Sir Reginald Myles Ansett
Australian pilot and businessman
Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThe Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
- :
- February 13, 1909, Inglewood, Victoria, Australia
- :
- December 23, 1981, Mount Eliza, Victoria
Sir Reginald Myles Ansettwas an Australian pilot and businessman who started his own airline and subsidiary services.
Ansett was educated at Swinburne Technical College (now Swinburne University), Victoria, and, starting with one ÂŁA50 car, built up a taxi fleet in western Victoria. He also learned to fly airplanes, and, when local transport regulations prevented him from extending his taxi business to Melbourne, he bought a small monoplane that could carry up to six passengers. Ansett founded Ansett Airways Ltd. (later Ansett Transport Industries Ltd.) in 1936 and built it into one of the major airlines in Australia. Ansettâs air transport business expanded rapidly, and by 1957 he was able to purchase Australian National Airways for over ÂŁA3 million. His other business interests included hotels, television, and road transport. Ansett was knighted in 1969. In 1979 his company was taken over by media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
