Workhorse: Fokker In Australia

Covering over 11,500 kilometres, this was the first aerial transit of the Pacific Ocean to link the mainland US with Australia. Its completion forever cemented both Kingsford Smith and Fokker aircraft into Australia’s aviation story. 

Three decades after that historic flight, aviation was flourishing. Australia’s commercial carriers put their faith in the venerable Dutch manufacturer, with Fokker turboprops and regional jets becoming a dominant and important part of the nation’s aviation sector. 

The Fokker legacy endures to this day, some 25 years after the last Fokker-made airliner rolled off the production line. Australia’s Alliance Airlines operates more Fokker aircraft than any other worldwide. Skippers Aviation utilises two Fokker jets, while QantasLink and Virgin Australia rely on fleets of Fokker 100s as the backbone of their regional and mining operations across this vast country. 

The Friendship

In the 1950s Fokker started producing the F27 “Friendship” and Australia’s airlines took notice. 

Its 2,600-kilometre range coupled with a cruising speed of 460km/h made the F27 appealing for use on Australian regional services. It was enthusiastically adopted locally, and replaced ageing piston-powered airliners that once plied Aussie skies. 

The F27’s external appearance stood out on Australian aprons. The aircraft sported Twin RollsRoyce Dart turboprops, mounted to a raised wing. The fuselage’s oversized round windows were juxtaposed with a pointed nose, while its seemingly oversized tail gave airlines ample space to apply their branding. 

Government-owned Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) was the first local carrier to fly the Fokker F27. The inaugural flight aboard VH-TFB took place in May 1959. So happy was TAA with the aircraft’s performance, it pressed a further 11 aircraft into service. 

The characteristics of the F27 made it particularly well suited to flying the vast distances and varying conditions of Western Australia. Thus, 1959 also saw Fokker F27 VH-MMS take to the skies for MacRobertson Miller Airlines (MMA). 

The F27’s range and payload made it well suited to MMA’s remote destinations. The aircraft opened up reliable air services from Western Australia’s capital city Perth, to regional cities such as Geraldton and Carnarvon. In turn, residents in these rural towns and cities benefited significantly from improved air links, which reduced their reliance on slower, costly rail, sea or road transport. 

In fact, so useful were these aircraft in local skies that VHMMS went on to become the first F27 in the world to reach both 10,000 and 20,000 flight hours. MMA would take a further three new aircraft and various secondhand models over the coming years. 

On 10 June 1960, tragedy struck the Fokker F27 when TAA flight 538, operated by VH-TFB, crashed into the sea while landing at Mackay in foggy conditions. The aircraft’s entire complement of 25 passengers and four crew perished in the disaster. 

This crash remains the deadliest in Australian civil aviation. Yet the precise cause of the crash remains unknown. In response to the disaster, Australia became one of the first nations to adopt the carriage of black box recorders – which became mandatory aboard Australian registered aircraft. 

The following year, an AnsettANA operated Fokker F27 VHFNH crash-landed at Launceston after an engine failure. During the July 1961 landing, the aircraft overran the runway, and subsequently caught fire. While the aircraft was a write off, fortunately all passengers and crew escaped unharmed. 

By 1963, Ansett had gobbled up MMA, giving the Melbourne-based airline an instant presence across Western Australia. While the MMA brand was retained, its Fokker F27s would be repainted in the distinctive Ansett livery. Throughout the 1970s, ANSW expanded its fleet of Friendships, allowing it to operate new regional services on Australia’s east coast. For a brief period in the 1980s, these aircraft wore ANSW’s short-lived yellow and red livery, making them among the most distinctive Fokker F27s worldwide. 

‘Australia became one of the first nations to adopt the carriage of black box recorders’

Fokker F27s saw mainstream service in Australia well into the 1980s; with subsidiary Airlines of New South Wales (ANSW) not withdrawing their passenger fleet until 1988. 

But freighters carried on, and when Ansett collapsed in 2001 it still had one Fokker F27-6000 on its fleet list. This example, VH-WAN, flew for Ansett from 19 October 1965 to 20 February 2001. 

The aircraft remained airworthy at the time of Ansett’s collapse in September 2001. Today it survives as a museum aircraft in Caloundra, Queensland.

The Fellowship

Ansett’s MMA was the first Australian carrier to introduce the Fokker jets with the F28 Fellowship. Flying to regional towns and cities across WA, the aircraft joined the fleet in August 1969; just two years after domestic DC-9 flights commenced between much larger hubs such as Sydney and Melbourne. 

At a time when both of Australia’s major domestic airlines generally opted for the same equipment, TAA did not purchase the Fellowship. The government-controlled TAA did not have the same West Australian footprint as Ansett. The distances required to transport passengers across WA meant MMA’s F28s were among the hardest worked in the world. 

The F28 made its debut on Australia’s east coast in 1970, when Ansett subsidiary ANSW acquired its first example. Just over a decade later, East West Airlines acquired six F28s, the first of which joined its fleet in 1983. 

The F28 became a permanent fixture on a variety of East West’s regional routes, linking destinations such as Albury, Davenport, Gold Coast, Alice Springs, Maroochydore and Hobart. 

In 1974, Cyclone Tracy decimated Darwin. The natural disaster killed 66 people and destroyed over 70 per cent of homes in the city, leaving some 25,000 people homeless. 

In response, Australian airlines rallied to assist with the evacuation of Darwin. MMA’s Fokker F28s were among those used, with one example, VH-FKC, carrying close to 100 people to safety on one flight alone – its usual capacity was 60 passengers. 

In the 1980s, Ansett – now under the control of News Corp and TNT – set about consolidating its various brands. MMA was rebranded twice that decade, first as Airlines of Western Australia in 1981 and then Ansett WA in 1984, with the F28s wearing both names during this period.

‘The Fokker 50 is a much adapted and improved version of the successful F27 that first took to the skies in 1985’

Ansett further expanded its footprint in 1987, acquiring East West Airlines (and Skywest). Despite being under Ansett control, East West retained its name and livery. Thus, Fokker F28s were seen in both Ansett and East West colours at Ansett terminals across Australia, as the two carriers shared resources and infrastructure. 

East West Airlines’ brand was eventually folded into mainline Ansett in 1993. At the same time, a number of former East West Fokker F28s were transferred to WA. Fokker F28s remained in Ansett’s fleet right up until 1999, just two years before the airline’s collapse. 

Upon their withdrawal from Ansett service, these vintage F28s were sold to Queensland regional carrier Flight West Airlines, which flew them until it entered liquidation in mid-2001. 

The turboprop resurgence

The Fokker 50 is a much adapted and improved version of the successful F27 that first took to the skies in 1985. 

Ansett was one of two launch customers for Fokker 50, the other being DLT of Germany. The first Australian example, VHFNA, made its presence known from September 1987, conducting a number of publicity flights for Ansett. 

It was followed several weeks later by VH-FNB and over the coming months, a further 11 aircraft were delivered to Ansett. The Australian domestic giant ran the Fokker 50 on the east coast, with the majority being allocated to its ANSW regional arm. 

Following in the shadow of MMA, WA regional carrier Skywest Airlines was acquired by Ansett in the 1980s. Skywest was formed in 1963 as an air-taxi service, growing into a popular local regional airline, employing British Aerospace Jetstream 31s on flights from Perth to WA destinations. 

Once under Ansett control, Skywest’s fleet was bolstered and from 1994 the majority of Ansett’s Fokker 50s were transferred to Perth. Skywest’s Fokker 50s ran a varied service, with flights on government protected routes such as Perth to Geraldton and Perth to Albany; as well as services further afield to destinations including Ravensthorpe. 

When Ansett collapsed on 13 September 2001, Skywest flights were temporarily grounded, but Fokker 50 flights resumed 10 days later, with the first service from Perth to Albany taking flight on 23 September. 

The gradual return of Skywest air services was a welcome relief to many people in regional areas. The carrier’s Fokker 50 flights were the only fast and reliable air connections for many thousands of people living across regional and remote WA. 

In 2002, Ansett’s administrators sold Skywest. The following years saw the airline’s fleet expanded, with Fokker 100s joining the existing Fokker 50 fleet.

‘They were well built for the conditions in Australia – not that anyone knew it at the time’

That same year, Queensland carrier Alliance Airlines was establishing a regional and fly-in fly-out footprint on the east coast. Born out of the ashes of the failed Flight West Airlines, Alliance’s successful commencement of services was a boon for the Fokker 50, with the airline gradually acquiring seven of the type. 

Despite its advancing age, the Fokker 50s remained renowned for their robust performance character. 

“The Fokker 50 is a tough little aircraft, so sturdy and very reliable. Very rarely did we have any engineering problems with them,” Luke Morrison, a former cabin manager who worked aboard various Fokker aircraft for Australia’s regional carriers, told Australian Aviation in April. 

“Their short field capability and landing capability was incredible. They were well built for the conditions in Australia – not that anyone knew it at the time. But they really suited Australia. The aircraft were great for short runways, so they stayed in service for a long time.” 

In 2011, Virgin Australia established an alliance with Skywest. The agreement saw Skywest operate an east coastbased fleet of ATR-72 turboprops for Virgin Australia. This move drove speculation that the WAbased Fokker 50 fleet might be replaced by ATRs. But this was not to be, and the Fokker workhorse ploughed on. 

When Virgin Australia acquired Skywest in 2013, the Fokker 50 fleet was absorbed into the newly formed Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. As part of the airline’s relaunch, VH-FNA was painted in Virgin Australia colours. But it was to be the only Fokker 50 to wear Virgin colours. 

Just a few months later, Virgin Australia announced it would not re-tender for state government protected services to Albany and Esperance. It subsequently retired the entire Fokker 50 fleet. Virgin Australia’s final Fokker 50 revenue service flew on 21 February 2016. 

It marked the end of a 22- year presence in the state, and also signalled the end of Fokker turboprop flights in WA, which first commenced in 1959 with MMA’s Fokker F27. 

The retirement of Skywest’s fleet left Alliance Airlines as the sole operator of the Fokker 50 in Australia. Their aircraft are decked out in a 2-2 all economy configuration with a capacity of 50 passengers and remain highly recognisable. 

“The aircraft stands out. If you see a Fokker 50, Dash 8 and ART next to each other you can instantly tell the Fokker by looking at the nose, it’s very pointy and we often referred to it as Pinocchio,” Morrison notes jokingly, adding: “It’s nose is a throwback to the old Fokker F27 design.” 

At the time of writing, Alliance retains three examples, with one flying. 

The final Fokkers

The Fokker 100 is by far the most vital Dutch-built aircraft currently in Australian skies. Major airlines Qantas and Virgin Australia both employ the Fokker 100 across their regional network. So too does WA-based Skippers Aviation, while Alliance Airlines currently operates the largest Fokker 100 fleet in the world. 

Its relatively modest acquisition cost, combined with admirable performance characteristics, combine to offer a perfect vehicle for both regional RPT and FIFO services across the nation. 

Twin Rolls-Royce Tay Mk 650- 15 engines produce 67.2kN thrust, leading to a versatile aircraft with a range of 3,170 kilometres. 

The Fokker 100 is a firm favourite among passengers, sporting a 2-3 seating layout and excellent legroom, with Morrison noting: “No one ever complained about the legroom aboard the Fokker 100.” 

Yet like all aircraft, the Fokker 100 offers its own unique quirks for those operating the regional jet. 

“It was a strange layout with a small galley at the front as you first board through the front door, but we would need to stow most of our service carts down the back, simply because there wasn’t enough space in the front to store the carts,” Morrison recalls. 

“The layout of the Fokker 100 meant that we had to pull the carts up through the aisle to start the service at the front, which looked a bit strange for passengers, but we got used to it.” 

The first Fokker 100s to fly in Australia were operated by now-defunct carrier Flight West airlines, which acquired the jet in 1999. But Flight West’s Fokker 100 services were short lived, with the airline collapsing into voluntary liquidation in June 2001. 

Flight West had long been affiliated with Ansett Australia, and the larger carrier sought to lease Flight West’s Fokker 100 aircraft with the intention to recommence the defunct Flight West routes. However, Ansett was not in good financial condition, collapsing on 13 September 2001, leaving a huge gap in regional and domestic air services across Australia. 

Alliance Airlines was established in 2002 utilising former Flight West Fokker 100s. At the same time on the west coast, former Ansett subsidiary Skywest Airlines was in the midst of growing its jet services. The first Skywest jet arrived in 2003, wearing the airline’s striking new livery. A second Fokker 100 allowed Skywest to expand interstate, with flights to Darwin commencing in 2004. 

One of Skywest’s goals was to connect large regional centres to each other without the need to transit Perth. It used its expanding Fokker 100 fleet to achieve this goal; establishing a variety of unique and innovative routes. This included flights between Geraldton and Melbourne, via Kalgoorlie. 

Additionally, from 2011, a daily Perth to Geraldton Fokker 100 service was established, boldly advertised under the slogan: ‘The only jets to Geraldton’ – an appealing proposition given rival QantasLink had just entered that route utilising slower, noisier Bombardier Dash-8s. 

West Australian charter and fly in fly out carrier Network Aviation began to acquire Fokker 100s from 2008. Its first example, VH-NHP, was originally built for US Air and, following a career with Germania and Air Berlin, was delivered to the airline’s Perth base in March. 

This aircraft was quickly supplemented; with Network’s fleet gradually growing into the double digits. In February 2011, Qantas acquired Network Aviation as a FIFO and charter arm. 

In 2012, Network Aviation Fokker 100 VH-NQE was damaged after a hard landing at the regional centre of Nifty caused by windshear. 

The resulting heavy landing caused wrinkling to the fuselage as well as damage to several support struts. Fortunately no passengers or crew were hurt. The aircraft was subsequently flown to Singapore for repairs, and later returned to service. 

Fellow West Australian FIFO carrier Skippers Aviation added two Fokker 100s to its fleet in 2013. Both aircraft, VH-XKM and VH-XKN came from defunct Mexican carrier Mexicana Click. 

Skippers’ aircraft are configured in a 108-seat layout and come equipped with their own air stairs. This allows the carrier to fly the aircraft into regional airports that have minimal ground infrastructure. 

Virgin Australia’s 2013 acquisition of Skywest led the Fokker 100 to perform vital RPT and FIFO services under the Virgin banner, with 14 aircraft having been flown by the carrier. Despite the 2020 reorganisation of Virgin Australia, the Fokker 100 remains the mainstay of its regional fleet. 

‘No one ever complained about the legroom aboard the Fokker 100’

In late 2014, Qantas’ ties with Network Aviation were strengthened, with the larger airline announcing it would utilise Network’s Fokker 100s on regular passenger services for Qantaslink. This allowed QantasLink to remove Dash-8 services in Western Australia, replacing them with Fokker 100 equipment. 

On 31 July 2015, Qantas announced all Network Aviation Fokker 100s would be repainted in QantasLink livery, with Qantas’ John Gissing noting at the time: “Network Aviation has been part of the Qantas Group since 2011, and repainting the F100 fleet with our QantasLink branding is the logical next step for the brand.”

VH-NHY was the first to see QantasLink branding, and today the carrier operates 17 examples, primarily across Western Australia. 

On the east coast, Alliance Airlines has grown its Fokker fleet to become the largest operator of the type worldwide. Not only does Alliance fly Fokker 100s, it is Australia’s first and only operator of the smaller, 80-seat Fokker 70. 

“The Fokker 70 is overpowered and has excellent range. It’s smaller than the Fokker 100 but uses the same power plant so it rockets out of airports. And with the Fokker 70 LRs they have amazing range. Those aircraft can go coast to coast in Australia, which makes them very flexible,” Morrison notes. 

Alliance’s commitment to Fokker was strengthened in November 2015 when it announced it had acquired Austrian Airlines’ entire Fokker fleet. The deal, which included fifteen Fokker 100s and six Fokker 70s, was valued at US$15 million. 

“This purchase now provides Alliance with the opportunity to expand Alliance’s revenue stream into new areas and geographies and also provides a cost-effective long-term supply of parts to our existing Fokker fleet,” Alliance managing director Scott McMillan said in a statement at the time. 

And despite Alliance’s recent planned acquisition of up to 14 Embraer E190s, it retains the world’s largest fleet of Fokker aircraft. This, coupled with a strong Fokker presence at both QantasLink and Virgin Australia, means the Dutch-built aircraft look set to remain the workhorse of regional air services for years to come.