3rd Level New Zealand: Air Milford - The Scenic Flyer that also tried Scheduled Services

28 March 2017

Air Milford - The Scenic Flyer that also tried Scheduled Services

UPDATED August 2026

Air Milford was established Dave Bunn Aviation by David and Philip Bunn in 1993 when Cessna U206F Stationair ZK-DWX (c/n U20602641) was purchased. Meanwhile, in 1998, Hank Sproull bringing with him his experience as a pilot and aircraft engineer and importantly, Cessna A185F ZK-ENW Skywagon (c/n 18503133). With Hank's arrival the name of the company was changed to Air Milford, a company he was soon to take over.

In January 2023, after 50 years of flying, he reflected on his entry into the aviation industry in the "Lakes Weekly." Tourism was in the blood with his dad operating a tourist launch on Lake Te Anau, but young Hank gravitated to the Te Anau Airstrip across the road from his primary school, hanging out with southern aviation greats like Bill Black, Gary Cruickshank and Ian Ritchie. “They took me flying in de Havilland Dominies, Cessna 180s and their Tiger Moth.” He would later learn to fly himself, as an aircraft engineer, in exchange for doing a maintenance overhaul on that Tiger Moth in Queenstown for Mount Cook Company director Owen Marshall, a World War II RNZAF flight instructor. Wakatipu Aero Club head instructor, the legendary Jim Jefferies, also taught Hank to fly privately and commercially.

The move to Queenstown for an aircraft engineering apprenticeship at Frankton Aerodrome in 1972 provided excellent grounding, gaining extensive qualifications to certify planes. Flying lessons took a back seat for a few years while Hank pursued his passion of motocross which he excelled at. He reached the top echelon for New Zealand, also racing in the Mr Motocross Series in Australia in 1977, which led to meeting his Aussie wife of 44 years, Kerrie.

Hank gained his commercial pilot’s licence in 1986 while working as an aircraft engineer for Mount Cook, graduating to part-time flying on its flightseeing routes, working there for 27 years. Milford Sound, as now, was the jewel of the crown.

In 1997 Mount Cook sold out to The Helicopter Line/Real Journeys joint venture and Hank left, teaming up with local farmer Dave Bunn, who had an Air Operators Certificate. With one Cessna each, they formed Air Milford in 1998, with Hank and Kerrie buying the Bunns out in 2000. “It was very hard going in the early days. We had to come up with a formula to beat the established operators.” They threw in small boat cruises at Milford, bush walks, coffee, tea and muffins, personalised service. It worked. The Japanese, Americans and Australians loved it.

On the taxi at Queenstown, Air Milford's Cessna 185 ZK-ENW on 20 November 2010

Air Milford's Cessna 206, ZK-DWX at Milford Sound on 10 January 2014

In 2005 the company introduced Cessna 208 Caravan, ZK-SKB (c/n 20800244). Hank Sproull reflects, With just a team of four they bought the first Cessna Caravan turboprop aircraft in 2005. “Nobody else in the area had one so we were pioneers.” However, it was a calculated punt, having to secure a loan of $1.25m from UDC Finance. It was hard work trying to pay that back for the first two years but Hank says in the first year business doubled with that aeroplane. Air Milford's pioneering of the Cessna Caravan in Fiordland was the beginning of a trend, with the type becoming the mainstay of flights into Milford Sound and the successor to the previous de Havilland Dominies and Britten Norman Islanders. It made its first flight to Milford Sound on the 6th of May 2005. Reflecting on the introduction of the Caravan in 2026 Hank Sproull said, It carried 12 passengers, double other planes’ capacity, was "very quiet and very safe", and offered good viewing. "They present a product to tourists that is really, really appealing."

Mixing it with the jets, Air Milford's Cessna Caravan ZK-SKB on the taxi to the hangar at Queenstown on 20 November 2010

At this stage Air Milford offered a number of flight options. The Milford Sound flights were the most popular with four options including, the Fly/Cruise/Fly which included a cruise aboard a small boutique cruise ship, the Milford Sound Overhead Flights (via alps and glaciers) which also included a landing at Milford Sound, the Milford/Helicopter/Glacier Landing which landed on one of the glaciers above Milford Sounds and the Milford Sound Fly Back which was for people to explore the region by the Milford Track or road and fly one way.

A similar option was available a Fly/Cruise/Fly tour of Doubtful Sound. This offered flights from Queenstown to Manapouri, then a cruise across Lake Manapouri visiting the underground power house and crossing the Wilmot Pass by bus and then a cruise on Doubtful Sound before the trip back to Queenstown.

The Southern Alps Discovery package included, being picked up and dropped off from accommodation, flights to and from Mount Cook, a ski plane glacier landing flight, with the return flight operating from Mount Cook via West Coast to Milford Sound for a lunch stop.

Finally a Fly/Explore the Catlins option was also available which involved flights to Balclutha and then transport in a luxury vehicle, visiting Nugget Point, Surat Bay, the Purakanui Falls, Tautuku Bay and Lake Wilkie.

An interesting addition to Air Milford's operations was offered in late 2006 as the Lakes Weekly recorded. Always an opportunist, Hank put on special flights from Queenstown out off the coast of Dunedin to see the massive spectacle of icebergs in November 2006, and the Kiwis and Aussies flocked on board. “That was a real shot in our arm.”

The Caravan was used to operate a new air service between Queenstown and Mount Cook. Air Milford was contracted by The Hermitage Hotel at Mount Cook to fly a daily Monday to Thursday service, starting on the 1st of January 2007 on a three month trial basis. This service was the first scheduled service between the two destinations since 2001. A flight time of 40 minutes was allowed for the service. The service, however, did not last.

In late 2011 Air Milford built a new $250,000 hangar and revamped its existing offices. The 19m-wide, 24m-long hangar was built to also accommodate the company’s Cessna Caravan and the two smaller Cessnas.

Air Milford at Milford... The company's first Cessna Caravan ZK-SKB at Milford Sound on 10 January 2014

With the demand for its services increasing Air Milford looked to purchase a second Cessna Caravan. Delays in its delivery led the company to lease Salt Air's Cessna Grand Caravan ZK-MJL during the 2013/14 summer. In January 2014 Antony Sproull, Air Milford's operations manager, along with two other ferry pilots, flew Cessna 208 Caravan SX-SKV from Greece to Queenstown via the Greek Islands, Egypt, Oman, the Maldives, the Cocos Islands and Australia to Queenstown where it was registered ZK-SKA (c/n 20800524).

Air Milford's Cessna Caravan ZK-SKA. Photo : Air Milford Facebook page

A third brand new Cessna Caravan ZK-SKM (c/n 20800581) arrived from the United States in February 2016. The ferry flight took was piloted by Air Milford's chief pilot Matt Cameron and professional ferry pilot John Smith across the Pacific from California to Hawaii, Pago Pago, Auckland and Queenstown.

In December 2016 Air Milford announced it would begin its first scheduled service between Te Anau and Queenstown in early 2017 to test the appetite for a regular commuter service. Operations Manager Antony Sproull said "the trial service would begin on Saturday January 14, and will run every Saturday for 12 weeks through the peak tourist season for a special trial price of $99 per person. We believe the timing is ripe to re-launch this service — the first since Mt Cook Airlines cut the link over 16 years ago."

The first scheduled flight to Te Anau's Manapouri Airport was flown on 21 January using Cessna Caravan ZK-SKA flown by Antony Sproull. A second Caravan, ZK-SKB, was also needed for the return flight. The flight carried two paying passengers - Eleanor Pearson and her 8-year-old grandson Kayden Pei. It was Kayden's first time on a plane. The 25-minute flight that showcased views of Mt Nicholas, Mavora Lakes, Von Valley and Lord of the Rings scenery. Antony Sproull said. "If the service was a success, a permanent service would be run through the summer time as fog and weather conditions in winter would be a hinderance."

Cessna Caravans ZK-SKM and ZK-SKA at Manapouri. Photo : Air Milford

In August 2017 the Cessna 206 ZK-DWX departed the fleet and it was replaced with a fourth Cessna Caravan, ZK-SKY, which was added to the fleet in December 2017.

Air Milford's fourth Cessna Caravan ZK-SKY at Te Anau Downs on 16 September 2018. Photo : Air Milford

Air Milford's Antony and Hank Sproull

In August 2020 Air Milford also tried offering flight tours from Queenstown to Stewart Island...

NZ Herald, 25 August 2020

The company's website says, Gather your friends & family and join Air Milford for a spectacular group trip to Stewart Island. Choose from a range of activities to fill our day, or if a day isn’t long enough to explore New Zealand’s third largest island, spend the nigh and return to Queenstown the following day. The Stewart Island your includes:

Return Scenic flight from Queenstown to Stewart Island
Fantastic aerial views of Southland, Foveaux Strait & Stewart Island
All day on the island to explore
Option to add on a range of activities to fill your day
Option to add on an overnight visit and return the following day

The on-demand flights operated year around but required a minimum of 8 passengers to operate. Air Milford will tried to buddy up individuals or smaller groups with other groups to achieve the minimum passengers required.

In late 2022 it was reported Air Milford plans to trial three scenic flights out of Invercargill, with the hope of a permanent service in 2022. The trial day is on December 11, when a 13-seater Cessna Caravan will leave Invercargill at 8am, noon and 3pm on two-and-a-half-hour trips over the western Southland coastline and Fiordland. Air Milford’s chief pilot Antony Sproull said the scenic flights were a new way for the company to attract passengers with the New Zealand border closed to overseas travellers. “Pre-Covid last year, we were 95 per cent international tourists,” Sproull said. Air Milford’s domestic traveller market had picked up with Auckland customers until the lockdown in August. “It’s really challenging times right now. It’s the hardest we’ve had in 20 years of business, we’ve got to be creative now.” Invercargill Airport suggested the possibility of scenic flights to Air Milford last year.

Air Milford re-opened the idea after the lockdown in August with the support of the Fiordland Business Association. For Air Milford to seriously consider having the flights as a permanent part of air travel out of Invercargill, it would need each of the three flights on the trial day to have all 13 passenger seats filled, Sproull said. Air Milford will donate the fare for the 13th seat on each flight to the Southland Charity Hospital. If the scenic flights were introduced permanently at Invercargill Airport, it would provide another sightseeing service to people visiting the south, Sproull said. Invercargill Airport chief executive Nigel Finnerty said if the scenic flights became permanent it would bring a new opportunity to Southland. “It’s a real chance for people to see parts of New Zealand that most people never see. “There wouldn’t be many people in NZ or tourists that have seen Puysegur Point or Preservation Inlet.” If it became a permanent service it would give visitors to Southland another opportunity to do something different, Finnerty said. Great South tourism and events general manager Bobbi Brown said the scenic flights would allow people to see “special and unique” areas of Southland. “Particularly Fiordland, it’s absolutely spectacular. I see this as really encouraging that this is a [new] product and an experience, which is using Invercargill as the gateway to access the rest of Murihiku. And it’s not at the detriment of the northern or eastern gateways, which are Queenstown and Dunedin.” Landmarks on the flight path will include Te Waewae Bay, the Humpridge Track, Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound, hydroelectric sites at Deep Cove and West Arm, Puysegur Point and Preservation Inlet. A 45-minute stopover at the Manapouri Airport is included in the trips. If bad weather forces a postponement, reserve days will be on December 12, 18 and 19.

Air Milford's Cessna Caravan ZK-SKA at Queenstown on 13 January 2022. Photo : A Murphy

A surprise visit to Auckland on 25 February 2022, Air Milford's Cessna Caravan ZK-SKA after a charter flight.

In August 2025 Air Milford acquired Cessna U206F Stationair ZK-DWV (c/n U206-02585).

In June 2026 Air Milford launched a new winter sunset scenic flight, offering passengers a chance to experience Queenstown and the Southern Alps during the golden hour – the last hour before sunset, when the low sun casts a warm glow across the landscape. The company's website describes the flight... Operating from 14 June to 31 August, the Sunset Scenic Flight at ‘Golden Hour’ has been created for skiers, snowboarders, and winter visitors wanting to experience Queenstown’s alpine landscapes at their most photogenic.

Departing from Queenstown Airport in the late afternoon, the 40-minute scenic flight passes over Coronet Peak, Cardrona and The Remarkables, offering a rare aerial perspective of Queenstown’s ski terrain, basins and ridgelines. As daylight fades into sunset, snow-covered peaks and alpine lakes are bathed in rich golden light, revealing new detail across the landscape throughout the flight.

Designed as an ideal start or finish to a Queenstown ski holiday, it gives guests the chance to see the mountains they’ve skied – or are about to ski – from a different perspective, with three of the region’s ski areas viewed from the air in one unforgettable flight.

“Winter in Queenstown really changes how the place feels, and Golden Hour is the best time to see it,” says Antony Sproull, Air Milford Operations Manager. “This flight is about making the beauty of the mountains more accessible and giving people the chance to experience their scale and beauty in a way you simply can’t from the ground. It also feels like it stretches the short winter days a little longer, as we head out chasing the last of the sun. Even for those of us who’ve grown up around these mountains and spent so much time flying here, it never gets old.”