Pearl Aviation

Infobox Airline
airline = Pearl Aviation

logo_size =
fleet_size = 25
destinations =
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ICAO =
callsign =
parent = Paspaley Pearling
company_slogan =
founded = 1964
headquarters = Darwin, Northern Territory
key_people =
hubs = Darwin International Airport
secondary_hubs =
focus cities =
frequent_flyer =
lounge =
alliance =
subsidiaries =
website = [http://www.pearlav.com.au/ www.pearlav.com.au]

Pearl Aviation is the most prominent of a group of aviation companies owned by Paspaley Pearling. It is an air charter company based in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It operates specialist aviation services including air ambulance, mining site flights, offshore oil support and contract charter. Its main base is Darwin International Airport, with other bases at Adelaide International Airport, Alice Springs Airport, Broome International Airport, Gove Airport and Katherine Airport.cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= Flight International | page= 62 | date= 2007-04-10] . Other companies in the Pearl group conduct business jet charter and search and rescue operations, Fixed base operator services, and operations in support of Paspaley's pearling activities, from bases at Darwin Airport, Perth Airport, Mungalalu Truscott Airbase, Cairns International Airport, Essendon Airport and Brisbane Airport.

History

The airline was formed and started operations in 1964 as Skywest Aviation, which acquired East-West Airlines in 1984 and was itself acquired by Ansett Airlines in 1987. The company was divided into airline and non-airline operations and the non-airline operations were purchased in 1996 by Paspaley Pearling (which by that time had been operating aircraft to its pearl farms for over ten years) and renamed. [ [http://www.aeropearl.com.au/Intercom7.pdf AeroPearl Intercom Newsletter No. 7.] Retrieved: 9 September 2008.] One of the divisions of East-West that was purchased was an operation at Sydney Airport, conducting air ambulance flights for the Ambulance Service of New South Wales. In 2004 Pearl Aviation was awarded a ten-year contract to operate four Beechcraft Super King Airs configured as air ambulances for the Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service, [ [http://newsroom.nt.gov.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewRelease&id=940&d=5 "Aerial Medical Service Celebrates 60 Years Of Service"; Northern Territory Government Media Release.] Retrieved: 10 September 2008] after losing a similar Ambulance Service of New South Wales contract to the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia the previous year. Pearl Aviation is wholly owned by the Paspaley Pearls Group and has 120 employees (at March 2007).

Paspaley's other aviation companies

AeroPearl is a joint venture between Pearl Aviation and Aerodata Flight Inspection of Germany, based at Brisbane Airport. [ [http://www.aeropearl.com.au/where.htm "Where we are"; AeroPearl website.] Retrieved: 9 September 2008.] It operates under contract to Airservices Australia; it uses two Beechcraft Super King Airs to check the network of Australian civil aviation navaids, and has also performed similar work in various Asian countries. [ [http://www.aeropearl.com.au/operations.htm "Key Operations and Current Programs"; AeroPearl website.] Retrieved: 9 September 2008.]

AeroRescue conducts Search and Rescue flights on behalf of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), using a fleet of five Dornier 328s and one Beechcraft 200T Super King Air based around Australia (Perth, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane and Melbourne). AeroRescue was awarded a contract by AMSA to provide aircraft in late 2005, and reached its full complement of aircraft in 2007. [ [http://www.aerorescue.com.au/company.html AeroRescue Company profile.] Retrieved: 9 September 2008.] [ [http://www.aerorescue.com.au/locations.html AeroRescue locations.] Retrieved: 10 September 2008.]

Lloyd Aviation Jet Charter, also known as Pearl Air International, operates a fleet of Grumman Turbo Mallards to fly Paspaley employees to the company's pearl farms. The Mallards have been a feature of Paspaley's pearling operations since the early 1980s, and were modified in-house to be powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turbine engines in place of the original radial engines. Lloyd Aviation also operates a Dassault Falcon 900C business jet on charter flights. [ [http://www.paspaleypearls.com/english/images/pdf/growing_2.pdf "Pearl Aviation"; pdf version of Paspaley Pearls web paqe.] Retrieved: 9 September 2008.] [ [http://www.casa.gov.au/casadata/aoc/download/NT223173-09.pdf Lloyd Aviation Jet Charter Pty. Ltd. AOC.] Retrieved: 9 September 2008.]

Pearl Flight Center is a Fixed Base Operator (FBO), providing ground handling services for corporate and private aircraft as well as the company's aircraft, via two facilities at Darwin Airport and a facility at Perth Airport. It also manages the charter operations of Pearl group aircraft. [ [http://www.pearlflightcentre.com.au/about.html About Us - Pearl Flight Centre.] Retrieved: 9 September 2008.]

Fleet

As of September 2008 the Paspaley Group fleet consists of: [http://www.casa.gov.au/casadata/regsearch/airsresults.asp?VHin=&framein=all&manuin=&modelin=&regholdin=&regopin=AeroRescue&serialin=&num_results=20&Search=Search Australian civil aircraft register search] using "AeroRescue" as the Registered Operator search parameter. Search conducted 2008-09-10.] [http://www.casa.gov.au/casadata/regsearch/airsresults.asp?VHin=&framein=all&manuin=&modelin=&regholdin=paspaley&regopin=&serialin=&num_results=50&Search=Search Australian civil aircraft register search] using "Paspaley" as the Registered Owner search parameter. Search conducted 2008-09-10.] [ [http://www.casa.gov.au/casadata/regsearch/airsresults.asp?VHin=&framein=all&manuin=&modelin=&regholdin=&regopin=pearl+aviation&serialin=&num_results=50&Search=Search Australian civil aircraft register search] using "Pearl Aviation" as the Registered Operator search parameter. Search conducted 2008-09-10.]

*6 Beechcraft 200 Super King Air (owned by Pearl Aviation; one operated by AeroPearl, one operated on behalf of the Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service)
*3 Beechcraft 200C Super King Air (owned and operated by Pearl Aviation on behalf of the Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service)
*1 Beechcraft 200T Super King Air (leased, operated by Aero Rescue)
*1 Beechcraft B200 Super King Air (owned and operated by Pearl Aviation)
*1 Beechcraft B300 Super King Air 350 (owned by Airservices Australia, operated by AeroPearl)
*5 Dornier 328-100 (leased, operated by Aero Rescue)
*4 Fairchild Metro 23 (owned and operated by Pearl Aviation)
*1 Dassault Falcon 900C (owned by Paspaley Pearls, operated by Lloyd Aviation)
*3 Grumman G-73T Turbo Mallard (owned by Paspaley Pearls, operated by Lloyd Aviation)

External links

* [http://www.pearlav.com.au Pearl Aviation]
* [http://www.aeropearl.com.au/index.html AeroPearl]
* [http://www.aerorescue.com.au/ AeroRescue]
* [http://www.pearlflightcentre.com.au/index.html Pearl Flight Centre]
* [http://www.health.nt.gov.au/Hospitals/Aerial_Medical_Services/index.aspx Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service]
* [http://www.paspaleypearls.com/home.htm Paspaley Pearls]

References