Ansett-ANA (Australian National Airways) Lockheed L-1011 Tristar
Reginald Ansett had made his first fortune building a small ground shuttle business in southern Australia, proving so successful he threatened a government monopoly on rail travel. Fearing the Australian government would shut his ground service down, Ansett diversified into air travel, then in its infancy in Australia. Revenue service with a Fokker Universal began in 1936 and was just as successful as his ground service; he expanded his routes during World War II by taking charters from US Army Air Forces units operating from Australia. This allowed him to acquire several Douglas C-47s from war surplus, putting them into service in 1946.
Ansett’s small service was able to survive in a niche market; postwar, the real competition was between state-owned Trans-Australian Airlines (TAA) and Australian National Airways (ANA), owned by a British consortium. TAA gradually drove ANA out of business by 1957, but the Australian government feared the backlash from a government-owned monopoly. Ansett offered to buy out ANA, an offer accepted in October 1957, and the two airlines became known as Ansett-ANA, until 1968, when it became Ansett of Australia. Both Reginald Ansett and the Australian government ensured that only two airlines would be allowed to operate domestically in Australia—the former by buying up several smaller Australian airlines, and the latter by forbidding the import of any new aircraft into Australia. Ansett was also able to temporarily halt the introduction of jet aircraft to domestic operations, preferring to fly turboprop Vickers Viscounts and Lockheed L-188 Electras.
Reginald Ansett retired in the late 1970s, and Ansett itself was acquired by Australian freight magnate Peter Abeles and British news media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Ansett changed its livery from its previous red-tail-and-delta motif to a stylized Australian flag on an all-white fuselage. The 1970s had seen the airline gradually modernize, finally acquiring jet Boeing 727s. The 1980s proved a time of expansion for Ansett, gradually moving into international operations with the acquisition of Boeing 767s, as well as opening a new subsidiary, Ansett New Zealand, for operations in that nation. This ended in 1995 when Air New Zealand acquired a 50% share of Ansett Australia.
By 2000 Ansett was in direct competition with Qantas both domestically and internationally. Air New Zealand bought out Abeles and Murdoch and owned Ansett directly, fighting off Singapore Airlines’ attempt to buy the airline. Ansett, however, was in trouble: the Australian government had considerably loosened Australia’s air corridors, allowing foreign airlines to fly domestic routes within the country. Facing competition from other airlines, low-cost startups like Virgin Blue, aging aircraft, and maintenance problems (the latter of which grounded Ansett’s 767 fleet in 2001, permanently), Ansett faced bankruptcy.
The situation worsened still when Air New Zealand, also facing bankruptcy, was bailed out by the New Zealand government; New Zealand could bail out its flag carrier or Ansett, but not both. With no money, Ansett collapsed on 13 September 2001, throwing 16,000 people out of work without warning. The Australian government allowed the airline to relaunch on a limited basis in October 2001, with a no-frills Airbus A320 service, in the hopes that it would attract a buyer. This was unsuccessful, and Ansett finally closed down for good in 2002.
From 1957 to 1968, Ansett operated in a dual livery with Australian National Airways, at the insistence of the Australian government, until Ansett was allowed to drop the ANA name. Towards the end of this arrangement, Ansett expressed interest in ordering wide-bodied airliners. In the end, the airline would instead order more Boeing 727s instead, and would not get their first wide-bodies until the late 1980s. The airline never flew the L-1011 Tristar, but it expressed interest in the design, as Ansett had flown L-188 Electras. Had the Ansett-ANA livery remained a few years and the airline operated the L-1011, this is what it would have looked like. As such, this is something of a "what-if."
VH-RME was an Ansett aircraft, but this time, it was a 727. This aircraft shows the hybrid Ansett-ANA livery of the late 1960s.
Ansett-ANA (Australian National Airways) Lockheed L-1011 Tristar
Reginald Ansett had made his first fortune building a small ground shuttle business in southern Australia, proving so successful he threatened a government monopoly on rail travel. Fearing the Australian government would shut his ground service down, Ansett diversified into air travel, then in its infancy in Australia. Revenue service with a Fokker Universal began in 1936 and was just as successful as his ground service; he expanded his routes during World War II by taking charters from US Army Air Forces units operating from Australia. This allowed him to acquire several Douglas C-47s from war surplus, putting them into service in 1946.
Ansett’s small service was able to survive in a niche market; postwar, the real competition was between state-owned Trans-Australian Airlines (TAA) and Australian National Airways (ANA), owned by a British consortium. TAA gradually drove ANA out of business by 1957, but the Australian government feared the backlash from a government-owned monopoly. Ansett offered to buy out ANA, an offer accepted in October 1957, and the two airlines became known as Ansett-ANA, until 1968, when it became Ansett of Australia. Both Reginald Ansett and the Australian government ensured that only two airlines would be allowed to operate domestically in Australia—the former by buying up several smaller Australian airlines, and the latter by forbidding the import of any new aircraft into Australia. Ansett was also able to temporarily halt the introduction of jet aircraft to domestic operations, preferring to fly turboprop Vickers Viscounts and Lockheed L-188 Electras.
Reginald Ansett retired in the late 1970s, and Ansett itself was acquired by Australian freight magnate Peter Abeles and British news media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Ansett changed its livery from its previous red-tail-and-delta motif to a stylized Australian flag on an all-white fuselage. The 1970s had seen the airline gradually modernize, finally acquiring jet Boeing 727s. The 1980s proved a time of expansion for Ansett, gradually moving into international operations with the acquisition of Boeing 767s, as well as opening a new subsidiary, Ansett New Zealand, for operations in that nation. This ended in 1995 when Air New Zealand acquired a 50% share of Ansett Australia.
By 2000 Ansett was in direct competition with Qantas both domestically and internationally. Air New Zealand bought out Abeles and Murdoch and owned Ansett directly, fighting off Singapore Airlines’ attempt to buy the airline. Ansett, however, was in trouble: the Australian government had considerably loosened Australia’s air corridors, allowing foreign airlines to fly domestic routes within the country. Facing competition from other airlines, low-cost startups like Virgin Blue, aging aircraft, and maintenance problems (the latter of which grounded Ansett’s 767 fleet in 2001, permanently), Ansett faced bankruptcy.
The situation worsened still when Air New Zealand, also facing bankruptcy, was bailed out by the New Zealand government; New Zealand could bail out its flag carrier or Ansett, but not both. With no money, Ansett collapsed on 13 September 2001, throwing 16,000 people out of work without warning. The Australian government allowed the airline to relaunch on a limited basis in October 2001, with a no-frills Airbus A320 service, in the hopes that it would attract a buyer. This was unsuccessful, and Ansett finally closed down for good in 2002.
From 1957 to 1968, Ansett operated in a dual livery with Australian National Airways, at the insistence of the Australian government, until Ansett was allowed to drop the ANA name. Towards the end of this arrangement, Ansett expressed interest in ordering wide-bodied airliners. In the end, the airline would instead order more Boeing 727s instead, and would not get their first wide-bodies until the late 1980s. The airline never flew the L-1011 Tristar, but it expressed interest in the design, as Ansett had flown L-188 Electras. Had the Ansett-ANA livery remained a few years and the airline operated the L-1011, this is what it would have looked like. As such, this is something of a "what-if."
VH-RME was an Ansett aircraft, but this time, it was a 727. This aircraft shows the hybrid Ansett-ANA livery of the late 1960s.