Cessna 208B with Barrier Air titles at Claris airport on Great Barrier Island on 20 January 2021 |

This blog started off by focussing on NZ's smaller 3rd level airlines, past and present. It has evolved to trying to present some record of NZ's domestic airline operations and some of the larger charter operators, interesting NZ international airliner movements and photos I have taken around the country. Comments, corrections or contributions are welcome, Steve - westland831@gmail.com
20 January 2021
New Zealand's Newest Airliner
18 January 2021
First Photos for the Year
17 January 2021
Sounds Air Back to Where It Was
Sounds Air seems to be continuing to rebuild its services after the challenges of 2020. The airline was struck quite hard by Covid but has a loyal base of passengers and a commitment to the areas it serves. According to the airline's reservations systems the frequency of flights is returning to pre-Covid levels as the year starts up after the summer break , namely...
Wellington to Blenheim - 39 per flights week
Wellington to Nelson - 19 flights per week
Wellington to Picton - 19 flights per week
Wellington to Taupo - 13 flights per week
Wellington to Westport - 14 flights per week
Blenheim to Christchurch - 18 flights per week
Blenheim to Paraparaumu - 5 flights per week
Christchurch to Wanaka - 10 flights per week
Nelson to Paraparaumu - 4 flights per week
13 January 2021
Expanding North Shore schedule
Barrier Air have announced today that they are making a major frequency increase in their Great Barrier Island-North Shore service. The airline will operate two return flights to the North Shore - Great Barrier Island route daily, except on Tuesdays and Saturdays (but these will operate on demand), The expanded schedule starts on the 20th of January. Flights leave North Shore at 9.00am and 12 noon and Great Barrier Island at 10.50am and 4.00pm for the 30 minute flight. The new schedule sees a Caravan overnighting at North Shore.
To facilitate the new flights Barrier Air has leased an additional Cessna Grand Caravan to help out over the busy summer period! Cessna Grand Caravan ZK-SLA comes from True South in Queenstown and is equipped with air conditioning, leather seats and the latest safety equipment including weather radar and pilot synthetic vision. This aircraft will also help on Barrier Air's Auckland-Great Barrier Island route!
Barrier Air's new CEO, Grant Bacon, told 3rd Level New Zealand, "We are essentially at capacity right now for Auckland and with only doing 3 flights a week at North Shore there is plenty of room for growth. The demand for North Shore significantly drops off in winter so we will schedule it until the end of April and review it but will certainly at least continue our existing winter schedule using our existing fleet after April"
To celebrate the expanded service Barrier Air has scheduled plenty of introductory special fares from $49.00... Book now at www.barrierair.kiwi or speak to our team on 0800 900 600
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Coming north, True South's Cessna 208B Grand Caravan ZK-SLA at Queenstown |
11 January 2021
Major Rework #8 - NAC @ Kaikohe
During the last few months I have been PDFing my airline profiles... With some of them I have done some major reworks. For those interested in my airline histories you might want to check out the updated versions. I will post links over the next few days...
10 January 2021
The Nelson Aero Club's West Coast Newspaper Run
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The de Havilland twins, de Havilland Dragon ZK-AXI at Nelson |
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and de Havilland DH89B Dominie ZK-AKU. |
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The new Piper Apache with, from left, Mr A W Hellyer, the club president, Mr M Dunn, chief flying instructor, and Mr A J Bradshaw who flew the plane from Blenheim. |
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The Nelson Aero Club's "airline" fleet... Piper Apache ZK-CHU being loaded with newspapers at Nelson in January 1972... |
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...Cessna 180 ZK-BGO at Nelson... |
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...and Cessna 172 ZK-CGB at Nelson with what the C-Cat Instructor behind supervising tarmac safety |
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Mr Nairn (left) at the controls of the Cessna 172 with Mr Lucas in the front passenger seat. At the rear is a passenger, Miss Thompson. Photo : Nelson Evening Mail |
09 January 2021
Major Rework #7 - Geyserland Airways
During the last few months I have been PDFing my airline profiles... With some of them I have done some major reworks. For those interested in my airline histories you might want to check out the updated versions. I will post links over the next few days...
08 January 2021
Major Rework #6 - Wairarapa Airlines
During the last few months I have been PDFing my airline profiles... With some of them I have done some major reworks. For those interested in my airline histories you might want to check out the updated versions. I will post links over the next few days...
07 January 2021
Wanaka Doing Well
The 45-minute flights between Christchurch and Wānaka Airport that started in November are continuing to be well supported by Wānaka and Christchurch people. Sounds Air chief executive Andrew Crawford said he was very pleased with use of the service and the initial 12 return flights a week had been maintained over the holiday period – with the most support from Wānaka local people. “ We’re getting great support from people patronising the service. Our pilots have been out and about talking to people around town as well, and we’re really pleased with the positive feedback we’re getting,” he said. With international tourists not around to use the service, the flights were “standing on their own two feet” with good forward bookings in the domestic market. “International tourists returning at some stage would be nice to have, but not critical to the service. This is a largely domestic-based operation,” he said. He would not be drawn on whether more flights would be added or any changes made beyond February. Sounds Air uses a Pilatus PC-12 turboprop aircraft carrying up to nine passengers at a time.
Source : https://www.thewanakasun.co.nz/news/14422-ongoing-support-sounds-air-flights.html
Major Rework #5 - Coast Air
During the last few months I have been PDFing my airline profiles... With some of them I have done some major reworks. For those interested in my airline histories you might want to check out the updated versions. I will post links over the next few days...
06 January 2021
Major Rework #4 - West Coast Airways
During the last few months I have been PDFing my airline profiles... With some of them I have done some major reworks. For those interested in my airline histories you might want to check out the updated versions. I will post links over the next few days...
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2011/06/west-coast-airways-last-airline-to.html
Pasifika Air's Expanding Plans
05 January 2021
Major Rework #3 - Golden Coast Airlines
During the last few months I have been PDFing my airline profiles... With some of them I have done some major reworks. For those interested in my airline histories you might want to check out the updated versions. I will post links over the next few days...
http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2011/03/from-hamilton-to-greymouth-golden-coast.html
04 January 2021
Major Rework #2 - Newmans Air
During the last few months I have been PDFing my airline profiles... With some of them I have done some major reworks. For those interested in my airline histories you might want to check out the updated versions. I will post links over the next few days...
03 January 2021
Major Rework #1 - Westland Flying Services
During the last few months I have been PDFing my airline profiles... With some of them I have done some major reworks. For those interested in my airline histories you might want to check out the updated versions. I will post links over the next few days...