New Zealand and Australian regional aviation history · Wellington · Darwin

Vincent Aviation

A historical information page for Vincent Aviation, the Wellington-founded charter and regional airline that later became a significant Darwin-based operator serving the Northern Territory, resource sector and regional Australia.

Read the History

Hero image: Vincent Aviation Saab 340B at Darwin Airport, 14 June 2011. Photo by Eugene Butler via Wikimedia Commons, GFDL 1.2.

Remembering Vincent Aviation

Vincent Aviation was a charter, freight and regional aviation operator associated with both Wellington, New Zealand and Darwin, Australia.

Public sources record the company as having been founded by Peter Vincent in the early 1990s. Some public aviation profiles refer to operations beginning in 1990, while airline-history references record the airline as being formed in 1992.

The business grew from a New Zealand charter and subcontract operator into a wider aviation group with a substantial Australian presence. Its Australian operation became particularly connected with the Northern Territory, remote-area transport, freight, charter flights and regional passenger services.

New Zealand origins

Vincent Aviation's New Zealand history included charter, freight, subcontract services and aircraft such as the Beechcraft 1900, Dash 8, Jetstream and BAe 146.

Image: Vincent Aviation DHC-8-100 ZK-VAC and Beechcraft 1900D ZK-VAB over New Zealand's South Island. Released to public domain by Zkvac via Wikimedia Commons.

From Wellington to Darwin

Vincent Aviation's Australian arm became a notable Darwin-based operator, serving routes and charter work linked to Groote Eylandt, Cairns, Jabiru, Kununurra, Bootu Creek, Narrabri, Sydney and other regional or resource-sector locations.

The company's story sits at the intersection of charter aviation, remote access, resource-sector flying, regional passenger services and the challenges of sustaining thin regional routes.

Public Timeline

Early 1990s

Public records place Vincent Aviation's establishment in the early 1990s, with sources referring to 1990 and 1992.

Wellington base

The New Zealand operation was based at Wellington Airport and was associated with charter, freight and subcontract operations.

Early 2000s

Vincent Aviation grew its Australian activity from Darwin, including work linked to United Nations and Timor-Leste operations and resource-sector contracts.

Darwin expansion

The Darwin operation became associated with Beech 1900 and Saab 340 aircraft, FIFO work, freight, emergency medical services and regional passenger services.

2011-2012

Vincent Aviation operated Darwin-Dili services on behalf of Timor Air for a period before that service ceased.

February-March 2014

Vincent Aviation began operating the Narrabri-Sydney regulated route after the collapse of Brindabella Airlines and was awarded a four-year licence by Transport for NSW.

28 May 2014

The Australian operation entered receivership, with flights grounded and about 120 Darwin staff affected.

October 2014

The New Zealand operation also entered receivership, bringing the Vincent Aviation operating story to a close.

New Zealand operation

Vincent Aviation's New Zealand business was based at Wellington and operated a mix of charter, freight, subcontract and specialist flying. Public references describe work involving Beechcraft 1900 aircraft, Jetstreams, a Dash 8-100, and later a BAe 146-200.

The company also worked in support roles for other aviation providers. Public profiles describe Vincent Aviation New Zealand providing supplemental scheduled domestic services for other airlines, ad-hoc charters for corporate and government clients, and a 24/7 air ambulance service on behalf of the Life Flight Trust.

The New Zealand side of the company also had international reach, with public references to operations or contract work in places including Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Ireland and Timor-Leste.

Vincent Aviation aircraft coming into land at Darwin — Vincent Aviation aircraft on approach at Darwin, 26 September 2007. Photo by Bidgee via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

Fleet character

Vincent Aviation's public fleet references include Beechcraft 1900C/D, Saab 340B, DHC-8-100, BAe Jetstream 31/32, BAe 146-200 and smaller aircraft used earlier in the company's history.

That mix reflects a business that operated across charter, regional passenger work, freight, resource-sector contracts, air ambulance and subcontract flying.

Darwin, the Top End and regional Australia

Vincent Aviation Australia became one of the Top End's larger regional aviation names before its collapse in 2014. ABC reported that Vincent operated regular passenger services from Darwin, Groote Eylandt, Cairns, Narrabri, Jabiru, Kununurra, Bootu Creek and Sydney, and also provided emergency medical services, freight and transport for fly-in fly-out mining workers.

CAPA described Vincent Aviation Australia as a Darwin International Airport-based regional and charter airline providing scheduled passenger transport to destinations including Groote Eylandt, Cairns, Brisbane, Narrabri and Sydney, as well as FIFO and remote-area services and ad-hoc passenger and freight charters.

This Australian chapter gives Vincent Aviation its strongest connection to the vincentaviation.com.au domain: Northern Territory regional flying, Darwin aircraft charter bookings, resource-sector support, mining movements, freight, medical transport and remote-community access.

For present-day FIFO, regional, freight, group or private flight requirements, AeroBroker's Australian aircraft charter services can help define the mission and source suitable options from appropriately authorised aircraft operators.

Narrabri-Sydney and the final Australian expansion

In early 2014, Vincent Aviation moved into the Narrabri-Sydney regulated route after Brindabella Airlines ceased operations. ABC reported that Transport for NSW issued Vincent Aviation a licence for the route and that the inaugural flight departed Sydney for Narrabri on 21 February 2014.

A few weeks later, ABC reported that Transport for NSW had awarded Vincent Aviation the exclusive four-year licence to operate the Narrabri-Sydney route from 21 March 2014.

The timing proved difficult. Only a short time later, on 28 May 2014, Vincent Aviation Australia entered receivership and grounded its flights.

Receivership and closure

On 28 May 2014, the Australian arm of Vincent Aviation was placed into receivership. Public reports stated that all flights were cancelled, the company's immediate future was uncertain, and staff and regional communities were affected.

ABC reported that about 120 Darwin staff were advised their employment was terminated, and that customers, companies and communities were left assessing the impact of the collapse. The affected network included regional passenger services, freight, emergency medical services and FIFO transport.

The New Zealand operation initially continued, but CAPA later recorded that Vincent Aviation New Zealand entered receivership on 24 October 2014. The New Zealand Gazette later recorded Vincent Aviation Limited in receivership and liquidation.

Why Vincent Aviation remains historically important

Vincent Aviation remains a useful reference point for people researching regional aviation because it connected several different aviation markets: New Zealand charter, subcontract airline operations, air ambulance work, Northern Territory regional services, FIFO mining transport, freight and international contract flying.

The company's Australian history also shows the fragility of regional air services. Routes such as Groote Eylandt, Jabiru, Bootu Creek, Narrabri and other regional or resource-linked destinations often depend on aircraft availability, contract stability, community demand and the economics of small aircraft operations.

The vincentaviation.com.au domain is therefore best treated as a historical aviation information page for Vincent Aviation and its Australian operating history, while also acknowledging the wider Wellington-based group from which it developed.

Historical notice

vincentaviation.com.au is presented as a historical aviation information page about Vincent Aviation and related public references. It is not presented as a current aircraft operator, booking website, airline, charter provider or travel agency.

Any current passenger flight, charter flight, FIFO movement, air ambulance movement or aviation service must be confirmed directly with the relevant authorised provider.

Travellers seeking current charter options can also request Australian aircraft charter options through AeroBroker, which acts as a broker and sources flights from third-party authorised operators.

Sources and further reading

This page summarises public historical sources and should not be treated as a definitive legal, ownership, corporate, insolvency, operational or regulatory record.

Contact

If you have historical information, corrections, photographs or source material relating to Vincent Aviation, Vincent Aviation Australia, Vincent Aviation New Zealand, Darwin operations, Wellington operations, aircraft records or the vincentaviation.com.au domain, please make contact.

Email: air.charter.request@gmail.com

Please include the source of any historical information where possible, especially dates, photographs, route details, aircraft registrations, documents, company notices or passenger records.