OzJet
Encyclopedia
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
and charter airline
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...
with its head office in Tullamarine, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, operating within Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
from Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport , also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne and the second busiest in Australia. It was opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is the sole international airport of the four airports serving the...
, Sydney Airport
Sydney Airport
Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada...
and Perth Airport
Perth Airport
Perth Airport is an Australian domestic and international airport serving Perth, the capital and largest city of Western Australia. The airport itself is located in the suburb of Perth Airport....
. In 2008 the airline was sold to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines
Heavylift Cargo Airlines
For the former UK Cargo Airline see: Air Foyle HeavyLiftHeavylift Cargo Airlines Pty Ltd is a cargo airline headquartered in Sydney, Australia. It started operations in 2004 and operates scheduled and charter cargo services. Its main base is Brisbane Airport...
, and on 20 May 2009 it suspended its last remaining operations from Perth. In June 2009, OzJet was purchased by the Strategic
Strategic Airlines
Strategic Airlines Pty Ltd, trading as Air Australia Airways is a scheduled passenger and charter airline with its head office in Hendra, Brisbane, Australia,...
group.
History
The name Ozjet was first registered as a trademark to Peter Schott, a MetrolinerFairchild Swearingen Metroliner
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
pilot from New South Wales studying for his Masters of Business Administration at Swinburne University in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in 2002. When the Minardi
Minardi
Minardi was an automobile racing team and constructor founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following of fans...
Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
team owner Paul Stoddart
Paul Stoddart
Paul Stoddart, born 26 May 1955, is an Australian millionaire airline magnate, and former owner of the Minardi Formula One racing team. He later took the Minardi brand into the Champ Car World Series after his purchase of a portion of CTE-HVM Racing which he renamed Minardi Team USA for 2007.-Early...
(born in Coburg, Victoria
Coburg, Victoria
Coburg is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland, although a handful of properties on Coburg's Eastern boundary are located in the City of Darebin...
) announced the idea of a "low-cost
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
" domestic regional airline, Ausjet, a new company Ausjet Airlines Pty Ltd was created. Peter Schott and Paul Stoddart realised the potential of adopting the Ozjet name and did so.. In 2004 the original Ozjet Airlines Pty Ltd was deregistered and Ausjet Airlines Pty Ltd became Ozjet Airlines Pty Ltd. Peter Schott was initially the Chief operating officer
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
, then replaced by David Blake in late 2005.
Following its pre-application meeting on 10 June 2005, Ozjet Airlines Pty Ltd gained a Certificate of Airworthiness for its first jet on 28 October 2005. After a number of delays Ozjet was granted an Air Operator's Certificate by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is the Australian national aviation authority , the government statutory authority responsible for the regulation of civil aviation.-History:...
on 11 November 2005. On 29 November 2005 OzJet commenced operations, flying eight scheduled return services per day between Melbourne and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
using Boeing 737-200
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
aircraft transferred from Paul Stoddart's European Aviation in business class
Business class
Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between economy class and first class, but many airlines now...
configuration of 60 seats. OzJet intended to expand its fleet with up to seven further Boeing 737s and four BAe 146
BAe 146
The British Aerospace 146 is a medium-sized commercial airliner formerly manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2002. Manufacture of an improved version known as the Avro RJ began in 1992...
s and to expand its network to include the cities of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. Ozjet's motto was "You're in Business", reflecting its marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
and product focus on business travellers. OzJet wanted to attain a market share of no more than 10% of the business market from competitors Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
, Virgin Blue and Jetstar Airways
Jetstar Airways
Jetstar Airways is an Australian low-cost airline headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. It is a subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by low-cost airline Virgin Blue...
.
Initially the airline offered its business class seats in its three aircraft at fares similar to those of fully flexible economy class
Economy class
__FORCETOC__Economy class, also called coach class , steerage, or standard class, is the lowest class of seating in air travel, rail travel, and sometimes ferry or maritime travel....
seats of its competitors. Faced with poor loads on its services (due in part to not commencing operations until just before the start of the Christmas holiday period in Australia), it had to soon resort to discounting, including "two seats-for-the-price-of-one" offers. On many of the carrier's flights, there were more flight attendants than actual passengers. The low patronage problems continued and in December 2005 the airline commenced offering charter flights.
On Sunday 12 March 2006 Chairman of OzJet Paul Stoddart announced that OzJet would cease all scheduled operations. All stranded passengers were given flights with Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
(economy) and all other booked fares were given full refunds, and an opportunity to book a matching flight with Qantas at the same price.
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
, replacing Air Nauru
Air Nauru
Our Airline is the national airline of the Republic of Nauru. It operates scheduled international services to other Pacific islands and Australia. Its main base is Nauru International Airport...
from 24 May 2006. The main aircraft used on this service was configured for 108 seats (8 of which were "Bounty Class") and ticketed by Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
& Norfolk Air
Norfolk Air
Norfolk Air is an airline based on Norfolk Island, it is currently an operating department of the Administration of Norfolk Island , flights are operated by Our Airline and operating under an Australia Airline Operators Certificate...
. The services operated several days a week operating from the Norfolk Island base to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Newcastle for Norfolk Air
Norfolk Air
Norfolk Air is an airline based on Norfolk Island, it is currently an operating department of the Administration of Norfolk Island , flights are operated by Our Airline and operating under an Australia Airline Operators Certificate...
.
On 21 August 2006 the airline began scheduled operations on behalf of Airlines PNG between Brisbane and Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
. As of November 2007 these services were operating three times a week, originating in Brisbane each operating day.
In February 2007 OzJet recommenced scheduled flights, operating between Perth and Derby, Western Australia
Derby, Western Australia
Derby is a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Derby had a population of 3,093. Along with Broome and Kununurra, it is one of only three towns in the Kimberley to have a population over 2,000...
three times each week. In September the same year Ozjet commenced charter flights from Perth to Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
operating on behalf of travel agency IndoJet, initially twice each week, subsequently increasing to four times per week. In October 2007 Ozjet announced that subject to regulatory approval it would commence regular services connecting Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with the Australian ports of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane; but decided in March 2008, just four days before the first scheduled flights, that the service would not go ahead, leaving hundreds of travellers in limbo without any information or official contact from OzJet.
In May 2008 it was announced that Paul Stoddart had sold his 97.4% stake in OzJet to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines
Heavylift Cargo Airlines
For the former UK Cargo Airline see: Air Foyle HeavyLiftHeavylift Cargo Airlines Pty Ltd is a cargo airline headquartered in Sydney, Australia. It started operations in 2004 and operates scheduled and charter cargo services. Its main base is Brisbane Airport...
. The new Chairman of OzJet, HeavyLift's Nick Leach, was reported as saying that the Boeing 737-200s would be replaced with newer and more fuel efficient 737-300s and 737-400s.
In October 2008 the Manawatu Standard reported that Ozjet was in talks with Palmerston North International Airport
Palmerston North International Airport
Palmerston North International Airport is located on the outskirts of the suburb of Milson in Palmerston North, New Zealand, north-east of the City central area. Although the airport has not had a regular international flight since the end of March 2008, the official name, Palmerston North...
; to discuss Ozjet commencing the services from Australia to Palmerston North that had been abandoned at the time of the HeavyLift sale. In late 2008 Ozjet's services to Port Moresby on behalf of Airlines PNG ceased when Pacific Blue Airlines commenced code-share flights on 3 November.
On 29 April 2009 Norfolk Air CEO Jeff Murdoch announced that, following a decision by Ozjet Airlines to immediately end charter services to the island, Our Airline would be taking over all charter services on behalf of Norfolk Air
Norfolk Air
Norfolk Air is an airline based on Norfolk Island, it is currently an operating department of the Administration of Norfolk Island , flights are operated by Our Airline and operating under an Australia Airline Operators Certificate...
. Following the grounding of OzJet's fleet, air services between Perth and Derby were restored with Fokker 100 aircraft chartered
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...
from Alliance Airlines
Alliance Airlines
Alliance Airlines is a charter airline based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It specialises in long-term contract charter to the mining and resources industry and governments in Australia, as well as ad-hoc charter operations and aircraft leasing to international airlines...
.
From 3 February 2011 to 7 February 2011, flights on Strategic Airlines' website for Townsville to Denpasar (Bali) from 09 April 2011 showed as flight number O7 228. This uses Ozjet Airlines IATA airline designator prefix of O7 instead of Strategic Airlines' own VC.
Destinations
- Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
to Derby, Western AustraliaDerby, Western AustraliaDerby is a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Derby had a population of 3,093. Along with Broome and Kununurra, it is one of only three towns in the Kimberley to have a population over 2,000...
Former services
- Ozjet previously operated its own scheduled domestic services between Melbourne and Sydney. It also operated services on behalf of other airlines and travel companies:
- On behalf of Airlines PNG
- Brisbane, Queensland to Port MoresbyPort MoresbyPort Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
, Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
- Brisbane, Queensland to Port Moresby
- On behalf of IndoJet
- Perth, Western Australia to DenpasarDenpasarDenpasar is the capital city of the province of Bali, Indonesia. It has a rapidly expanding population of 788,445 in 2010, up from 533,252 in the previous decade. It is located at .-History:...
, IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
- Perth, Western Australia to Denpasar
- On behalf of AIOTA
- Perth, Western Australia to Christmas IslandChristmas IslandThe Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
- Perth, Western Australia to Christmas Island
- On behalf of Norfolk AirNorfolk AirNorfolk Air is an airline based on Norfolk Island, it is currently an operating department of the Administration of Norfolk Island , flights are operated by Our Airline and operating under an Australia Airline Operators Certificate...
- BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to Norfolk IslandNorfolk IslandNorfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance... - MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
to Norfolk Island - Newcastle, New South WalesNewcastle, New South WalesThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
to Norfolk Island - SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales to Norfolk Island
- Brisbane
Fleet
As of June 2009 OzJet's fleet of Boeing 737-200s was retired and Strategic will commence operations with an Airbus A320Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
.
External links
- OzJet official website (Archive)