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CHARTAIR CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF SERVING THE TERRITORY

Chartair, the Northern Territory’s leading aircraft charter and general aviation company, will this month celebrate 50 years of serving Territorians across major centres and hundreds of remote communities throughout central and northern Australia.

Chartair first took to the skies in 1974 after Brian Smith expanded his Alice Springs aircraft sales company to also include charter flights.

Over the past 50 years, three of the Northern Territory’s aviation pioneers have owned and operated Chartair, including Brian Smith, who stared the company and operated it between 1974 and 1982 before selling it to Mr. John Tilley.

Tilley, who also owned Tillair, operated Chartair from its bases in Alice Springs and Uluru and sold to Roger Leach in 1988 who helped to grow Chartair into the company it is today.

Chartair now employs a team of 70 staff and operate a fleet of 40 aircraft from three bases at Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs serving major centres and more than 200 remote communities and stations via the Commonwealth Government Remote Air Service Scheme.

Chartair CEO, Luke Fisher, said that the anniversary is an extremely proud achievement for a company that has helped Territorians stay connected by providing safe and reliable air services.

Luke Fisher, CEO of Chartair said: “Very few companies get to celebrate their 50^th anniversary and this is something that everyone at Chartair is extremely proud of.

“From our beginnings back in 1974, operating from a single base in Alice Springs, we have grown to be a company employing a team of 70 people and operating a fleet of 40 aircraft from three bases meaning our customers can reach every corner of the Territory plus parts of Western Australia.”

“Chartair as we know it today is a tribute to Territory aviation pioneers, Brian Smith, John Tilley and Roger Leach, who all played an important role in developing and growing the company from an aircraft charter operator to now offer scheduled passenger flights as part of the Remote Air Service Scheme.”

“Chartair’s flights are vital to the communities we serve and allow people to access critical services such as medical treatment, while our freight operations deliver anything from pets to birthday cakes and everything in between.”

“We are proud to have supported Territorians over the past fifty years by providing an efficient and safe transport option that often means avoiding long road trips.”

Chartair is closely associated with national aviation group, Aviation Logistics, and its subsidiaries Air Link and AirMed. Aviation Logistics Executive Directors and Chartair Owners Mark Wardrop and Matthew Kline said that the 50-year milestone has been possible due to the dedication of current and past employees and support from customers.

Chartair Owner, Mark Wardrop said: “As one of the owners of Chartair I know our team are honoured to continue the valued tradition of supporting our customers in the Northern Territory through our scheduled air services as well as our aircraft charter operations.”

“We continue to invest in the company so that the people of the Northern Territory have access to modern, reliable and safe aircraft that provide vital connections particularly in the wet season when road access can sometimes be difficult.”

Matthew Kline, Chartair owner and Executive Director of Aviation Logistics said the company is looking forward to the next 50 years and is already planning for the future.

Chartair owner, Matthew Kline said: “It’s great to share our 50^th anniversary with the people of the Northern Territory and we are already planning for the future through investment in new aircraft and engagement around new opportunities.”

“We are planning to roll out new hydrogen-electric powered vertical take-off aircraft in the coming years that we believe will be well suited to operating in the Northern Territory and will allow us to explore new markets while supporting our existing operations.”

“We are planning for the long term to ensure Chartair can continue to serve the people of the Northern Territory well into the future.”

Further information about Chartair can be found on our website – www.chartair.com.au

About Aviation Logistics

Aviation Logistics is one of Australia’s largest general aviation and regional airline groups offering scheduled passenger services, charter flights, freight and critical aeromedical flights via its three associated companies – Air Link, Airmed and Chartair. The group operates a fleet of 70 aircraft and employs a team of almost 300 professionals across seven bases in Melbourne (Essendon Airport), Sydney (Bankstown Airport), Dubbo, Brisbane (Archerfiled Airport), Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin. The group also operates four aircraft maintenance facilities providing both inhouse and customer aircraft maintenance programs and traces its foundations back to 1974.

Further information about Aviation Logistics Group – www.aviationlogistics.com.au

Aviation Logistics Media Contact

Paul Lister

+61 408 231 858

plister@aviationlogistics.com.au