West Wing Aviation


West Wing Aviation was an airline based in Townsville, Queensland, founded in 2000. It commenced operations on 2 May 2000. While it began as an independent commuter airline, its operations were later consolidated with its sister company, Skytrans Airlines. In 2024, the airline's parent entity was acquired by the Avia Solutions Group, and in 2025, the airline was rebranded as SmartLynx Australia.

History

The founder and CEO of the company, Peter Collings, owned various airline operations running in Queensland dating back to 1992. After the company grew, he decided to move away from the company to start West Wing Aviation in 2000, which would provide small commute flights from the Queensland area.
In 2015, another Queensland based airline, Skytrans Airlines, shut down on 2 January 2015. A few days later, West Wing Aviation was requested to temporarily continue the Cape York flights in order to prevent the isolation of remote towns. On 23 March 2015, a deal was made for Skytrans to be purchased by Collings Holdings and resurrected. It was announced that flights for Skytrans would resume on 1 April 2015, recovering some of its previous staff and leasing two Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft. Following this acquisition, West Wing Aviation's scheduled services were progressively integrated into the Skytrans network.

Acquisition and Rebranding

In January 2024, the European-based Avia Solutions Group announced its intention to acquire Skytrans. The acquisition was completed in March 2024, bringing the airline under foreign ownership for the first time.
On 24 June 2025, Skytrans was officially rebranded as SmartLynx Australia to align with other airlines in the Avia Solutions Group, such as SmartLynx Airlines. The rebrand marked a shift in strategy, with the airline expanding into ACMI operations and wet leasing, while continuing its regional passenger services.

Destinations

All scheduled flights previously operated by West Wing Aviation throughout the Torres Strait and Cape York regions were consolidated under the Skytrans banner and are now operated by SmartLynx Australia.

Fleet

As of the consolidation of operations, West Wing Aviation's independent fleet was largely retired or absorbed. The operating fleet under SmartLynx Australia primarily consists of De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprops for regional routes and is expanding to include Airbus A320 family aircraft for ACMI and charter operations.
Prior to full integration, the West Wing Aviation fleet included:
AircraftTotal
Beechcraft Super King Air B2002
Beechcraft Baron4
Cessna 182 Skylane1
Cessna 4022
Cessna 404 Titan2