Trans Australia Airlines or TAA, (renamed Australian Airlines in 1986) was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its sale to Qantas in May 1996. During that period TAA played a major part in the development of the Australian air transport industry. The establishment of TAA broke the domestic air transport monopoly of ANA (Australian National Airways) in the late 1940s, and taking over the Queensland air network from QANTAS. It was also at the time TAA supported the Flying Doctor Services of Australia by providing aircraft, pilots and engineers to ensure every emergency was answered quickly.
The airline's headquarters were located in the City of Melbourne. In 1954 TAA became the first airline outside Europe to introduce the Vickers Viscount 'propjet', and in 1981 it introduced the Airbus A300, the first wide-body aircraft to be purchased by an Australian domestic airline.
Qantas revived the Australian Airlines brand between 2002 and 2006 to serve the low-cost leisure market of visitors to and from Australia but using a full-service model.
Read more about Trans Australia Airlines: In Popular Culture, Fleet
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