Skytrans is an Australian airline and

air charter Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flight ...

business based in

Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

and

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

, in Queensland. The airline operates RPT (Regular Public Transport), charter and ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) services in Cairns, Horn Island, Brisbane, Rockhampton and Townsville. On 31 March 2015, two months after being placed into administration, the company returned to the skies. As of March 2024, the airline is now owned by European based

Avia Solutions Group Avia Solutions Group is a Lithuanian-owned ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance) provider and holding company. Established in 2010 in Vilnius, it moved its headquarters to Dublin, Ireland in 2023, and has additional offices around th ...

History

Skytrans was founded by David and Sue Barnard in October 1990 as a charter airline, and began scheduled flights in 1993. In November 2000, Skytrans merged with AirSwift Aviation, another small regional airline based in Cairns. In June 2001, Skytrans took over services to Cooktown and Karumba from MacAir Airlines. In January 2005, the airline began to operate in competition with

QantasLink QantasLink is a full-service, Regional airline, regional brand of Australian flag carrier airline Qantas. As of 2024, QantasLink provides over 2,000 flights each week to 65 metropolitan, regional and remote destinations across Australia, as wel ...

on the Cairns to Townsville route, operating from its own terminals in both cities. In December 2006, the airline was acquired from its founders by Australian Aviation Holdings, owner of Queensland Regional Airlines (QRA) and Inland Pacific Air. Skytrans and QRA subsequently merged under the Skytrans Regional brand. Late in 2014, the carrier had sought to reduce costs by cutting its workforce of 200 employees by over half while trimming its fleet of seven Dash 8-100s and three Dash 8-300s. Skytrans suspended operations with effect from 2 January 2015 when it was placed in voluntary administration. In a statement, Managing Director Simon Wild blamed the worsening Australian dollar currency exchange rate, coupled with a tough operating environment – worsened by the loss of three Queensland regulated regional air routes in late 2014. The end of operations came a day after the carrier marked its 25th anniversary of Queensland services - outback and regional Queensland, the Gulf country, and Cape York services on 2 January 2015. On 31 March 2015, Skytrans returned to the skies under the ownership of Collings Holdings Airlines owned by Peter Collings, who also owns West Wing Aviation, and former Australian Rugby League player, Johnathan Thurston. In January 2024, the world's largest ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) provider, Avia Solutions Group, announced its intention to acquire ownership of Skytrans, with the acquisition completed in March 2024. Since the acquisition, Gytis Gumuliauskas, has become Managing Director at Skytrans. Gytis has extensive experience within the aviation industry, covering various positions across both airlines and aviation services companies. Since 2006, he has held managerial positions including Lead Auditor ISAGO, IATA DAQCP, Nominated Post Holder Ground Operations, COO, CEO and Accountable Manager). Gytis' academic background is in aviation mechanics and now he specialises in developing and executing business strategies and transformational change. In April 2024, Avia Solutions announced their plans for Skytrans to operate a fleet of up to 20 aircraft from the

Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the fami ...

for wet leasing operations, with the total number of A320 aircraft dependent on customer demand. Gytis, said that "Passenger operations will be our main area of focus, with cargo being an area we're willing to explore... yexpanding the fleet with A319 aircraft for passenger and with A321F for cargo transportation." On 28 October 2024, QantasLink and Skytrans announced a partnership for the continued operation of Lord Howe Island flights. This would see QantasLink's three De Haviland Canada Dash 8-200 acquired by Skytrans for them to carry out these operations. These flights will be code-shared by Qantas, with the flights to operate out of Qantas Terminal 3 at Sydney Airport. Skytrans will fully takeover the service on the 26 February 2026 with the license to operate the route until March 2030.

Fleet

As of May 2024, Skytrans operates the following aircraft:

Destinations

Skytrans operates RPT and charter flights throughout the Cape York and

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes ( Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2, �zen̪ad̪ kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, ...

regions. Skytrans also provides charter flights out of Brisbane, Rockhampton, and Townsville airports for both the Queensland Gas Company (QGC) and Bravus Mining Resources. Destinations served from

Cairns Airport Cairns Airport is an international airport in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Formerly operated by the Cairns Port Authority, the airport was sold by the Queensland Government in December 2008 to a private consortium. It is the seventh busies ...

: * Kowanyama * Pormpuraaw *

* Aurukun * Lockhart River * Horn Island *

Bamaga Bamaga ( , ) is an Indigneous town and locality about from the northern tip of Cape York in the north of Queensland, Australia. It is within the Northern Peninsula Area Region. It is one of the northernmost settlements in continental Australi ...

* Proserpine *

Destinations served from

Horn Island Airport Horn Island Airport is a minor international airport on Horn Island in the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia. Domestic fixed wing charter flights and scheduled flights are carried out by SkyTrans, Hinterland Aviation, Cape Air Transport, H ...

: *

* Lockhart River * Kubin Village (Moa Island) *

Badu Island Badu or Badu Island (; , ; also Mulgrave Island), is an island in the Torres Strait north of Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia. Badu Island is also a suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Torres Strait Island Region, and Waka ...

* Mabuiag Island * Boigu Island *

Saibai Island Saibai Island, commonly called Saibai (), is an island of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago, located in the Torres Strait of Queensland, Australia. The island is situated north of the Australian mainland and south of the island of New Guine ...

* Murray Island * Darnley Island * Yam Island *

Coconut Island Coconut Island may refer to: * Coconut Island (Florida) * Coconut Island (Hawaii Island), in Hilo Bay * Coconut Island (Oahu Island), in Kaneohe Bay * Coconut Island (Queensland) * another name for St. Martin's Island, Bangladesh See also ...

* Yorke Island * Warraber Island Destinations served from

Brisbane Airport Brisbane Airport is an international airport serving Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, total amounting to more than 22.7 mill ...

: *

Chinchilla Chinchilla refers to either of two species ('' Chinchilla chinchilla'' and '' Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha, and are native to the Andes mountains in South America. They live in colonies called "her ...

*Miles Destinations served from Whitsunday Coast: *

Destination served from

Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport — colloquially Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney Airport or Mascot Airport — is an international airport serving Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district, in the subu ...

: *

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...

(begins 26 Feb 2026)

Codeshare agreements

Skytrans has

codeshare agreements A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...

with the following airline: *

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

(begins 26 February 2026)

Sponsorships

Skytrans has delivered multimillion-dollar sponsorships and endorsements to communities in Queensland, donating to more than 250 organisations. Skytrans is a major sponsor of the

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The S ...

in the Northern Pride Rugby Team in the QRL

Queensland Rugby League The Queensland Rugby Football League QRL Constitution, 2009: 3 (QRL QRL Constitution, 2009: 2) is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL Commission) and selects the mem ...

and has supported various causes such as AFL Kickstart, Choice Business Australia, The Queensland Cancer Council, and Harold's House.

References

External links

Company website
{{Regional Aviation Association of Australia Airlines established in 1990 Regional Aviation Association of Australia Australian companies established in 1990 Companies based in Queensland Airlines of Queensland 2024 mergers and acquisitions