Alliance Expands & Surprise for Xmas

[Greg Hyde]

Alliance Airlines to grow Darwin base

Alliance Airlines says it will add three more aircraft to its Darwin base and recruit additional staff in response to growing demand from the tourism and mining sector.

The regional, charter and fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) operator said the three additional aircraft, which comprised two Fokker 70s and one Fokker 100, would gradually join an existing Fokker 100 from July to December.

Alliance Airlines managing director Scott McMillan said there has been increased demand for contact flying in the Northern Territory since the carrier established a base in Darwin in February 2018 with a Fokker 100.

“The requests for additional contractual business has grown to the point where we are confident that the Darwin operation can be significantly and viably expanded,” McMillan said in a statement on Friday.

For December

Alliance to celebrate 1919 Great Air Race winners with special livery on Fokker 70

Meanwhile, Alliance Airlines said it would paint a Fokker 70 due to be delivered to Australia in December with a special livery that features the winners of the 1919 Great Air Race.

The aircraft, VH-NUY, will honour pilots Ross and Keith Smith, along with mechanics Sergeants Walter Shiers and James Bennett, who won the competition in their Vickers Vimy G-EAOU.

The aircraft took off from Hounslow aerodrome in West London on November 12 1919 and landed a Fannie Bay in the Northern Territory 29 days later. Countries they flew through before reaching Australia included France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Singapore and Indonesia before reaching Australia.

Alliance Airlines said VH-NUY would recreate the route from London to Darwin, aiming to touch down exactly 100 years to the minute at 1540hrs on 10th December 2019.

Full story & images

https://australianaviation.com.au/20...w-darwin-base/