Alan Milne Buys East Air, Starting Hamilton Island Flights

Cairns-based East Air has announced the start of Hamilton Island flights under new ownership and management. On August 15, 2025, the airline said it would start Cairns (CNS) – Hamilton Island (HTI) flights from November 3. East Air will initially use a 19-seat B1900 before upgrading to larger Dash 8 turboprops.

The route, which has remained unserved since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, will initially operate three times per week all year round. It is starting with assistance from the Queensland Government’s Attracting Aviation Investment Fund.

According to Cairns Airport Chief Executive Officer Richard Barker, the service would “bridge a gap in the market.” He added that the route formerly supported around 37,000 seats per year.

In the same week that East Air announced its new route, longtime Australian aviation executive Alan Milne outed himself as the company’s owner and managing director. Milne formerly worked as the CEO of Cairns-based Skytrans. In 2024, Europe-based Avia Solutions Group acquired the airline. They sent in their own managers and recently rebranded it as SmartLynx Australia. Milne left the airline in June.

East Air is one of two airline businesses (the other being Weipa Air) that are/were owned by Townsville Airlines Pty Ltd. They have an established track record of operating charters for government departments, Aboriginal communities and agencies, mining companies, individual contractors, and the fishing industry relying on the Part 119 Air Transport and Part 138 Aerial Work air operator’s certificate issued to Townsville Airlines Pty Ltd.

Data from Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority indicates that Townsville Airlines Pty Ltd is the registered operator of 16 aircraft, including two Beechcraft 1900Ds, three Cessna 208Bs, four Cessna 402Cs, one Beechcraft King Air B200, and six Aero Commander 500s.

Australian company records show Townsville Airlines is wholly-owned by Dean Francis Mooney, who has a background in aviation. However, the same records show that a strike off action for the company is in progress. A strike off action indicates that a company is being dissolved and deregistered.

In the meantime, Alan Milne says he is taking operations “to the next level.”