The Queensland regional carrier and resources industry charter airline MacAir has entered voluntary administration with local press reports of debts of around $14 million.
The state government refused a request from its owner, former fisherman and prospector Terry Byrt, for a $7 million ex-gratia payment in order to continue in business last week.
Schedule flights by MacAir to 31 Queensland communities have been suspended.
The collapse of MacAir, which lists a fleet of 12 small turbo-props, was widely anticipated in Townsville where it is based. More small airline closures are expected soon as fly-in, fly-out or FIFO contracts to remote mines are terminated or sharply wound back because of the global economic crisis which has hit the Australian resources sector hard.
Byrt became known as ‘Mr Ansett’ after he applied the old Ansett logo and name to his engineering company, calling it Ansett Resources and Industries Pty Ltd. This cost him a $500,000 settlement with the administrators of the failed airline, who control the use of the brand.
His ambition was to revive the Ansett brand in air travel, by calling MacAir, Ansett MacAir.
This isn’t going to happen.
