Qantas to buy up W Australian charter operator, Network Aviation

QANTAS has announced plans to enter the Western Australian fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) resources air charter market, after striking a deal to purchase local operator Network Aviation.

Qantas chief executive officer Alan Joyce said the acquisition is intended to offer the Qantas group a strong growth opportunity, new revenue stream and means for further diversification.

"The Qantas group has a very strong presence in Western Australia, operating passenger services across metropolitan and regional centres and connecting the state to its broader domestic and international networks," Mr Joyce said in a company statement.

"Mining company demand for FIFO air services to transport employees to and from remote sites within the state, however, cannot be met solely by Regular Passenger Transport (RPT) services.

"This is an important market, and a growth market, and Qantas will now become a key player in meeting the needs of the resources sector. This will significantly enhance the scope of what Qantas can offer the mining sector, bringing new competition to the marketplace.

Qantas said that once it has wrapped up the acquisition of Network Aviation to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the group, it plans to significantly grow the charter operator's fleet and operations.

Network Aviation operates a fleet of two 100-seat Fokker 100 aircraft and six 30-seat Embraer Brasilia EMB-120ER aircraft.

Under the terms of the acquisition, Network Aviation will "retain its current management, employees and operating structure, with the business to be aligned with Qantas' operations in terms of safety, regulatory, people, financial and commercial governance oversight, standards and processes," the statement added.
(Source:www.schednet.com)