when did ansett collapse

Ansett Australia effectively collapsed in mid-September 2001, with operations ceasing on 14 September 2001 after being placed into voluntary administration on 12 September 2001.

Key dates in Ansett’s collapse

• Ansett was placed into voluntary administration on 12 September 2001, as its parent could no longer sustain mounting losses.

• Flights were then grounded and operations ceased on 14 September 2001, a date widely remembered as the day Ansett “collapsed” for the travelling public and staff.

What “collapse” usually refers to

When people ask “when did Ansett collapse,” they almost always mean the point at which:

• The airline stopped flying passengers and effectively shut down (14 September 2001).

• Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded and around 16,000 staff ultimately lost their jobs as the business was no longer viable.

Brief context

• Ansett had been a major Australian airline for decades, but by 2001 it was suffering heavy financial losses under Air New Zealand’s ownership.

• After administration failed to find a sustainable way forward, the airline’s shutdown in September 2001 became one of Australia’s most significant corporate collapses in aviation.

TL;DR: Ansett collapsed in September 2001, with the key public “collapse” date being 14 September 2001 when flights were grounded and operations stopped.