Australian Helicopters Closes its Gladstone Airport Base

A report on Monday 24 June in the the Gladstone Observer newspaper has confirmed that Gladstone's longest running helicopter service, Australian Helicopters, has closed its local base.

File photo taken by Jamie C  ©

The service, which had been running commercial and charter flights across the region for 15 years, took its last flight on Thursday 30 May.

The departure of Australian Helicopters has left Gladstone Helicopters with a monopoly of the market.

Former Australian Helicopters base manager and senior pilot Drew Willard, who was made redundant as a result of shake-up, told the Gladstone Observer that the business nosedived after losing a contract with Heron Island Resort.