based at the airport before going into voluntary administration. The airline initially began with a flight training school in 1973 before expanding into freight and passenger services with scheduled domestic routes to Adelaide and Melbourne.. Rex Airlines In 2002 Australiawide Airlines, a consortium of former Ansett Australia employees acquired Hazelton Airlines and Kendell Airlines to form a new regional airline. Rex Airlines continues to operate daily flights between Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Melbourne. QantasLink In 2009 QantasLink announced it was exploring further services into regional South Australia, including flights to Mount Gambier. The airline has announced it will introduce a new air service between Adelaide to Port Lincoln, however QantasLink says while Port Lincoln is its primary focus, it will explore further expansion into regional areas. In 2014 QantasLink announced a further 1 of 2 destinations were under consideration – Mount Gambier and Whyalla. The new service was awarded to Whyalla. In 2020, QantasLink announced further expansion of regional routes, with flights from Mount Gambier to Adelaide and Melbourne commencing in March 2021, using Dash 8 300 Series aircraft. After only six weeks of flying to Mount Gambier, QantasLink increased the frequency on the Adelaide route from 5 weekly return flights to 12. This was part of an partnership between Qantas and the SA Government to establish a base at Adelaide Airport. Airlines and destinations Statistics Mount Gambier Airport was ranked 45th in Australia for the number of revenue passengers served in financial year 2010–2011. Source Bitre Aero Club The Mount Gambier Aero Club Inc. was originally formed in the 1930s and continued through to the Second World War when the airport was taken over by the Royal Australian Air Force. The present day aero club was established as the Mount Gambier Gliding and Soaring Club in July 1947 and continued under this name until 31 May 1957 when it was renamed the Mount Gambier Aero Club, the name used to the present day. See also List of airports in South Australia References External links Mount Gambier Airport Website Airports in South Australia Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Australia Airports established in 1930 Limestone Coast