West Australian Airways
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| Founded | 1921 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1936 | ||||||
West Australian Airways was an Australian airline based in
Adelaide Airways for £25,000. In July that year, it became part of Australian National Airways
.
History
Following World War I, Norman Brearley, who had served with the
Federal Government advertised for tenders for a subsidised air-mail & passenger contract, operating a weekly service between Geraldton and Derby. Brearley submitted multiple submissions and on 2 August 1921, was advised that one of his tenders had been accepted. Brearley then set about hiring 5 pilots; Val Abbott, Arthur Blake, Bob Fawcett, Charles Kingsford Smith and Leonard Taplin.[1]
On 5 December 1921, on the first flight as an airline, Ted Broad and Bob Fawcett in the Bristol Tourer G-AUDI crashed 130 km (81 mi) north of Geraldton. Brearley suspended flight operations until 21 February 1922.
On 3 December 1926, Western Australian Airways Ltd. changed its name to West Australian Airways Ltd., though for the majority of its existence it was usually referred to as simply Airways. On 2 July 1928, Australia's first interstate airmail contract, between
Kalgoorlie.[2]
On 19 April 1934, the Federal Government awarded the 5-year Perth –
Adelaide Airways Ltd offered to purchase West Australian Airways and on 12 June the purchase was finalised for £25,000. On 1 July, Adelaide Airways and West Australian Airways became part of the new Australian National Airways
.
See also
References
- ISBN 0851795757.
- ^ Job 1999, p. 55
External links
- West Australian Airways 1921-1936 Australia's first airline: a pictorial history (compiled by Geoff Goodall):