Ansett Australia - Fleet

Fleet

The Ansett Australia fleet as of 13 September 2001 (last day of trading) was made up of the following aircraft:

• 20 Airbus A320 (VH-HYA to HYL) and (HYN,O,Q,R,S,T,X,Y)
• 18 BAe 146 (-200 and -200QT models used by both Ansett Australia and -300 models used by Ansett New Zealand)(VH-EWM,R,S, JJP,Q,S,T,U,W,X,Y,Z and ZK-NZG,H,I,J,K,L,M,N)
• 1 Boeing 727-200F (VH-RMX - freighter)
• 23 Boeing 737-300 (VH-CZA to CZX)
• 2 Boeing 747-400 (VH-ANA and ANB leased from Singapore Airlines)
• 9 Boeing 767-200 (VH-RMD to RMH) and (RMK,L,M,O)
• 4 Boeing 767-300 (VH-BZF, BZL, BZI, BZM)
• 12 Bombardier CRJ-200 (Operated by Kendell)
• 4 DeHavilland Twin Otter (VH-KZN,O,P,Q - operated by Aeropelican)
• 9 Fokker 50 (Operated by Skywest)
• 1 Fokker F27 (VH-WAN)
• 4 Fokker F28 ** (VH-EWD and FKI, J, O – None operational at time of collapse)
• 16 Saab 340 (Operated by Kendell and Hazelton Airlines)
• 7 Fairchild Metro 23 (Operated by Kendell and Hazelton Airlines)

Only the Airbus A320 was utilised from Ansett's original fleet during the brief re-launch of operations as "Ansett Mark 2" from October 2001 to March 2002. The Boeing 737, Boeing 767, and Boeing 747 fleet was grounded from September '01 onwards and never flew an Ansett revenue flight again. The same went for the BAe 146 fleet, with the exception of a one-off revenue flight from Cairns to Brisbane in November 2001, operating off the back end of a charter flight for the government. Two other Ansett BAe 146 aircraft were chartered by the Howard Government and Federal opposition in late 2001 during the federal election campaigns, VH-JJP (Federal Government) and VH-JJT (Opposition).

Several of the defunct fleet types did operate ferry flights back to Melbourne from wherever they ended up across Australia in the months after the collapse, and operated the occasional test flight around Melbourne to retain currency.

Of the subsidiary fleets, only the Kendell Bombardier CRJ200 did not return to active flying. The Fokker 50, Saab 340, Twin Otter and Metro 23 regional aircraft were all back flying for Skywest, Kendell, Hazelton and Aeropelican in the weeks following the collapse. Both Kendell and Hazelton merged to create REX (Regional Express).