The Creation of an Airline - the 1980s
In February 1983 Jim Bergman wrote a letter to the Great Barrier Island newsletter, the Barrier Bulletin, advising Barrier residents that “Island Air Services” had applied to the Air Services Licencing Authority for an Air Service Certificate to allow air charter, air taxi, scenic and joy riding flights from Great Barrier Island as well as a non-scheduled timetabled air service between Great Barrier Island and Auckland. At this stage Great Barrier Island was also served by the Auckland Aero Club which flew to both Claris and Okiwi and Sea Bee Air which flew into Tryphena, Whangaparapara and Port Fitzroy. In the months that followed the name was changed and Great Barrier Airlines Ltd was registered with Jim and Ruth Bergman, Chris Barlow, Niol Lockington and Gerard Rea as the shareholders.
Operations began on the 3rd of December 1983 with Jim Bergman the pilot on the first flight in his own Cessna 172M Skyhawk, ZK-DKH (c/n 17261709). with Jim and his wife Ruth, being the first pilots. For the first few weeks the fleet consisted of the 172 and a leased Cessna 206 Super Skywagon, ZK-DOV (c/n 206-0248). An eight-seater De Havilland DHA-3 Drover Mk 3A, ZK-DDD (c/n 5019) was introduced to the fleet in mid-January 1984. The company initially offered three flights a day. These departed from the company’s base at Ardmore and flew via Auckland International Airport to Claris. To launch the service Barrier-ratepayers were offered a 20% discounted introductory fares.
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| Great Barrier Airlines fleet number 1, Cessna 172 ZK-DKH. Photo taken at Auckland on 6 August 1984 by S Lowe |
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| My first photo of a Great Barrier Airlines aircraft, leased Cessna 206 ZK-DOV taken at Hokitika on 15 April 1984 by S Lowe |
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| De Havilland Australia Drover ZK-DDD taken at Ardmore on 19 May 1988 by I Coates |
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| Timetable number 1, 3 December 1983 |
The cheap fares certainly helped and with a successful first summer behind them the Barrier Bulletin of March 1984 announced the company had purchased a Piper Pa32-260 Cherokee 6 ZK-CUV (c/n 32-673). The company also changed its flight plan with flights originating and terminating at Auckland International and calling at Ardmore as required.
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| Great Barrier Airlines' first Piper Pa32 Cherokee 6 ZK-CUV taken at Auckland on 1985. Photographer unknown |
On the 1st of July 1984 the Auckland Aero Club cut its air service to the Barrier. Aero Club officials acknowledged that their Great Barrier Service was, at best, only marginally profitable and generally running at a loss. An agreement was reached between the Club and Great Barrier Airlines whereby GBA made a goodwill financial payment to the Club and provision was made for GBA to lease two Aero Club Piper Cherokee 6 aircraft and have maintenance services made available. The take-over off the Aero Club service also gave Great Barrier Airlines the regular mail contract as well carrying basic provisions such as bread and milk. The take-over also enabled Great Barrier Airlines to operate to and from Okiwi as well as Claris. By August 1984 two direct, separate flights were offered each day from Auckland to Claris and Okiwi while, at the same time Ardmore was dropped as a pick-up or drop-off point.
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| One of the ex-Auckland Aero Club Cherokee 6s, ZK-ELK with ZK-CUV behind. Photo taken at Auckland on 6 August 1984 by S Lowe |
By the end of the company’s first year the need was identified for an IFR-equipped aircraft. A Britten-Norman Islander, as Mount Cook Airlines had previously operated to the Barrier, was deemed to be the most suitable, and ZK-JSB (c/n 458), the first of many this aircraft type, entered service in December 1984. At the same time the company introduced a ground shuttle service between Claris Airport and Tryphena and Whangaparapara, two of the three Sea Bee Air destinations.
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| The first Britten Norman Islander ZK-JSB taken at Auckland. Photographer unknown. This colour scheme became the basis of the company's first attempt to have a standardised colour scheme and Piper Cherokee 6s ZK-CNS and ZK-DDF were repainted in this scheme. Below, ZK-DDF at Ardmore on 23 May 1998. Photo : S Lowe |
When Air New Zealand reduced its service to Kaitaia Great Barrier Airlines saw an opportunity to spread its wings. On the 15th of January 1985 Great Barrier Airlines inaugurated an Auckland-Kaitaia service using either the Islander or a leased Piper Aztec, ZK-CUS. The northbound flight to Kaitaia operated after the last flight arrived from Great Barrier Island. The service operated northbound on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with the aircraft overnighting at Kaitaia and returning to Auckland early on Wednesday and Friday mornings in time to operate the first flight to the Barrier. While the service was ideal for Kaitaia business people, pressure from Air New Zealand led to the service being discontinued.
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| Piper Aztec ZK-CUS at Ardmore on 19 May 1985. Photo taken by I Coates |
In mid-1985 Ardmore was once again added as an on-demand stopping point on the flights from Auckland to the Barrier. However, it was not until the 10th of December 1986 that Great Barrier Airlines really started to spread its wings. On that day it began operating a twice weekly service between Great Barrier Island and Pauanui and Tauranga. The flights operated on Wednesdays and Sundays with additional flights being scheduled on demand. December 1986 also saw Great Barrier Airline’s first attempt to fly into the new Reeve Airfield on Waiheke Island. The company was due to start a scheduled service to the Island on the 20th of December 1986 but the day before the Waiheke Council's Planning Committee denied them use of the Reeve Airfield.
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| The expanding network, iincluding flights to Pauanui and Tauranga and the Waiheke service which never really got off the ground. Timetable effective 10 December 1986. |
In early 1986, Sea Bea Air looked at establishing a land-based operation. The general manager of Sea Bee Air, Murray Pope, announced to Great Barrier Airlines that Sea Bee Air were prepared to go into competition with GBA or to buy them out. Great Barrier Airlines chose a wait-and-see and attitude. Things looked ominous when later that year Sea Bee Air added a Piper Aztec and a Britten-Norman Islander their fleet. As an interim measure Great Barrier Airlines forestalled competition by leasing the Islander before a decision was taken by Great Barrier Airlines to sell out to Sea Bee Air in April 1987.
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| Refelcting the change of ownership... Islander ZK-FMS carrying both Sea Bee Air and Great Barrier Airlines taken at Koromiko on 14 May 1988 while on charter to Skyferry. Photo : S Lowe |
Later that year the company looked again to Northland as a way of diversifying and have a broader economic base and it started a new air service between Auckland and Whangarei in competition with Air New Zealand and the Northland Districts Aero Club services. Flights left Whangarei Airport at 7.10 a.m. Monday to Friday with the return flight leaving Auckland for Whangarei at 5 p.m. on Sundays to Fridays. A 6.00 pm service on a Friday night positioned the aircraft back to Auckland. Flights were scheduled to start on the 2nd of August 1987 but lack of patronage led to the first flight being cancelled. The service was extended to include the Bay of Islands in October 1987.
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| Northern Advocate, 25 July 1987 |
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| Carrying "Northland and Island commuter" subtitles, Piper Aztec ZK-FMU reflects an expanded Great Barrier Airlines. Photo taken at Christchurch on 26 December 1987 by S Lowe |
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