Sharp Airlines

{{Infobox airline

| airline = Sharp Airlines

| logo = Sharp Airlines logo.svg

| logo_size = 250

| image = Fairchild SA-227DC Metro 23, Sharp Airlines AN2316311.jpg

| caption = A Sharp Airlines Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner

| IATA = SH

| ICAO =

| callsign = SHARP

| parent = Sharp Aviation Pty. Ltd.[http://www.ntis.gov.au/?/rto/21580 National Training Information Service - Registered Training Organisation]

| founded = {{start date and age|1990|||df=yes}}

| key_people = {{bulleted list|

| Malcolm Sharp (Managing Director)

| Michael Korber (Director)

| Alistair Dorward (CEO)}}

| headquarters = Hamilton, Victoria, Australia

| bases = {{ubl|class=nowrap

| Adelaide

| Brisbane

| Launceston

| Melbourne–Essendon}}

| fleet_size = 17

| destinations = 7

| website = {{URL|www.sharpairlines.com.au}}

}}

Sharp Airlines is a regional airline founded in Hamilton, Victoria, Australia in 1990. Sharp operates scheduled airline services in the southern states of Australia. Its main bases are Essendon Airport,[http://sharpairlines.com/about/index.html Sharp Airlines :: About Sharp Airlines] Adelaide Airport,[http://sharpairlines.com.au/sharp_airlines/companyprofile.html Sharp Airlines :: About Sharp Airlines] Launceston Airport and Brisbane Airport. The airline also provides charter operations to Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia . The parent company, Sharp Aviation, has its main maintenance base at Launceston Airport. Sharp Airlines has no registered ICAO code.

History

Commencing operations using the Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain, the airline has continued to grow, acquiring Fairchild Metro aircraft to replace the Chieftains, and adding Essendon Airport to the route network. In April 2008, it commenced services to Port Augusta from a new Adelaide Airport base of operations. Services from Adelaide to Port Augusta were terminated in May 2017.{{cite web | url=https://www.transcontinental.com.au/story/4637809/sharp-ditch-port-augusta/ | title=Sharp ditch Port Augusta | date=3 May 2017 }}

In October 2009, Sharp Airlines commenced a trial service connecting Adelaide with Portland and Avalon Airport. In January 2010, it became a permanent addition to the flight schedule[http://sharpairlines.com/upload/Adelaide_Flight_Services_to_Continue_into_2010_23.11.09.pdf Sharp Airlines: Adelaide Flight Services to Continue into 2010] but was subsequently terminated.

In October 2010, Sharp Airlines took over routes to Flinders Island from Launceston in Tasmania and Essendon Airport in Melbourne, Victoria from the previous operator, Airlines of Tasmania. In late 2011, twice-daily flights to King Island from Launceston via Wynyard started.

In May 2019, the airline announced that it would cease operating its Melbourne (Essendon Airport) - Warrnambool - Portland service after 30 June 2019, due to a lack of patronage.{{cite web |title=Cessation of Warrnambool/Portland Airline Services |url=http://sharpairlines.com/about/news/article/cessation-of-warrnamboolportland-airline-services |publisher=Sharp Airlines |accessdate=2019-06-02}}

On 30 September 2020, Sharp Airlines started three return services per week between Hobart and King Island and Hobart and Flinders Island, allowing Tasmanians to travel within the State's borders directly from their capital city.[https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/293842/sharp-airlines-adds-hobart-service-from-late-sep-2020 Sharp Airlines adds Hobart service from late-Sep 2020] These services were suspended in April 2023.{{Cite web |date=1 May 2023 |title=update to our hobart services |url=https://www.sharpairlines.com.au/about/news/article/update-to-our-hobart-services |access-date=19 May 2025 |website=Sharp Airlines}}

Destinations

File:Sharp Airlines (VH-SEZ) Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III at Essendon Airport.jpg

Sharp operates the following scheduled services.http://sharpairlines.com/pub/Flight_Schedule_4Feb_2008.pdf {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}http://sharpairlines.com/pub/FlightSch-AugustaAdelaideMildura.pdf {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}

{{cite web |url=https://sharpairlines.com/index.php/about/news/article/new-route-introducing-hobart-services |title=Sharp Airlines News |website=sharpairlines.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020004544/https://www.sharpairlines.com/index.php/about/news/article/new-route-introducing-hobart-services |archive-date=2020-10-20}}

From Flinders Island, Tasmania (Flinders Island Airport)
Launceston, Tasmania (Launceston Airport)
Melbourne, Victoria (Essendon Airport)
From King Island, Tasmania (King Island Airport)
Launceston, Tasmania (Launceston Airport)
Wynyard, Tasmania (Burnie Airport)
Melbourne, Victoria (Essendon Airport)

The airline also has a base at Adelaide Airport with 4-6 aircraft based there at any given time. Although there are no longer any regular passenger services out of Adelaide, the company operates frequent charters, mainly to mine sites throughout South Australia, some to Queensland and the Northern Territory. The scheduled services are operated using the airline's Metro III and Metro 23 aircraft. It also operates charter services using the Metros throughout Australia.

They also operate a designated freight service out of Brisbane Airport up the east coast of QLD on behalf of TGE (Team Global Express)

Fleet

{{As of|2024|10}}, Sharp Airlines operates the following aircraft:[https://www.casa.gov.au/aircraft-register Australian civil aircraft register search], using "Sharp Aviation" as the search parameter. Search conducted 14 April 2022.

class="wikitable" style="border-collapse:collapse;text-align:center;margin:auto;" \|+ Sharp Airlines Fleet
Aircraft !In service !Orders !Passengers !Notes
Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III \|5 \|— \|19 \| RPT & Charter
Fairchild SA227-CC Metro 23 \|1 \|— \|19 \|RPT & Charter
Fairchild SA227-DC Metro 23 \|12 \|— \|19 \| RPT & Charter
colspan="5"\|Cargo fleet
Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III \|3 \|— \| \|
Fairchild SA227-DC Metro 23 \|2 \|— \| \|
Total !23 !— !colspan="3"\|

class="wikitable" style="border-collapse:collapse;text-align:center;margin:auto;"

|+ Sharp Airlines Fleet

Aircraft

!In service

!Orders

!Passengers

!Notes

Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III

|—

|19

| RPT & Charter

Fairchild SA227-CC Metro 23