Question: In what directional situation in Australia would one have found the main base of operation for the Aero-Tropics Air Services?

Context paragraphs:
Queensland: Queensland (abbreviated as QLD, or less frequently Q) is the second-largest and third-most-populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia.  Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively.  To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean.  The state is the world's sixth largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 km.

Freedoms of the air: The freedoms of the air are a set of commercial aviation rights granting a country's airlines the privilege to enter and land in another country's airspace, formulated as a result of disagreements over the extent of aviation liberalisation in the Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944, known as the Chicago Convention.  The United States had called for a standardized set of separate air rights to be negotiated between states, but most other countries were concerned that the size of the U.S. airlines would dominate air travel if there were not strict rules.  The freedoms of the air are the fundamental building blocks of the international commercial aviation route network.  The use of the terms "freedom" and "right" confer entitlement to operate international air services only within the scope of the multilateral and bilateral treaties (air services agreements) that allow them.

Aurigny: Aurigny Air Services Limited (pronounced /ˈɔəriːniː/), commonly known as Aurigny, is the flag carrier airline of the Bailiwick of Guernsey with its head office next to Guernsey Airport in the Channel Islands, and wholly owned by the States of Guernsey since nationalisation in 2003.  It operates passenger and freight services between the Channel Islands, northern France, and the United Kingdom (as well as seasonal services to Barcelona and Grenoble).  Its main base is Guernsey Airport, with other aircraft and crew based at Alderney Airport.  Aurigny is one of the longest serving regional airlines in the world, and is one of the oldest established airlines in Britain except for Loganair and Monarch Airlines.  The origin of its name lies in the cognate across Norman languages for Alderney.

TransNusa: PT TransNusa Aviation Mandiri, operating as TransNusa Air Services, usually shortened to TransNusa, is an Indonesian domestic airline serving the east of Indonesia, mainly Nusa Tenggara and southern Sulawesi.  Its main base is El Tari Airport, Kupang.  It was launched in August 2005 serving various destinations from Kupang, Timor, using aircraft chartered from Pelita Air and Trigana Air Service.  In August 2011, TransNusa received its own air operator's certificate (AOC) and scheduled commercial airline permit.

Petroleum Air Services: Petroleum Air Services (PAS) is an airline based in Cairo, Egypt.  It provides oil industry support services and has extensive helicopter operations.  The airline also operates commercial passenger services within Egypt and to regional cities.  Its main base is Cairo International Airport.

Aeropelican Air Services: Aeropelican Air Services Pty Ltd was a regional airline based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.  Its main base was Newcastle Airport, with a hub at Sydney Airport.

First Air: Bradley Air Services Limited, operating as First Air, is an airline headquartered in Kanata, a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  It operates services to 34 communities in Nunavut, Nunavik, and the Northwest Territories.  The majority of its fleet is available for charters worldwide.  First Air has assisted in various humanitarian missions such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, airlifting relief supplies and equipment.  Its main base, which includes a large hangar, cargo and maintenance facility, is located at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport, with hubs at Iqaluit Airport, Rankin Inlet Airport and Yellowknife Airport.

Phuket Air: Phuket Air (Phuket Airlines Co. Ltd) is an airline based in Bangkok, Thailand.  The airline currently specialises in leasing its fleet of Boeing 747 and 737 aircraft on an ACMI (Aircraft, Crews, Maintenance, Insurance) as well as wet lease basis to airlines worldwide needing extra passenger capacity.  Other services provided include international charter services, "ad hoc" wet leasing services, religious pilgrimage charters (Hajj/Umrah) and dry lease services.  Saudi Arabian Airlines is a major long term client of Phuket Air.  In the past, the airline provided scheduled domestic and international air services.  Its main base is at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, with a hub at Phuket International Airport, Phuket.  The airline was an international scheduled carrier before it shifted its focus to the ACMI/wet lease market.

Aero-Tropics Air Services: Lip-Air Pty Ltd, operating as Aero-Tropics Air Services (ATAS), was an airline based in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.  Its main base was Cairns Airport, with its operating hub at Horn Island Airport.

Channel Express: Channel Express (Air Services) Limited was an airline with its head office in Building 470 at Bournemouth International Airport in Christchurch, Dorset, near Bournemouth.  It operated scheduled services from Bournemouth to the Channel Islands and nightly cargo services to Europe and throughout the UK on behalf of Royal Mail and other overnight express carriers.  Short notice and ad hoc charters were also operated throughout Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as wet-lease operations on behalf of major scheduled airlines.  Its main base was Bournemouth International Airport (BOH).

Supporting paragraphs: Aero-Tropics Air Services Queensland
Answer: north-east