Blenheim Specials

 

Air Chathams has started flights to Auckland during March and April to fill return charter flights arriving in Blenheim. 

Chief commercial officer Duane Emeny said each year for more than five years, a business client in the US had chartered one of their planes to get its top performing salespeople on a holiday in Marlborough.

As a result, the airline needed to fly several empty legs, or re-positioning flights, so that its plane was available for regular commercial service in Auckland, or to pick up the Americans heading home.

For the first time, Air Chathams would sell seats on these re-positioning flights, for $150 per person including a checked bag, with six Wednesday 1.45pm flights to Auckland and six Thursday 9am flights back to Blenheim, between March 3 and May 1.

The flights with a checked bag between Blenheim and Auckland are on offer for a standard $150. Chief Commercial Officer Duane Emeny says the decision to open flights to the public was a “no brainer. It started with our commercial team, as we have charter flights to and from Blenheim with clients but that left us flying empty planes for one of the legs,” he says. “So, we thought why not sell some seats, make some noise in the market, and bring an opportunity for cheap Auckland travel and show off great Air Chathams service for Marlborough. Aviation is a tough industry at the best of times, so just being able to give Sounds Air and Marlborough Airport a call and set these flights up has been really encouraging. I hope it’s something we’ll be able to continue doing around this time of year into the future.”

The first flights, 3C 930 from Auckland to Woodbourne and the return 3C 931 were operated in Saab 340 ZK-CIY on 3 March 2025.

Saab 340 ZK-CIY departing Auckland and operating the first Air Chathams charter flights to Woodbourne on 3 May 2025