Nautilus Aviation

Nautilus Aviation is a privately owned helicopter operator. Its head office is at Cairns Airport in Queensland, and its Cairns flights leave from the Pier Heliport. The company flies commercial helicopter work, emergency response, private charters and tourism flights across northern Australia. It is part of Morris Group, an independent Australian family-run business. The company says it is the largest helicopter operator in Northern Australia.

Commercial helicopter services include aerial surveys, sling work, and heavy and precision lifting. These serve government, mining, resources, media and port clients. The company also supports remote work such as geotechnical sampling, pipeline and powerline inspection, and radio tower maintenance. Other work includes feral animal control, shipping and port services, and border security.

Emergency response covers search and rescue, firefighting, flood and cyclone relief, and patient transfers. The Bell 412EP carries a 1,300 litre belly tank for firefighting, and the Bell 212S carries a 1,500 litre belly tank. The company also uses 820 litre Bambi buckets. The website says its fleet can be moved between bases to respond quickly. The company also offers policing and surveillance flights.

Private helicopter charters and transfers take guests to resorts and lodges. Scenic flights cover the Great Barrier Reef, the Wet Tropics rainforest and national parks in the Top End. The company says its tourism experiences are part of the Australian tourism industry.

The fleet includes more than 40 helicopters. These include Bell 412EP helicopters with a winch for emergency services and search and rescue. The Bell 212S Eagle Single is used for heavy lift, with up to 1,800 kg on the hook. A UH-60L Black Hawk is also listed with a 3,800 kg external load. Other types include the Bell 429, Bell 407GXi, Bell 206L, Bell 206, Airbus H125 Squirrel and Airbus H130.

The company started in Townsville in 1993 with a Cessna 208 floatplane that carried guests to Great Barrier Reef island resorts. It replaced the floatplane with its first helicopter in 2010. Its bases are at Cairns, Port Douglas, Townsville, Horn Island, Darwin, Jabiru and Gove, plus HeliSurveys in Jindabyne. The company has in-house maintenance facilities and refuelling infrastructure. It is ISO 9001 accredited and holds BARS Gold accreditation across all areas of operation.

Services

• Commercial helicopter services
• Aerial surveys
• Sling and heavy lifting
• Emergency response
• Search and rescue
• Firefighting
• Patient transfers
• Scenic flights
• Private charter and transfers
• Policing and surveillance