Air Link Acquires East Air’s Charter Business

New South Wales regional airline Air Link has acquired East Air’s charter business, including a terminal at Cairns Airport (CNS) and East Air’s propellor Cessna and Aero Commander aircraft.

The news follows the recent announcement that former Skytrans CEO Alan Milne had purchased East Air from Townsville Airlines Pty Ltd.

“Commencing from September 1, 2025, Air Link has acquired the assets and future charters of East Air, located in Cairns,” notes the Air Link website. “The acquisition does not include the recently announced Hamilton Island passenger services.”

Having sold off East Air’s charter arm, Milne is keeping the East Air brand and plans to start scheduled passenger flights between Cairns and Hamilton Island (HTI) in November, initially using a 19-passenger Beechcraft 1900.

As a result of the transaction, Air Link will open a permanent base in Cairns. It already has two Beechcraft King Airs working out of the airport.

Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority records show Townsville Airlines Pty Ltd operated three Cessna 208Bs, three Cessna 402Cs, and six Aero Commander 500s, among a wider 16-strong fleet.

Specifically, the relevant aircraft are:

• The Cessna 208Bs registered as VH-NWJ (msn 208B2161), VH-NXU (msn 208B2170), and VH-OUS (msn 208B0643).
• The Cessna 402Cs registered as VH-THX (msn 402C-0250), VH-JOH (msn 402C0486), and VH-UCM (msn 402C0472).
• The Aero Commander 500-S registered as VH-KAV (msn 3164), VH-WAM (msn 3137), VH-UJE (msn 3120), VH-WZI (msn 1856-38), VH-YJE (msn 3053), and VH-YJI (msn 3130).

At the time of writing, these aircraft remained registered to Townsville Airlines Pty Ltd. However, they are expected to transfer over to Air Link shortly. Along with the aircraft, Air Link will take on East Air’s pilots, operations staff, and ground crew.

“This marks a significant step forward in strengthening our presence in Far North Queensland, enhancing our ability to serve the region with safe, reliable, and flexible charter services,” Air Link’s statement adds.

Based at Dubbo Airport (DBO) in central west New South Wales, Air Link provides scheduled passenger flights to smaller townships further west in New South Wales. The New South Wales Government financially supports these flights. Recently, the same government agreed to extend the subsidies by another 12 months.

Air Link also has a long-established charter business using propellor and business jet aircraft. It provides aeromedical, fly-in-fly-out, freights, and government flights, among others. Aside from Dubbo and Cairns, the airline has bases and hangar facilities at Sydney’s Bankstown Airport (BWU), Brisbane’s Archerfield Airport, and Melbourne’s Essendon Airport (MEB). Air Link's existing fleet includes Pilatus PC-12s, an Embraer 500, Cessna 510s, Cessna 525s, and Piper 31s.

Photo: Air Link.