Grounded

O’Connor airlines loses its fight for survival

The fight for survival by O’Connor Airlines, founded at Mount Gambier in South Australia in 1973 and a long time battler against larger rivals, ended on December 14 last year when the regional airline’s receiver failed to get a satisfactory offer to keep its depleted fleet operating.

The family owned airline, which had linked Adelaide with Mount Gambier, Whyalla and Port Augusta in South Australia and Mildura in Victoria (under a deal with QantasLink), as well as flying between Mount Gambier and Melbourne until recently, had been struggling all last year in the face of stiff competition, falling passenger loads, declining revenue and rising maintenance costs.