Airlines of New South Wales
| Commenced operations | 1959 |
|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1993 |
| Key people | Reg Ansett |
Airlines of New South Wales (also known as Air New South Wales, Ansett NSW and Ansett Express) callsign "NEWSOUTH" was an Australian domestic regional airline that operated from 1959 until its merger into Ansett in 1993. It was formed by Reg Ansett's takeover of Butler Air Transport. Airlines of New South Wales operated air passenger services in New South Wales, and later in other Australian states. In 1964–65 the airline fought a High Court case, Airlines of New South Wales Pty Ltd v New South Wales (No 2), that was significant in adjudicating the spheres of constitutional power of the national and state governments in respect of air navigation.
In the late 1950s, Reg Ansett was expanding the operations of his company, Ansett Transport Industries (ATI), in the Australian domestic aviation market. Ansett wanted to acquire Arthur Butler's company, Butler Air Transport, but Butler refused a deal that would have given Butler a seat on ATI's board. Ansett had already acquired a 40 percent interest in Butler Air Transport when he had purchased the ailing Australian National Airways in 1957. Reg Ansett, in what one author described as "a spectacular initiative", then used nine of his own aircraft to fly Ansett nominee shareholders to a Butler Air Transport meeting, taking over the company from Arthur Butler. After a legal battle, Ansett gained full control of Butler Air Transport in 1958. The company was renamed as Airlines of New South Wales on 17 December 1959, and flew its first commercial flight on 19 December that year. The airline operated services from Sydney to regional New South Wales centres, and later to other Australian cities. In 1964, Airlines of New South Wales was a subsidiary of Ansett Transport Industries. In 1968 or 1969 it was renamed Ansett Airlines of New South Wales, which at the time of the Australian government's 1978 Domestic Air Policy Transport Review was one of five regional airlines operating in Australia. In 1981 the airline was renamed Air New South Wales; in March 1990 it was renamed Ansett NSW and later that year it was again re-badged as Ansett Express, which in 1993 was merged into Ansett, ending Airlines of New South Wales' history as a separate entity.
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