Air Timaru - "The Friendly Line"

UPDATED April 2026

In March 1979 Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six ZK-ERL (c/n 32-7540184) was registered to a Timaru based partnership including the South Canterbury Aero Club, T Gresson, Dave MacKenzie, and D Timpany and began operating as Air Charter Timaru offering air charter services out of Timaru. This was the foundation of what was to become Air Timaru (Holdings). On the 22nd of July 1980 the Owens Group Piper Pa23-250 Aztec E, ZK-DIO (c/n 27-7305073) was registered to Air Timaru (Holdings) Ltd of Timaru, a company that was incorporated on the 20th of August 1980 and that was to trade as Air Timaru. Tom Middleton was employed as the airline's pilot.

Meanwhile, in early August 1980, Air New Zealand announced that it was going to trim some of its international and domestic schedules and abandon some routes altogether because of worsening economics. Included in the cuts were a reduction the frequency of flights between Timaru and Wellington from 13 to 11 a week by dropping the midday flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Air Timaru (Holdings) Ltd company subsequently applied to the Air Services Licensing Authority to conduct: (a) Non-scheduled services between Timaru-Wellington, Timaru-Invercargill. and Timaru-Dunedin. (b) Air taxi and air charter services from Timaru to any licensed aerodrome or authorised landing place in New Zealand. (c) Scenic flight or joy ride services from Timaru, with an authorised fleet of one PA23 aircraft. Air Timaru planned to offer a midday service from Timaru to Wellington three days a week, on Tuesdays Thursdays and Saturdays, the days when Air New Zealand only offered a single return flight, and a Monday, Wednesday and Friday return service from Timaru to Dunedin and Invercargill. 

At the Air Licensing hearing in Christchurch on the 9th of October, the Press reported that the Authority was told that there was a demand existed for direct flights from Timaru to Invercargill, Dunedin and Wellington. The authority reserved its decision on an application from Air Timaru (Holdings), Ltd, for non-scheduled flights to and from the centres. Air Timaru also applied for a licence for scenic flights and an air taxi service from Timaru airport. The company plans to start the flights on November 1 if the application is granted. Mr E. O. Sullivan, appearing for Air Timaru. said that Air New Zealand was going to cut its midday service from Timaru to Wellington on Tuesday and Thursday. Air Timaru would fill that gap as well as provide flights to Dunedin and Invercargill which were not supplied at all. he said. Only one objection to the application was received. Stewart Island Air Services, Ltd, was opposed to the direct Timaru-Invercargill link. It wanted Air Timaru to fly to Dunedin only, linking with the southern company's Dunedin to Invercargill service. A return journey could also be made by a link up at Dunedin said Mr P. Galt, appearing for the objector. 

The chairman of the South Canterbury Committee of the Timaru Airport Authority and Timaru City Councillor E. G. Johnston said that the committee had been concerned at Air New Zealand’s decision to cut back its service between Wellington and Timaru. The committee felt that there was an unsatisfied demand for air service to Dunedin and Invercargill. The Timaru City Council also supported the company’s application, he said. The travel manager of Mount Cook Travel in Timaru (Mr W. W. Wright) said that people preferred to take direct flights, rather than having to change aircraft in mid journey. He said that he had received a lot of inquiries about direct flights between Timaru and Invercargill. Several Timaru businessmen told the .authority that changing aircraft was inconvenient and time consuming. A director of Air Timaru, Mr D. J. MacKenzie, said that his company surveyed a selection of South Canterbury businessmen in June. The survey showed a potential demand for 40 per cent of the seats intended to be offered on the Timaru to Invercargill service. The survey did not include the public or businessmen in Invercargill. He said that no stop was planned at Dunedin while flying to Invercargill because the company believed that the demand was for a trip to Invercargill as quickly as possible. “Quick travel is the whole essence of air transport,” he said. 

The chairman of directors of Stewart Island Air Services (Mr W. J. Broughton) said that it was in the public’s interest to make the best use of existing services. He said that his company must keep its present passengers and attract others if it were to continue operating. Mr Galt said that a linkup at Dunedin would stop two aircraft covering the same ground with unused capacity. Stewart Island Air Services did not have anything to lose if the application were granted, but was saying “please get your licence so that we can gain something from it.” said Mr Sullivan. 

Air Timaru's Piper Aztec, ZK-DIO, at Christchurch in April 1981. Photos : S Lowe

On the 15th of October 1980 the Air Services Licensing Authority granted Air Timaru a licence for non-scheduled services between Timaru and Wellington and between Timaru and Invercargill. and charter services from Timaru. The Authority also granted Air Timaru an air charter service from Timaru to any licensed aerodrome or authorised landing place in New Zealand. all these with an authorised fleet of one PA23 five passenger seat aircraft. The Authority felt Air Timaru failed to show that a non-scheduled service between Timaru and Dunedin and an air taxi service from Timaru were necessary or desirable and these licences were not issued.

The flights to Wellington and Invercargill began on the 17th of November 1980. The day before the company’s managing director, Dave MacKenzie, said five return flights would be made between Timaru and Invercargill weekly and three return flights would be made between Timaru and Wellington. “We are replacing the flights on the Timaru-Wellington sector that were phased out by Air New. Zealand,” he said. “They are midday flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Air New Zealand had not been offering flights on Saturdays, apart from an early morning run.’’ Mr MacKenzie said that his company had received much help from Air New Zealand which was acting as the company’s agent in Wellington and Invercargill. 

The inaugural schedule saw on Mondays and Wednesdays, twice daily return flights operated between Timaru and Invercargill with a Friday late afternoon/evening return service operated. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays the Aztec flew to Wellington departing mid morning and returning between early afternoon.

Timetable Effective 17 November 1980

In the first three months of operation the services carried 170 passengers. The Wellington service proved unsuccessful, people choosing to change their flight times and travel on Air New Zealand rather than travel on the much smaller Piper Aztec. At the end of February Air Timaru wrote to the local travel agents acting on their behalf stating, “Please note that as from the 28th February 1981 we are withdrawing the above route from our timetable. However, we are retaining our non-scheduled rights to operate on the route and a service to Wellington and return will be available on an upon demand basis. We have withdrawn the route from our timetable because there has been insufficient patronage on a regular basis.” Subsequently only one trip was flown on the 16th April. Two passengers had booked to Wellington with four booked for the return flight but as a result of Air New Zealand also running a special flight on that day Air Timaru had some “no shows” with the result that only one passenger was carried each way. Air Timaru's intention was to operate a non-scheduled service as and when the Travel Agents were able to arrange sufficient passenger load to make the trip viable but by this stage Air Timaru's interests were looking south.

In April 1981 Air Timaru applied to the Air Services Licensing Authority to add new non-scheduled routes between, (i) Timaru - Oamaru, (ii) Oamaru - Invercargill and (iii) Timaru - Christchurch. This change to the company's licence would have enabled Air Timaru  to include Oamaru as a stopover on its Timaru-Invercargill service when traffic was offering and also to operate a Christchurch-Oamaru service. The Authority, however, stipulated that Air Timaru would not be able to overfly Timaru on flights between Oamaru and Christchurch without specific authorisation and so the Christchurch-Timaru service was never operated. In considering this application the Authority became concerned that Air Timaru had abandoned the Wellington service without approval and this delayed a decision from the hearing held on the 28th of April. 

Meanwhile, in the five months from March from July 1981 229 passengers were carried on the Timaru-Invercargill sector with a load factor of 36%. 

The Air Licensing Authority finally gave its decision on the 31st of August 1981. The decision revoked the Timaru-Wellington route on the grounds the route had been surrendered by the applicant. It also gave Air Timaru the right to operate non-scheduled service on the Timaru-Oamaru and Oamaru-Invercargill routes. Fares were increased to Oamaru-Invercargill Adult $65 and Child $43, Timaru-Invercargill $72 and $48 and Oamaru-Timaru, $36 and $18. 

Oamaru was included in the service from the 11th of September 1981. The schedule saw three flights a week offered from Timaru and Oamaru, a Wednesday mid-morning service southbound returning in the early afternoon and late afternoon services on Fridays and Sundays. In September Air Timaru returned to the Air Services Licensing Authority seeking a further increase to their air fares to cover increases on debt servicing, cost of fuel and wage rates. The fares went to Oamaru-Invercargill Adult $72 and Child $48 and Timaru-Invercargill $79 and $53. 

Timetable effective 11 September 1981

Oamaru's inclusion was never going to greatly improve the economics and on the 1st of January 1982 Air Timaru's service between Timaru, Oamaru and Invercargill ended. The New Zealand Times reported on the 10th of January 1982  company director Dave McKenzie of Timaru saying, declining loads and diminishing profitability on the route forced the decision. An unscheduled service launched in November 17, 1980, with a six-seater Aztec, the Air Timaru operation built to a peak of 50 per cent loadings. Initially five flights a week were made but later this dropped to three. Fare increases in September last year caused a drop off in patronage. This decline continued for the rest of the year. Mr McKenzie says the profit margin was slender. Faced with unprofitability there was no other option but to axe the service. The fare rose from $66 single in November 1980 to $79 after September 11 last year. "It was going well for a while but after the fare increase things slipped," he said. Another factor was the "small aircraft syndrome" held by some New Zealanders. "Our Aztec twin-engined six-seater was fully instrumented and was not held up by weather. But that syndrome is a hard one to overcome." Mr McKenzie said his company would restore the service if there was enough demand. Discussion was underway in a bid to establish services to the north. The Aztec will now be used for charter and scenic flights. 

The following year, in June 1982, the company successfully applied to use Whirlwide Helicopters’ Piper Pa31 Navajo ZK-DCE on its air charter licence.  In July 1984 Air Timaru (Holdings) Ltd was taken over by Whirlwide Helicopters Limited. The Piper Aztec, ZK-DIO, was withdrawn and replaced by Whirlwide Helicopters’ Cessna 206 ZK-WWH. In essence the takeover was of the name and charter licence only as no assets changed hands. Subsequently, on the 17th of December 1987, Air Timaru was sold to Tekapo-based Air Safaris and Services (NZ) Ltd. Air Safaris initially operated Air Timaru exactly as it was in the past with the same aircraft and operations personnel, but with the hope that Air Safaris ownership would stimulate extra work. By this time the Navajo ZK-DCE had been replaced by another, ZK-KPL, and Air Safaris took over ownership of this aircraft which went on to carry Air Safaris’ titles.