Onwards and upwards for reborn Skytrans

In little over a year Skytrans has gone from bust to boom, growing its staff numbers by 250 per cent.

Skytrans owners Peter Collings and Johnathan Thurston and chief executive Michael Thinee celebrate the airline’s resurrection with a birthday cake.

In a little more than a year regional airline Skytrans, which counts rugby league star Johna­than Thurston among its investors, has gone from bust to boom, increasing staff numbers by 250 per cent and significantly expanding its passenger traffic.

The Cairns-based airline, which operates mostly in far north Queensland, was on its deathbed in January last year, having ended 25 years of flying after it was put into administration by its then owners, who blamed the high dollar, a loss of Queensland government route contracts to Regional Express and the slowdown in the resources sector. But a year to the day since a surprise rescue and resurrection by aviation entrepreneur Peter Collings and Thurston, the airline is soaring once again.

“We’ve had some major milestones,” Skytrans chief executive Michael Thinee said. “We’ve grown the business in terms of the aircraft quantum but, more importantly, the significant factors have been 39 people started on March 31 last year and now we have 137 staff. That’s 98 new jobs predominantly in north Queensland, which is a wonderful outcome for this region. Our intention is to grow organically in north Queensland so that will see additional aircraft and more staff into this region.”

In the past year the airline has increased its fleet to include three Dash-8s, four King Airs and nine Caravans. Almost 300,000kg of freight has been carried by Skytrans and sister company West Wing Aviation, including fruit and vegetables, medical supplies, crayfish for export and mail.

Mr Thinee said the airline had expanded its business through initiatives such as its local fares scheme, which provides up to a $400 discount on fares to Cape York communities under the Queensland government transport scheme.

Eligible communities on the Skytrans West Wing Aviation network are Kowanyama, Pormpuraaw, Aurukun, Coen, Lockhart River, Mapoon, Napranum, Northern Peninsula Area and the Torres Strait Islands. To book the local fares, customers must be a resident in the community for a minimum of three years.

Since the program was launched in September last year, more than 3000 customers had taken up the offer, Mr Thinee said. “The local fares scheme has been a wonderful shot in the arm for the communities of north Queensland,” he said.

“Over 300 passengers have travelled on it, which is broadly the population that the service covers. The government has shown tremendous initiative in supporting that program and that’s been a boon for the people in terms of cost of travel.”

The Skytrans team celebrated its first birthday last night at a party in its hangar attended by community leaders from the Torres Strait, Cape York and Cairns who were treated to a display of local dancers and a Skytrans cake.

Thurston said: “It’s a great celebration for us and I’m extraordinarily proud that our staff numbers have grown by 250 per cent and also that 11 per cent of our (137 staff) are indigenous. I’m extremely proud to be a part of it.’’

Skytrans is celebrating its first birthday by giving passengers who book a flight over the phone this month a complimentary 2016 NRL Cowboys membership pack, which includes a cap, travel mug, bumper sticker, lanyard and more.