Tauranga Air Service Ops

An overnight stay at Mount Maunganui gave me the opportunity to photograph some of the air service operations at Tauranga...

On the 14th of May 2023 Barrier Air's Cessna 208 Grand Caravan ZK-SDG was on the taxi on a scheduled service to Great Barrier Island. Over the winter these flights are operating twice a week on Sundays and Fridays

Island Air run a regular shuttle service to Motiti Island and charter services from Tauranga. It was great to meet Island Air's Paul Ensor who describes the Island Air service as "keeping it simple." It has a niche operation and no need to expand beyond what it does well. On 14 May 2023 Cessna 172 ZK-WGE was returning from Motiti Island.

Monday the 15th of May 2023 was a day of contrast, early rain, lovely sunshine and then late rain. Cessna 172 ZK-FII was caught returning from Motiti Island in the sun...

while Cessna 206 ZK-WWH was caught returning from a charter between showers.

The other locally based airline is Sunair... a distant desperation shot of Cessna 172 ZK-DXO which did a couple of flight to Gisborne on the 15th of May 2023. It is caught here on the return from the morning flight. Sunair recently resumed services to Gisborne offering services to both Tauranga and Hamilton

Piper Aztec ZK-DGS was operating a service to and from Whitianga on the 15th of May. Sunair also operate flights from Tauranga to both Great Barrier Island and Whangarei

Air New Zealand is the "big" operator at Tauranga with scheduled services to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch... Caught in action on the 15th of May 2023 were ATR 72 ZK-MVD...

ATR 72-600 ZK-MZD

Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEC

Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEH wearing the last vestiges of the teal scheme

and Bombardier Q300 ZK-NFI