AIRNORTH TAKEOVER BY US

Following  the  recent   Bristow Helicopters Australia   85  percent controlling stake  in  North Australia's largest regional airline, Airnorth, there is talk that  the number of  direct fights  between  Darwin  and Townsville  are  to be cut  to  three  a week , instead of  five, possibly due to impact of  the  wet season on activity in Top End  .  Bristow is  a  British  civil  helicopter  operator  based in  Aberdeen,Scotland , part of the Bristow Group  whose corporate headquarters  are in  Houston, Texas . Bristow is the largest provider of  helicopter services to the  Australian oil and  gas industry. Airnorth, based in Darwin , with  13 aircraft,is the only regionally based  Qantas  code  share  partner,  carries more than 350,000 passengers  and  services West Australian mining centres , NT settlements,western Queensland ,   Timor  Leste  and  the  Philippines . Bristow is  involved in fixed wing operations  worldwide with  affiliates in Nigeria and  Brazil and last year bought 40 percent  of   Eastern  Airways  in  the United Kingdom .