Pearl Aviation is an Australian aviation company that operates charter (some in support of the mining industry) and medical evacuation flights, as well as navigational aid flight inspection services, flight centres and ground handling. It is part of the Paspaley Group. Its main base and flight centre is

Darwin International Airport Darwin International Airport is the busiest airport serving the Northern Territory and the tenth busiest airport in Australia. It is the only airport serving Darwin. The airport is located in Darwin's northern suburbs, from Darwin cit ...

History

The airline was formed and started operations in 1964. It was 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. 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 Air The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996 ...

s configured as air ambulances for the Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service, after losing a similar Ambulance Service of New South Wales contract to the

Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...

the previous year. In 2010 the Northern Territory Aerial Medical Service terminated the contract with Pearl Aviation. AeroPearl is a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...

between Pearl Aviation and Aerodata AG of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, based at Brisbane Airport. It operates under contract to Airservices Australia; it uses two

s to check the network of Australian civil aviation navaids, and has also performed similar work in various Asian countries.

Fleet

Current fleet

As of November 2021 the Pearl Aviation fleet includes: * 2

* 0

Fairchild Metroliner The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San ...

Dornier 328 The Dornier 328 is a turboprop-powered commuter airliner. Initially produced by Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH, the firm was acquired in 1996 by Fairchild Aircraft. The resulting firm, named Fairchild-Dornier, manufactured the 328 family in Oberpfaffen ...

* 3

Grumman Mallard The Grumman G-73 Mallard is a medium, twin-engined amphibious aircraft. Many have been modified by replacing the original Pratt & Whitney Wasp H radial engines with modern turboprop engines. Manufactured from 1946 to 1951, production ended when ...

Dassault Falcon 900 The Dassault Falcon 900, commonly abbreviated as the F900, is a French-built corporate trijet aircraft made by Dassault Aviation. Development The Falcon 900 is a development of the Falcon 50, itself a development of the earlier Falcon 20. The ...

The Dornier 328 aircraft were operated from four separate bases in Australia on a ten-year contract for the

Australian Maritime Safety Authority Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's international maritime obligations. The authority ...

(AMSA). Some 120 staff are involved in providing the service. The Grumman Mallard aircraft are operated in support of the Paspaley Pearling Company's ship fleet.

Former fleet

In 2016 Pearl Aviation scaled back its charter services from Darwin due to reduced demand from the mining sector. At that time its fleet included the following aircraft: * 11 Beechcraft Super King Air * 4 Fairchild Metroliner * 3 Cessna Citation II * 1

IAI Westwind The IAI Westwind is a business jet initially produced by Aero Commander as the 1121 Jet Commander. Powered by twin GE CJ610 turbojets, it first flew on January 27, 1963, and received its type certification on November 4, 1964, before the first ...

At December 2009 the Pearl Aviation fleet consisted of:Australian civil aircraft register search
using "AeroRescue" as the Registered Operator search parameter. Search conducted 2009-12-30.Australian civil aircraft register search
using "Paspaley" as the Registered Owner search parameter. Search conducted 2009-12-30.Australian civil aircraft register search
using "Pearl Aviation" as the Registered Operator search parameter. Search conducted 2009-12-30. *3 Beechcraft B300 Super King Air 350

References

External links