The lights at Hangar 9 on Bush Pilots Avenue come on while most of Cairns is still asleep. Inside the hangar, a King Air is being loaded for the day’s first job – parts and supplies for a mine site on Cape York. The freight comes in by forklift and is stowed, strapped down and checked under cover, whatever the weather is doing outside. The workers flying with it arrive with their gear, the aircraft is towed out, and by the time the sun clears the Coral Sea they’re airborne and heading north.
This is why our King Air fleet is based in Cairns. Scheduled flights into Cape York, the Gulf and the Torres Strait are limited, and in the wet season some roads close altogether. Workers flown in at first light can put in a full day on site and be home that night rather than losing days to the trip in and out.
Mid-morning
A private jet is inbound from Bali, and most of the work on its arrival was done before it left the ground. Customs, immigration and quarantine clearance are arranged, apron access is confirmed and fuel is booked for the next leg.
When the door opens, the passengers step out of the humidity and into an air-conditioned lounge where refreshments and comfort await. The crew’s accommodation, catering and transport are already waiting.
Within an hour the aircraft is refuelled and ready to go again. Our FBO handles domestic and international arrivals 24 hours a day, for visiting operators, air ambulance flights, commercial aircraft ferry flights along with our own fleet.
Afternoon
Not every flight out of Cairns is for work. A small group, just arrived from overseas, has a few days on Lizard Island ahead of them, in the far northern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef. They’ve chartered the whole aircraft, and their arrival through our FBO and their charter flight are handled together, so their luggage stays with them and the departure time is theirs to set. Their stop in Cairns lasts about as long as a coffee in the lounge. Then they’re over the reef.
After dark
The call comes in close to midnight. A patient in the Torres Strait needs to be moved to a major hospital. Our 24/7 Operations team takes the call and the aviation side of the retrieval gets under way: an aircraft configured for the medevac, a doctor and nurse brought in from the moment the mission is activated, flight planning, and arrival arrangements at the receiving hospital.
For suitable missions, the aircraft can be airborne within about two hours of activation.
“We’re part of a wider team up here and everyone pitches in, whether it’s loading freight before sunrise or getting an aircraft ready for a medevac in the middle of the night. People trust us with things that really matter to them, and we never take that lightly,” says Flinn Kelly, Machjet International’s Cairns Base Manager.
A site crew, a jet from overseas, a holiday and a medical retrieval have little in common. At Hangar 9, each one starts the same way, with the details sorted before anyone has to ask.
To plan a trip from Cairns, speak to our charter team on +61 7 5457 0778 or at charters@machjet.com.au. Operators needing handling can contact the Cairns FBO at fbo@machjet.com.au.
