Daher Kodiak 100 for Glenorchy Air

Glenorchy Air is very excited to announce that we have secured a 2020 Daher Kodiak 100 Series II Turboprop as our next aircraft. This aircraft will be the first example of a Kodiak operating commercially in New Zealand. The Aircraft will be registered as ZK-KDK. Managing Director James Stokes and Safety Manager Michael Rutherford will travel to The United States to receive Daher approved pilot training at the end of July. The Daher Kodiak 100 is a modern and efficient 10 seat aircraft with an advanced wing design and a well proven 750SHP Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-34 engine, giving it excellent climb and cruise performance as well as exceptional short take-off and landing performance, making it an ideal platform for operations from Glenorchy and other shorter airstrips. The engine is capable of running on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) when this becomes available. This was an important factor in selecting the aircraft as we intend to be the first Queenstown based operator to use SAF in our turbine aircraft. As with all our aircraft, every passenger will have a window seat to take in the iconic scenery of Fiordland and the Southern Alps. The Kodiak will fly all of Glenorchy Airs routes, with particular focus on Milford Sound and Mt Cook, which has seen increased demand since the NZ borders reopened. The aircraft fits in well with our versatile and modern fleet of Cessna and GippsAero aircraft. The Kodiak will be ferried across the Pacific to Performance Aviation in Wānaka once delivery preparation work is complete. After additional training and regulatory approval in New Zealand, we expect it will be operational by the end of October 2023.

Source : Glenorchy Air press release