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About Nautilus Aviation

Northern Australia’s largest helicopter operator for commercial services, emergency response and tourism experiences.

Part of Morris Aviation, Nautilus Aviation is a privately owned and operated, helicopter specialist and  one of Australia’s premier helicopter operators.

Today our network of bases spans Cairns, Port Douglas, Townsville, Darwin, Jabiru, Gove and Torres Strait (Horn Island).

Nautilus Aviation has built an outstanding reputation based on the quality and diversity of our fleet, and our commitment to the safety of passengers and personnel at all times.

Nautilus Aviation is the specialised provider of mission critical helicopter charter services for commercial services and emergency response tasks.

With proven expertise in aerial surveys and sling, heavy and precision lifting operations, we constantly strive to exceed the specific needs of clients across a diverse range of sectors including government, mining resources, media and ports.

Our emergency response service provides crucial community support by assisting in search and rescue operations, and during natural disasters such as cyclones, floods and bushfires.

We have commercial aviation bases located across north Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Our team of highly experienced pilots, commitment to safety, large and diverse fleet, in-house privately-owned maintenance facilities, and refuelling infrastructure allows us to offer a wide range of technical and commercial helicopter services, including those when a high readiness rate is required.

Nautilus Aviation is also an integral part of the Australian tourism industry providing helicopter experiences over world heritage icons including the Great Barrier Reef, Wet Tropics Rainforest and the National parks of the Top End.


Our Fleet

Nautilus Aviation boasts a fleet of 40+ helicopters across our multiple Northern Australian operating bases. Aircraft are expertly maintained, diverse and versatile and include our:

  • Bell 412EP allocated to emergency services and search and rescue operations
  • Bell 212S (Eagle Single) for heavy lift operations
  • Bell 429
  • Airbus H125 (Squirrel)
  • Bell 407GXI
  • Bell 206L
  • Airbus H130
  • Bell 206


Our History

Nautilus Aviation commenced operations in Townsville with a single Cessna 208 floatplane in 1993. Based in a WWII hangar at Townsville Airport, the purpose of the floatplane was to transfer guests over the pristine waters of the Great Barrier Reef to secluded island resorts.

In 2010, the floatplane was replaced with the company’s first helicopter and so started one of the largest and most versatile fleets in Australia.

Decades later, the Townsville base is now one of our multiple bases located across Northern Australia that provides commercial helicopter services, emergency response as well as tourism experiences for visitors to North Queensland and the Top End.


Morris Group

Nautilus Aviation is part of Morris Group: an independent Australian family-run business.

After revolutionising the finance sector with technology and innovation and building an ASX Top-50 global company, Computershare founder Chris Morris turned his attention to some of his other passions: aviation, tourism and hospitality.

Chris Morris. Founder of Morris Group

Contact Us

Phone
(07) 4034 9000

Email
[email protected]

 


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Important notice: For all new Nautilus Aviation bookings made on or after 01 April 2026 a per person fuel surcharge has been included in the retail prices