The end of an era

While wasting time on the internet the other night I noted the normal Sunair courier flight from Napier to Hamilton wasn't showing... A bit more digging and I couldn't find the flight operating at all in recent weeks. In the light of a few inquiries it appears that the contract to fly bank data between Gisborne and Napier Air Napier and from Napier to Hamilton on Sunair ended on 22 May 2015. This freight is now carried on Air New Zealand flights. 

In effect the only regular flight not operated was the regular Sunair Napier-Hamilton evening courier service. This flight does, however, still operate when passengers are offering. One wonders if there will be an increase in numbers on this service when Air NZ pull out of the Hamilton-Auckland sector meaning anyone wanting to fly between Hamilton and Napier on the national carrier will have to fly via Wellington.

Air Napier meanwhile still have other freight and mail contracts and continue to operate their Napier-Wairoa-Gisborne route. 

Nonetheless this ends the era of bank courier flights that were once quite prolific throughout the country going way back to the days of Mercury Air Couriers and Akarana Air. Over the years many a young pilot built up his or her hours on these flights. So another chapter of NZ's airline history closes... 

For a pictorial post on Air Napier's Gisborne-Wairoa-Napier courier service see...

http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/air-napiers-east-coast-express.html


For a pictorial post on Sunair's Napier to Hamilton courier service see...

http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/trip-on-sunair.html