Eastern Australia Airlines

The airline was established and started operations in 1949. It began in Tamworth as a one-aircraft, one-pilot operation, known as Tamworth Air Taxi Service (soon after to be shortened to Tamair), serving farming communities in New South Wales and Queensland. After 36 years of expansion and amalgamation with several smaller commuter operators, the current name was adopted in 1986. Australian Airlines purchased 26% of Eastern Australian Airlines from East-West Airlines in 1988, and the airline became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1991. Qantas purchased Australian Airlines in 1992.

In 2002, Qantas merged its Mildura-based subsidiary Southern Australia Airlines with Eastern, the resulting operation using the Eastern name.

In August 2008 it was announced that Eastern Australia would shortly commence operating 72-seat Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft on services to regional centres in New South Wales, supplementing services with smaller 50-seat Dash 8s and allowing the removal of 36-seat Dash 8s from service on some routes altogether with the retirement of all 100 series Dash 8s.[3]

In June 2015, Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce announced that Eastern Australia would operate regional services in New Zealand, using Jetstar-branded Bombardier Dash 8 turboprops.[4]

In September 2019, Jetstar CEO Garath Evans announced a proposal to withdraw from regional flying in New Zealand. This was followed up by a confirmation in October 2019. Jetstar cited soft demand, higher fuel costs and a loss making operation as reasons for the withdrawal. Following the withdrawal, the five Jetstar-branded Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft were transferred back to Australia.[5][6]

An Eastern Australia DHC-8-201 at rest at the Sydney main base. The pink ribbon forward of the entry door is to advertise QantasLink's support of breast cancer research, while aft of the door is the Oneworld logo.

Eastern Australia Airlines operates services to the following domestic scheduled destinations. Between December 2015 and September 2019 Eastern Australian Airlines operated regional domestic services within New Zealand under the Jetstar brand.[7]

Australia

From Brisbane

• Lord Howe Island

From Sydney

• Albury, New South Wales
• Armidale, New South Wales
• Bendigo, Victoria
• Toowoomba, Queensland
• Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
• Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
• Dubbo, New South Wales
• Lord Howe Island
• Moree, New South Wales
• Port Macquarie, New South Wales
• Tamworth, New South Wales
• Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

From Melbourne

• Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
• Devonport, Tasmania
• Kingscote, South Australia (seasonal)
• Launceston, Tasmania
• Mildura, Victoria

From Adelaide

• Kingscote, South Australia
• Port Lincoln, South Australia
• Whyalla, South Australia
• Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

An Eastern Australia Airlines Bombardier Q300 at Wagga Wagga Airport in QantasLink colors

Eastern Australia Airlines Bombardier Q300 at Wellington Airport in Jetstar Airways colors

As of August 2019 the Eastern Australia Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[8]

• List of airlines of Australia