Skippers Aviation commenced operation in 1990, operating a fleet of three Cessna Conquest turbo prop aircraft and one Cessna 402C from the Flight Centre facility at the Perth domestic airport.
Over the years, Skippers have focused primarily on its core business of providing outstanding service and flexibility to the resource industry within Australia as well as Regulated Passenger Transport destinations; our key advantage is being equipped with modern aircraft especially suited to the rough airstrips and harsh conditions often found in remote locations.
With this consistent and considerable growth, Skippers is the only Perth General Aviation Company which has addressed the issue of aging aircraft. In 1995, at a considerable price premium, we acquired a fleet of 3 brand new Metro23 turbo prop aircraft. This was part of Skippers’ commitment to offering leading technology to our passengers’ for optimal comfort and peace of mind.
More new Metro 23s followed over the next 3 years with the fleet then totaling 5.
In 1997/98, Skippers completed construction on their state of the art passenger terminal, engineering facility and operations centre at Perth Airport. During this time two De Havilland Dash-8 turbo prop aircraft were added to the fleet. Seating 36 passengers each, these new aircraft substantially increased Skippers’ capacity and added to the flexibility of an already versatile fleet.
Also in that year, Skippers Aviation established a base in Broome, Western Australia in conjunction with an established mining company, WA Transport and Ansett Australia. An office complex, hangar and maintenance facility were built and Skippers still operate aircraft from this base on contract and ad-hoc charter basis.
In 1999, our Air Operators Certificate was upgraded to allow for the provision of scheduled RPT (Regular Passenger Transport) services to the general public. Following the collapse of Ansett in 2001 and operating within a highly regulated passenger market, Skippers were able to take up routes which would otherwise have been abandoned and continue to connect remote Western Australian communities with Perth city. Skippers continues to operate quality air services to many of these destinations today, which include flights and services to Mt Magnet, Meekatharra, Leonora, Laverton and Wiluna.
In 2008, the addition of more DeHavilland Dash 8-300, 50 passenger aircraft scaled our current fleet to 24 aircraft, in 2011 two DeHavilland Dash-8 300, 52 passenger aircraft were added to the fleet which now comprising 26 aircraft then in 2013 the company acquired two F100 – 108 seat aircraft which now gives the company a total capacity of 983 seats. Skippers have the capabilities and resources to provide a quality service at levels of safety and comfort comparable with other major airlines.