At the time of the blog's 10th anniversary Fraser Weir sent me an email reflecting on what has happened over the last 10 years. It's amazing how much how the domestic scene in New Zealand has changed.
These are the airlines that have appeared.
March 2012
In early 2010 Flight Hauraki established a charter and scenic flight service from North Shore Airport. In March 2012 Flight Hauraki took over management of Waiheke Island based Air Discovery's scenic flight business, including their transfer flights between Waiheke Island and Auckland International Airport and Great Barrier Island. On the 1st of November 2012 the company took over Salt Air’s Kerikeri-Whangarei-North Shore air service. This service was short-lived and the company gradually retrenched to Ardmore. On the 25th of May 2017 Flight Hauraki Ltd was sold and rebranded in May 2018 as Air Auckland.
12 March 2014
FlyStark was formed as Stark Airlines Ltd on the 12th of March 2014 by Waikato businessman Ray Stark and started scenic and charter flights from Whitianga. The compnay expanded to operate scheduled services from Whitianga to Ardmore and Great Barrier Island using two Gippsland Airvans. FlyStark was still offering scheduled services early in 2018 but on 10 August 2018 their last aircraft was sold.
27 October 2015
Kiwi Regional Airlines started operations on the 27th of October 2015 with flights from Dunedin to Queenstown and with a northern service from Dunedin to Nelson and on to Hamilton using a Saab 340. The Queenstown service was soon dropped and a Nelson to Tauranga service added. The airline ceased flying on the 30th of July 2016.
21 May 2014
Peter Newman, a Kerikeri and North Shore businessman, established Newmans Air Ltd on the 21st of May 2014. Trading as North Shore Air with Piper Navajo charter services started from North Shore in mid 2015. Sceheduled services began from North Shore Airport to both Tauranga and Kerikeri on the 28th of September 2015 but ceased 32 days later.
15 July 2015
On the 22nd of September 2014 Graham Reynolds formed Great Barrier Airlines Ltd to take over Great Barrier Airlines Flight Operations Ltd which had operated on the Great Barrier Island route since 1983. The company continued to operate as Great Barrier Airlines and until the 15th of July 2015 when the company was rebranded as Barrier Air. The company continues to operate from Auckland and North Shore to Great Barrier Island and from Auckland to Kaitaia with a fleet of 3 Cessna Grand Caravans
22 August 2016
Parcelair is a joint venture company owned by Fieldair Holdings, a subisdary of Freightways, and Airwork Holdings. It replaced Air Freight (NZ)/Freightways' Convair operations and Airwork/NZ Post's Friendship operations. The company operates a fleet of Boeing 737-400 freighter aircraft between Auckland, Palmerston North and Christchurch.
May 2018
In May 2018 Flight Hauraki Ltd was rebranded as Air Auckland. It offers air taxi services from Ardmore to Whitianga and Great barrier Island using a Cessna 206 and two Cessna 172s.
14 December 2018
On the 14th of December 2018 Waiheke Wings was officially launched as the only commercial flight operator on Waiheke Island. Two Cessna 172s provide scenic flights around the island and the Hauraki Gulf as well as transfer flights to many locations in the North Island including Auckland Airport.
