James McCullough and Rosemary Odgers January 30, 2009 11:00pm
MacAir, owned by Townsville businessman Terry Byrt, was placed in receivership yesterday morning by its bankers, Suncorp Metway, the latest victim of the global financial crisis.
MacAir folds as 180 lose their jobs
Jessica Marszalek February 6, 2009
Failed regional airline MacAir has been wound up and its 180 staff sacked.
The Townsville-based company, which serviced much of outback Queensland, went into voluntary administration and receivership last week.
It was wound up by receivers Ernst and Young on Friday.
Justin Walsh, from Ernst and Young, said all services had ceased from noon (AEST) and the airline's fleet would be returned to financiers.
"Unfortunately the staff have been told that the company is no longer in a position to employ them anymore," Mr Walsh said.
"... financially, it doesn't have the capacity to continue trading and in an operational sense it was not in a position to continue trading either."
MacAir provided commercial and fly-in, fly-out services to Queensland mining communities.
It also entered into the five-year contract with the government in April last year to provide subsidised remote north, west and gulf services but soon had trouble fulfilling its terms.
The government is currently providing charter flights to cover the services.
Transport Minister John Mickel said the winding up of the airline meant an emergency contract could now be drafted before an open tender process.
He said he believed other airlines would take over MacAir's commercial and fly-in, fly-out routes.
The government would contact sacked workers to offer training and employment advice.
"This is a tragedy for those 200 families who face unemployment," the minister said.
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