3rd Level New Zealand

07 November 2024

Taupō Wellington Flights to End

In March Sounds Air put out a press release announcing fare increases in flights from Wellington to both Westport and Taupō... https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2024/03/hefty-fare-hike.html

In many ways that was a precursor for the announcement three weeks ago that Westport was being dropped as a Sounds Air destination. Today there comes further sad news for regional fliers in and out of Taupō.

Regional operator Sounds Air is canning its Wellington to Taupō service as escalating costs put the squeeze on the aviation sector. Sounds Air cancelled its Wellington to Westport service three weeks ago. Managing director Andrew Crawford said while demand for flights was strong, costs were too high. "Decisions like this are not taken lightly. This has been a very tough call for management and our shareholders," he said. "We have done everything that we can to avoid cancelling these services." Crawford said the company could not pass on massive fare increases or have shareholders subsidise services indefinitely. Sounds Air was not alone in reviewing its regional flights, he said. "Air New Zealand reviews its regional services on a regular basis and Jetstar has made it clear that they do not intend to extend their domestic network to include regional New Zealand." The Wellington to Taupō route was the last the company would can, Crawford said.

Source : https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/533050/sounds-air-cans-taupo-flights-amid-rising-costs

Sounds Air began operating into Taupō on 2 June 2015. Coverage of the first flights can be found here : https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2015/06/sounds-airs-taupo-flights-take-off.html

06 November 2024

Caravaning into Auckland

Flying into Auckland on 4 November 2024 were four of Barrier Air's Cessna 208 Grand Caravans

The new one, ZK-SDA

ZK-SDD

ZK-SDE

ZK-SDG

04 November 2024

OKV at last...

With the longer evenings and a little bit of sunshine I finally caught Air New Zealand's Boeing 777-300 ZK-OKV at Auckland tonight, 4 November 2024, on arrival from Brisbane as NZ146

29 October 2024

More from yesterday

A few more from Auckland International yesterday, 28 October 2024, while on my mission to capture Barrier Air's newest Cessna Grand Caravan...

China Eastern's Airbus A330-200 B-5941

Air Chathams Saab SF340 ZK-CIY

Fiji Airways' Airbus A350-900 DQ-FAM

Air New Zealand ATR 72-600 ZK-MVI

Air New Zealand ATR 72-600 ZK-MVX

Air New Zealand Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEH

Air New Zealand Bombardier Q300 ZK-NEM

Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner ZK-NZM

Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300 ZK-OKQ

Air New Zealand Airbus A320-200 ZK-OXB

Barrier Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan ZK-SDC

28 October 2024

SDA in action

I was delighted to catch Barrier Air's newest Cessna 208 Grand Caravan EX, ZK-SDA, in action at Auckland on 28 October 2024 (just before the sun disappeared) heading off to Kerikeri as GBA 509. Previously registered ZK-ROW the Caravan entered service with Barrier Air in its new registration on the 23rd of October 2024, flying GBA 713 to Kaitaia and the return flight GBA 714.

27 October 2024

Supporting Kaipara Excavators and Brookby Quarries' Operations

In addition to the various airlines that ply our skies there are also corporate aircraft that run semi-regular private air services supporting company interests. This post is about one such example...

Kaipara Excavators Ltd was formed on the 5th of June 1957 with the company changing its name to Kaipara Ltd on the 8th of May 2000. During the years it has used a number of helicopters and aircraft in support of its quarrying and mining operations. It has long standing links with the coal mining at the Stockton open cast mine north of Westport and gold mining operations on the West Coast.

It was in 1981 that it acquired its first aircraft in the form of Bell 206B Jet Ranger III ZK-HTA (c/n 3404) which was registered to Kaipara Excavators Ltd on the 7th of December 1981. With the change of company name it was registered to Kaipara Ltd on the 30th of August 2000. In May 2004 it was sold to Marlborough Helicopters (1981) Ltd.

Kaipara Excavators' Bell Jet Ranger ZK-HTA at Timaru on 30 January 1988

The first aircraft Kaipara Excavators' used was Cessna 402B Utililiner ZK-FXS (c/n 402B0601) which was registered to the company on the 7th of August 1992 and was with Kaipara Excavators until January 1999.

Kaipara Excavator's first aircraft, Cessna 402 ZK-FXS at Hokitika on 25 January 1994

On the 31st of March 2010 Kaipara Ltd was bought out by Lachlan Holdings Ltd who operated Brookby Quarry. The Kaipara Quarries Group incorporates Brookby Quarries Ltd and Smythes Quarries Ltd.

Meanwhile in January 2011 the Kaipara Excavators operation leased Beech C90GTi King Air N890LG (c/n LJ-1854) from Wells Fargo Bank to support the company's business operations on the West Coast. The aircraft arrived from the USA on the 13th of January. It was a regular visitor to Westport flying a regular weekly flight from Ardmore. It made its first flight to Westport on the 17th of January 2011.

On the 4th and 18th of June Kaipara Excavator’s, Beech King Air N890LG made what were its last regular return flights from Ardmore to Westport for on the 21st of June 2014 it departed New Zealand on its way to Australia on export where it became VH-VWG on the 21st of August 2014.

Kaipara Ltd's newly acquired Beech C90 King Air at Ardmore on 26 January 2011

The Beech King Air was replaced by Cessna 510 Citation Mustang ZK-YDZ which was placed on the New Zealand civil register for Brookby Quarries Ltd on the 21st of May 2015. The Mustang arrived into New Zealand from Australia on the 1st of April 2015 as VH-YDZ. Its first flight to Westport was on the 15th of April. The MRC Aviation blog reported Its first flight as ZK-YDZ appears to have taken place on 03 June 2015 when it flew from Ardmore to Westport. It was also a visitor to Hokitika. It was with Brookby Quarries until the 22nd of July 2016 when it was sold to Napier-based Skyline Aviation Limited.

ZK-YDZ manoeuvring at Ardmore on 26 May 2015. MRC Aviation photo

Brookby Quarries replaced ZK-YDZ with a leased Cessna 510 Citation Mustang N890LG which was delivered on the 22nd of October 2016. On the 4th of November 2016 it flew a return flight from Auckland to Westport, and followed by a Ardmore-Hokitika-Westport-Ardmore flight. On the 21st of September the Cessna 510 Mustang, N890LG flew Ardmore – Wellington – Hokitika – Wellington – Ardmore. This was its last domestic flight and it departed New Zealand on the 8th of November 2018 for the United States.

Cessna Citation C510 Mustang N890LG was returning from Hokitika, 3 September 2019

In 2018 Brookby Quarries Ltd acquired Bell 505 Jet Ranger X ZK-HTI which was registered to the company on the 24th of August 2018. It was operated by Brookby Quarries Ltd until April 2024, with its registration being cancelled as exported on the 8th of April 2024.

Brookby Quarries Bell 505 Jet Ranger X at Tauranga on the 16th of November 2020

The replacement for N890LG was another American registered Cessna 510 Mustang, N2WG (c/n 510-0459) which arrived into New Zealand on the 19th of April 2021. It started work on the 28th of that month flying Ardmore–Hokitika–Christchurch–Hokitika–Ardmore.

Brookby Quarries' Cessna Citation Mustang N2WG at Hokitika on 13 May 2024. Photo : M Beaven

Cessna Citation Mustang N2WG again, this time arriving back into Ardmore on 17 June 2024 following a flight to Hokitika and Christchurch.

The Cessna Mustang remains a regular visitor to Hokitika and Christchurch on flights from its Ardmore base.

26 October 2024

ZK-OKW launches into service

Air New Zealand's latest Boeing 777-300, ZK-OKW, entered service today, 26 October 2024, flying NZ175 from Auckland to Perth.

Previously registered to Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific Airways, Boeing 777-367(ER) B-KQG was delivered on the 20th of August 2013 serving with Cathay Pacific on the 28th of May 2024. It arrived into Auckland from Alice Springs as T7-L289 on the 26th of September 2024.

It was placed on the New Zealand register as ZK-OKW on the following day, the 27th of September. It did a test flight on the 23rd of October before entering revenue service today

25 October 2024

Auckland Freighters

Airwork Boeing 737-400 freighter ZK-PAU at Auckland on 21 October 2024

Another one for the chop??? Engineless Airwork Boeing 737-400 ZK-TLJ at Auckland on 21 October 2024

24 October 2024

ZK-SDA enters service

Barrier Air's newest Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX, ZK-SDA, entered service yesterday, the 23rd of October 2024, flying GBA 713 to Kaitaia and the return flight GBA 714.