Airlines in Australia
Even in the first years after the First World War Australia was extremely air-minded. In a country of long distances the geographical remoteness of the state capitals from each other was aggrvated by the unfortunate choice of a different gauge of railway track in each state. Western Australia was still unconnected by rail with the eastern side of the country. By 1919 the country was ready for the arrival of aviation.
Already, by the end of 1920 sixteen air companies had been formed (although few of these actually offered any regula scheduled flights). It was not, however, until the passage of the Air Navigation Act in December that air travel took on the familiar scheduled form of regular airline service. The Act, which went into effect on 28 March, 1921 provided a strict interpretation of air saftey and regulation. Under the powers of the Act, the government developed policies and guidelines for creating public airports and airfields, and it also was under the ACt that the first air routes were created. Initially, four routes were created to serve the nation:
| Perth - Derby | (1,442 miles) |
| Adelaide - Sydney | (760 miles) |
| Sydney - Brisbane | (550 miles) |
| Charleville - Cloncurry | (580 miles) |
The government requested and received tenders from prospective operators for these routes. From this initial batch came the first four Australian airlines.
Airlines in Australia
Adastra Airways
Adelaide Airways
Aircrafts Pty. Ltd.
Airgold Ltd.
Airlines of Australia
Airlines of Western Australia Ltd.
Air Taxis Pty. Ltd.
Ansett WA
Australian Aerial Services (see Larkin Aerial Supply Company - LASCO)
Australian National Airways Ltd.
Australian National Airways - ANA
Australian Transcontinental Airlines
Baker Aviation Co.
Brisbane Airways Ltd.
Bulolo Goldfields Aeroplane Service
Burnett Air Navigation Ltd.
Centralian Airways Ltd.
Commercial Aviation Company
Courier Aircrafts Ltd.
Guinea Airways
Holyman's Airways
Larkin Aerial Supply Company (LASCO)
MacRobertson-Miller Airlines - MMA
MacRobertson-Miller Aviation Co. (see MacRobertson-Miller Airlines)
Mandated Airlines Ltd.
New England Airways
New Guinea Gold No Liability (see Guinea Airways)
Queensland Air Navigation Ltd.
Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service (QANTAS)
West Australian Airways (W.A.A.)
W.R. Carpenter Airlines
W.R. Carpenter & Co. Ltd.
