on fly-in/fly-out charter work.(October 2006 Australian Aviation Magazine)
Services
Scheduled Passenger Services
Skywest Airlines flys to most regional Western Australian airports. This includes: Albany, Argyle, Broome, Carnarvon, Esperance, Exmouth, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Kalbarri, Kununurra, Monkey Mia, Newman and Port Hedland. The Airline also provides interstate services to Darwin.
Charter Services
In a charter capacity, Skywest flies to Denpasar in Bali. Skywest has also leased one of its Fokker F100s, VH-FNY, to Alliance Airlines from Brisbane on a number of occasions.