Kendell

Kendell Airlines was a former Australian regional airline founded from a small charter and flying school business in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. Don and Eilish Kendell became involved in the business in the mid-1960s; incorporated as Premiair Aviation in 1967, it initially offered charter flights, pilot training and aircraft maintenance. Regular passenger services began in 1971, and the company adopted the Kendell Airlines name in 1983.

It grew into a major regional carrier, connecting communities across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania with larger cities and regional centres. Its operations included services through Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, as well as Bass Strait routes and the Sydney–Canberra Capital Shuttle. Kendell’s fleet evolved from light aircraft and Piper Navajos to Riley Herons, Metroliners and Saab 340s.

In 1985, it took delivery of a Saab 340 recorded as the first in the Southern Hemisphere. Closely associated with Ansett, Kendell expanded significantly before entering administration after Ansett’s collapse. Its passenger airline assets transferred to the Rex Group in 2002