Interview

Now entering its 34th year of operations, East-West Airlines is about to press ahead with a growth program that will guarantee its status as Australia’s third-largest domestic carrier well into the future. EastWest was formed in June 1947 flying the Sydney to Tamworth route with an ex-RAAF Avro Anson aircraft. Today its fleet comprises 10 Fokker F-27 Friendships which in 1979 carried more than half a million passengers for a revenue in excess of $25 million. Earlier this year East-West was successful in its bid to purchase the aviation interests of Connair with a 51 per cent stake in Northern Airlines, a virtual ticket into the jet age with an expansive route structure stretching from Darwin to Hobart, from Alice Springs to Norfolk Island.

In this exclusive interview, John Riley, Managing Director of East-West Airlines speaks of his hopes for the future and discusses the current situation facing the larger second-level operators in Australia.

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