IATA Code:  -

ICAO Code:   -

Known As: Southern Australia Airlines

Full Name: Southern Australia Airlines Pty Ltd dba QantasLink

Country: Australia

Callsign: Southern

History:

In 1986 Sunstate purchased a share in a Victorian airline. Mildura-based Murray Valley Airlines (MVA) was also established in 1975 but ceased operations in October 1986 due to financial problems.

Operations recommenced on 9 November 1986 as Sunstate Airlines (Mildura) on the old MVA routes from Mildura to Melbourne, to Adelaide via Renmark, South Australia, and to Broken Hill, New South Wales. The airline now had two unconnected networks.

October 1990 saw Australian Airlines become the outright owner of Sunstate Airlines and Sunstate Airlines (Mildura).

The Mildura operation was subsequently rebranded as Southern Australia Airlines, commencing operations under that name on 1 January 1992; the following month it took delivery of its first pressurised aircraft, a de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8.

A second Dash 8 was delivered in March 1992 and a Short 360 was transferred to Sunstate Airlines in July the same year.

Southern Australia used the Dash 8s to expand its services, taking over Eastern Australia Airlines routes across Bass Strait from Melbourne to Launceston and Devonport in Tasmania.

In 2001, both Sunstate and Southern Australia (as well as Eastern Australia Airlines, Impulse Airlines and National Jet Systems' Airlink operation) were rebranded as QantasLink.

The Southern Australia name subsequently disappeared when it was absorbed into Eastern Australia Airlines.

Logo:

Australian Airlines -Pre QANTAS



QANTAS Ownership



Information Source:

Logo: http://www.aerosite.net

History:  http://www.aerosite.net