About Us

OUR VISION

To become Australia’s most advanced and reliable aerial firefighting company with a focus on innovation, safety and professionalism.

Coulson Aviation Australia is an Australian company with global partnerships. We employ local pilots and ground crew members to support the New South Wales Rural Fire Service-owned Boeing 737 FIRELINER™, Bell 412 helicopter, and Cessna Citation operations.

As a subsidiary of global company Coulson Aviation, Coulson Aviation Australia also supports Australian States and Territories in the provision of large aircraft and experienced team members. The company’s operations include aerial fire and disaster intelligence, emergency personnel and cargo transport, and industrial heavy lift operations.

With its global reach and focus on innovation in technology, Coulson Aviation is the only aerial firefighting operator in the world to operate both large fixed-wing air tankers and large rotary-wing aircraft. Coulson is the first and only aerial firefighting company in the world to successfully modify Boeing 737 commercial airliners into airtankers.

Operating in Australia for more than 20 years, Coulson Aviation has provided aerial support during times of crisis, including during the Victorian 2009 Black Saturday bushfires and most recently the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires.

Coulson is a privately-owned family company based in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. The family run business was founded by Cliff Coulson and is currently run by Wayne Coulson and his two sons, Foster and Britton Coulson.

The company is certified to ISO 9001:2015 + AS9100D standards. They have flown over 150,000 safe flying hours and have been involved in the aviation industry for over 30 years.