Farewell to the Friendship - Oamaru's Air New Zealand Service

UPDATED JANUARY 2025

 

On the 1st of April 1978 the National Airways Corporation merged with Air New Zealand. Oamaru's timetable remained unchanged from the NAC Fokker Friendship service, that is, a daily morning northbound Friendship service Wellington via Timaru to Wellington and an evening service back over the same route. At the time of the merger Air New Zealand was increasing its fleet of the 48-seat 500 series Fokker Friendships and these became the mainstay of the Oamaru service.

One feature of the Oamaru Friendship service was that the of the short 25 minute hop between Oamaru and Timaru was mainly flown VFR with the Friendship often passing low over Timaru city on its departure from or approach to Timaru’s Richard Pearce airport. This short hop, however, was also one of the problems of the Oamaru service. While the Friendship might have been often fairly full between Timaru and Wellington there was no passenger demand for flights between Oamaru and Timaru and this sectore often flown largely empty. This was revealed in the Ministry of Transport’s 1981 paper on domestic aviation policy.

 

The report indicated that travellers on main trunk air routes paid much higher fares than would normally be required because of the need to recoup on loss-making provincial services. It conceded that while the figures showed in many cases the passenger load factors achieved were of a satisfactory level by world standards, the additional revenue required to recover costs on each route was of a substantial magnitude. It would be inevitable that the implementation of the fare increases necessary to recover such additional revenue would result immediately in a significant traffic dilution to an extent that would require the abandonment of air services to some communities.

 

In terms of the services to Timaru and Oamaru the report showed that during the year ending 31 March 1980 the Wellington-Timaru sector, which had two flights each day, had a load factor of 73% while the Timaru-Oamaru sector, flown once a day, had a 31.7% load factor with the loss of that sector for the year being $240,900 for the year. The report did not support suggestions that Air New Zealand should develop a third level aircraft fleet with 20-seat aircraft, but rather that private operators would be better able to operate on these routes at economic levels because the smaller nature of their operations would involve less costly overheads, including lower staffing levels and servicing requirements.

 

Air New Zealand Fokker Friendship overnighting at Oamaru on ZK-NAN 20 March 1989

 

The early 1980s did see the rise of a new generation of third level airlines but it was not until 1989 that this started to impact on Oamaru. On the 3rd of July 1989 Air Nelson extended its regional network south from Christchurch to Oamaru using a 10-seat Piper Pa31 Chieftain to supplement the Air New Zealand Friendship service. This was the beginning of the end of Oamaru's Air New Zealand Friendship service as Friendships were gradually retired.



The last time Air New Zealand Friendships appeared in the Air New Zealand timetable flying from Oamaru to Timaru and Wellington... Also appearing in this timetable was Air Nelson's Piper Chieftain service to Christchurch. Also shown is the Air New Zealand route map with both the Friendship and Chieftain services shown. Timetable effective : 30 October 1989



 

 

 

For Oamaru the last Air New Zealand Friendship services were flown in the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of April 1990. On the afternoon of Saturday the 21st of April, under the command of Captain Tony Rundle and First Officer Mike Hogan, the last Air New Zealand flight, NZ353, operated in Fokker Friendship ZK-NFI, arrived in Oamaru from Wellington and Timaru with Sally Ussher being the flight attendant. The following morning the Friendship left Oamaru for the last time with the same crew operating NZ334 to Timaru and Wellington.

The Oamaru Mail recorded the "last recognised flight of Air New Zealand's Friendship aircraft service into Oamaru" as that of the 21st of April 1990. A photo was taken on the day of the air crew and airport staff. Photo : Oamaru Mail, 23 April 1990

Photo : Oamaru Mail, 28 April 1990

 Photo : Oamaru Mail, 28 April 1990

Out of all the provincial centres impacted by Air New Zealand's withdrawing its Friendship service, Oamaru was the biggest loser. It went a service operated by a pressurised 48-seat turbo prop to Air Nelson's 9-seat Piper Chieftain unpressurised piston aircraft with a poorly thought out timetable.