Air Queensland

IATA	ICAO	Callsign
QN	AQN	BUSHAIR

Founded

1951

Ceased operations

30 April 1988

Hubs

Cairns International Airport

Headquarters

Cairns, Australia

Air Queensland, formerly Bush Pilots Airways, was an Australian airline which operated from 1951 until 1988.

Bush Pilots Airways was formed in 1951 and operated in Queensland, Australia until 1988. One of its first aircraft was a De Haviland DH-90 "Dragonfly" registered as VH-AAD. This was purchased from Adastra Airways Ltd in Sydney in 1951 and flown to Cairns, Queensland by Bush Pilots founder Bob Norman.

In May 1972 Bush Pilots absorbed Queensland Pacific Airways Ltd, taking over its Douglas DC-3 aircraft.

In 1978 Bush Pilots Airways changed their name to BPA. BPA operated Douglas DC-3 aircraft, Britten-Norman Trislanders and Swearingen Metroliners. Operations were largely in Queensland, Australia, although the airline also provided service to Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory. The services north from Brisbane (and return) were very popular with business travellers and tourists alike. A typical run involved stops in regional cities between Brisbane and Townsville, such as Maroochydore, Maryborough, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton, and Mackay. Short distance services operated from Cairns to inland and coastal locations such as Cooktown, Karumba and Normanton. With such frequent stops a high altitude was never achieved, offering good views of this scenic part of the state.

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