Hazelton Airlines

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Hazelton Air Services Pty Limited, trading as Hazelton Airlines, was an Australian regional airline which operated until 2001. It was established as an independent airline but by the end of its existence had become a subsidiary of Ansett Australia. Founded in 1953 by Max Hazelton with a single Auster Aiglet aircraft offering charter services from a farm near Toogong, the fledgeling organisation was in 1959 relocated to Cudal (near Orange) in NSW. Its scheduled passenger operations began in 1975 with flights between Orange NSW and Canberra ACT. By the 1980s Hazelton operated a sizeable fleet of piston-engined and turboprop aircraft including Cessna 310s, Piper PA31-350 Chieftains and EMBRAER EMB-110 Bandierantes, as well as Cessna A188 Ag Husky crop sprayers. In the 1990s Hazelton divested itself of its piston-engined passenger aircraft and associated routes in Western NSW to Air Link of Dubbo (an organisation that was still operating many of the same aircraft when purchased by the successor company to Hazelton, Regional Express, in 2006). At the end of its existence the airline operated a fleet of Saab 340 and Metro 23 turboprop aircraft.

Following the collapse of its parent company in 2001 in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, the airline was acquired by a consortium known as Australiawide Airlines and was merged with fellow Ansett subsidiary Kendell Airlines to create Regional Express. Most of the Saab 340s in the fleet were converted to REX - Regional Express livery.

Registrations of the Hazelton Fairchild Metro 23 Fleet

VH-DMI, 'DMO, 'HCB@, 'HWR#

-@ Leased to Air North

-# Leased to Skipper's Aviation

Registrations of the Hazelton Saab 340 Fleet (2001)

Saab 340A VH-ZLY@, 'ZLZ#

Saab 340B VH-OLL*, 'OLM*, 'OLN*, 'SBA*, 'CMH, 'LIH##

Saab 340B Plus VH-TCH##

-@ Operates with Regional Express after operating with Macair Airlines.

-# Operates with Regional Express (now registered VH-ZRX) after operating with Air Nelson.

-* Operates with Regional Express.

-## Did wear the Regional Express livery, before been withdrawn from service to another airline. VH-TCH was the first ever Saab 340B plus aircraft to be built.

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