Air Post - When the Mail used be Overnight

New Zealand’s early aviation history records many air mail route proving flights. First day covers were often flown and collected. On the 31st of December 1934 Air Travel (NZ) Ltd started a dedicated mail and freight service between Hokitika and South Westland. Other airlines were to carry mail as part of their services over the years on contract to the New Zealand Post Office. In 1987 the Post Office was corporatised and spilt into Telecom, Postbank and New Zealand Post. Having to go it alone as a State Owned Enterprise New Zealand Post looked to ways of improving their service and what was even then the beginning of a dying business. This is the story of the New Zealand Post and Airwork’s AirPost operation. 

In effect this started in May 1990 when Wellington Airport introduced a new bylaw at the airport banning all flights of noisy aircraft, such Safe Air’s noisy Bristol Freighters, between 10pm and 7am. To counter this New Zealand Post chartered Airwork’s Piper PA-31T3 1040T ZK-FPL to combat the curfew that jeopardised the one-day delivery of Fast Post mail to Wellington. To meet the curfew from the 1st of May 1990 the Piper 1040T was used to fly mail between Auckland and Wellington on weeknights leaving Auckland at 9.30 pm with up to 1000kg or 10 bags of mail and returning with priority mail about 1 am.

NZ Herald, 18 May 1990

During the day Airwork's Piper 1040T operated Auckland-Tokoroa Air Service 's flights to Tokoroa as seen here on 1 February 1990. The night mail flights added to the aircraft's viability 

Air Post Limited, a joint venture company to facilitate an operation to fly fast post mail and courier mail around New Zealand between New Zealand Post and Airwork (1984) Ltd was incorporated on the 15th of August 1990. Both companies held 50% of the shares, though effectively the airline was operated by Airwork.

On the 8th of September 1990 daily newspapers around the country reported on the establishment of the New Zealand Post-Airwork joint-venture company that would fly fastpost mail around the country that would start in early 1991. Palmerston North was to be a significant hub of the operation to avoid problems with Wellington’s airport curfew. The New Zealand Herald reported that Two twin-engined Metro IIIH aircraft will be used to ferry letters on the main Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch trunk routes five days a week. New Zealand Post says the new company will allow it greater flexibility and control in providing the nation-wide next-day delivery of fastpost mail. The close-off time for accepting fastpost mail at main post offices will be extended from 5 pm at present to around 10 pm or 11 pm when the service starts early next year. "The aim is to considerably extend that deadline," New Zealand Post's manager of corporate affairs, Mr Alan Meek, said last night. "We could not do it using normal commercial aircraft." With their own aircraft they could control when their planes operated, in-stead of having to fit in with passenger airlines' timetables. Using smaller planes also meant they would be able to beat curfews affecting some of the big commercial planes. As well, the Metros would be able to land at smaller airfields and transfer mail to trucks for the last leg of its journey by road if any of the four major airports were closed by bad weather. Mr Meek said that 97 per cent to 100 per cent of fast-post mail was delivered the following day. The only way we could improve that was to take this extra move into dedicated aircraft of our own." New Zealand Post says it will continue to send a large amount of post by commercial airlines. "Virtually all the commercial operators carry our mail, but certainly a lot was carried by Air New Zealand on that main trunk route and certainly a lot less will be carried now during that night-time period," Mr Meek said. Standard post between cities is ferried mostly by trucks and takes two to three days to be delivered. 

The plan envisaged the service flying Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch five nights a week. One aircraft was to operate south from Auckland and another north from Christchurch with the pilots changing aircraft at Palmerston North. The Metros were specially strengthened Metro IIIH variants, weighing in at 1600 lb gross. Chief pilot for the operation was Les Marinkovich. 

Meanwhile, in late September 1990, Airwork had started another mail operation using Capital Aviation Ltd aircraft. Early that year Airwork had bought a 60% holding in the Wellington-based company. This holding was increased to 100% in February 1991. Using two GAF N22B Nomads, ZK-SNZ and ZK-NDB mail was flown between Wellington and Blenheim three to four times a day six days per week. Piper PA31 Chieftains ZK-EBT and FOP and Cessna 421 Golden Eagle ZK-WLG were also used as required.

The two GAF N22B Nomads used on the Wellington-Blenheim mail flights on 14 January 1992... ZK-NDB (above) and ZK-SNZ (below)

 

AirPost services began on the 15th of January 1991 using Fairchild Swearingen SA227AC Metro IIIs ZK-POA (c/n AC-551B), ZK-POB (c/n AC-606B) and ZK-NSS (c/n AC-692B). Some expansion started in August 1991 with Airwork’s Piper 1040T ZK-FPL being used to introduce an initial Invercargill-Dunedin-Christchurch return schedule from the 5th and the inclusion of Nelson from the 13th. 

AirPost's Fairchild Metroliner III taken at Ardmore on 24 January 1992. It is still in its Nurnberger Flugdienst KG colours from when it was operated in Germany.

AirPost's Fairchild Metroliner III taken at Wellington on 15 January 1992. It is still in its Air Metro colours from when it was operated in the UK. It had previously worn Air Nelson titles

NZ Herald, 13 November 1991

In the December 1991 issue of the AHSNZ’s Aerolog magazine Mike Richardson detailed the AirPost operation… 

Metro ZK-NSS operates Wellington-Auckland-Palmerston North-Christchurch-Dunedin-Christchurch-Wellington while the other two Metros work the remaining flights, timetabled to have the aircraft rotating between starting at Nelson and Auckland on alternative nights,

Nelson - Palmerston North – Auckland – Christchurch - Palmerston North - Auckland  AND Auckland - Palmerston North – Christchurch – Wellington – Auckland - Palmerston North -Christchurch – Nelson. The PA31-1040T operates Christchurch-Invercargill-Dunedin-Christchurch-Wellington-Christchurch and is sometimes assisted by PA31 ZK-FOP. In addition to these flights operated by Air Post there were also the Wellington-Woodbourne flights operated by Capital Aviation.

The new AirPost operation exceeded expectations and in April 1992 two ex-New Zealand Fokker F27-500 series Friendships, ZK-NAN and ZK-NAO were added to the fleet. Both these aircraft had large hydraulic doors  The national network manager of New Zealand Post, Mr Bruce Benfell, said it particularly wanted to shorten delivery time between the North and South Islands. "We are trying to eliminate a day or more from the usual delivery time between Christchurch and Wellington which in turn will speed up mail going to Auckland and Northland," he said. The planes will be operational after Easter. They will fly between Christchurch, Palmerston North, Wellington and Auckland. The arrival of the Friendships also saw the adoption of the New Zealand Post colour scheme on the fleet.

 

AirPost Fokker Friendship ZK-NAN at Christchurch on 24 August 1992

AirPost's Fairchild Metroliner III ZK-POA at Nelson on 18 February 1992. Photo : MRC Aviation

AirPost's Piper 1040T ZK-FPL at Christchurch on 29 January 1996

In the October 1992 issue of Wings Peter Clark detailed the conversion process from being an Air New Zealand airliner to being a dedicated mail carrier for AirPost… Off came a protective paint covering and on went the new Air Post livery. Out came the passenger facilities including the toilet - now holding up to 500 kgs of bagged and netted mail. A Quick Change conversion kit purchased and customised by Pemco of California was installed; a roller floor, locks and a ball mat in the door area to turn the contain­erised mail on loading. Fitted was a smoke detection kit for the full length of the new freight hold and a smoke curtain between hold and cockpit. The lighting system was reworked to allow for night loading, the air-conditioning rerouted and a tail bumper stick installation fitted. ZK-NAN and NAO were now ready for a new lease of life, hauling the mail up and down the islands, a change of career that began on late June. Air New Zealand technical resources manager in Christchurch, Allan Knox, supervised the "good little project" and the company is hopeful of a continuing relationship with the two Friendships by way of ongoing heavy maintenance and repairs. Line maintenance engineer Mike White was seconded to Airwork for six months as part of the contract in order to settle the two aircraft into their new role. Each aircraft requires eleven containers and Blenheim's Safe Air landed the contract to provide some 80 containers. Each able to hold some 6000 kgs of mail, the containers are loaded off a platform and then manually pushed into the hold and locked into position by contracted Air New Zealand loaders. After a period of consolidation, the F-27s were fully into the night time schedules by late June, sharing seven nights a week out from their Auckland and Christchurch bases. Monday to Friday the Auckland-based Fokker is away at 8.30pm for Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland return, while on Sundays it gets away at 7.30 for a return to Wellington. The Christchurch crews have a more varied operation; Tuesdays to Saturdays Christchurch-­Wellington-Christchurch starting at 5.10 am, Tuesdays to Fridays Wellington return at 1.30 am, followed by Monday to Friday Wellington return at 5.20pm, then Christchurch-Auckland-Palmerston North-Christchurch beginning at 10.00 pm, and on Sundays another Wellington return at 10pm. Every Sunday sees an aircraft swap at Wellington so as to provide for maintenance at Auckland International by Airwork engineers.

The growth of the Air Post fleet has accompanied the conclusion of NZ Post contracts with other operators, leading to the development of Palmerston North as a hub for the operation instead of Wellington; otherwise more suitable except for the curfews. The manager of the national network, Bruce Benfell, comments that the developments have given NZ Post the flexibility it requires. A management centre in Wellington monitors and co­ordinates the daily changing needs of mail movements for road and air trans­port, twenty four hours a day. The mixed Piper, Metro and Fokker fleet have the capacity to shift around 70 tonnes of mail each night. Airwork now has another successful facet to its operations as a maintenance, sales and leasing company. The Ardmore-based company provides the flight crew and the engineers for the operation and holds the Air Service certificate. "AirPost is what Airwork is all about" says Airwork's Operations Manager Greg Barrow." Being involved with a success­ful operation and a permanent customer has given a lot of people work in a down time in aviation."

On the 27th of May 1992 Piper PA-31T-620 Cheyenne ZK-MPI (c/n 31T-7720009) was registered to Airwork (NZ) Ltd. This was used on a Wellington-based contract for IBM. In April 1994 the Cheyenne ZK-MPI was reregistered ZK-POD and became a New Zealand Post sponsored air ambulance. A second Cheyenne, ZK-ROM (c/n 31T-7620055) replaced ZK-MPI on the IBM contract being registered to Airwork on the 17th of March 1994.

The Piper Cheyenne ZK-MPI used on the IBM contract at Nelson 30 September 1992

The same aircraft re-registered as ZK-POD, now used as an air ambulance at Oamaru for an airshow on 1 October 1995

 

Meanwhile, the GAF N22B Nomad ZK-NDB used by Capital Aviation was withdrawn from use in late 1993. There were also changes in the Metro fleet.

In October 1994 two Fairchild Swearingen SA227CC Merlin 23s, ZK-POE (c/n CC-843B) and ZK-POF (c/n CC-844B) were added to the fleet. The arrival of the two new Metro 23s ultimately led to Metroliner III ZK-NSS being used for charter work.

Fairchild Metro 23 ZK-POF at Auckland on 11 March 1995. Photo : M Beaven

 

The final volume of the 1995 AHSNZ Aerolog detailed the AirPost schedule and gives a real insight into the busyness of the night mail flyers…

Fokker Friendships

Mon-Fri           POST44          Christchurch-Wellington        dep 1350             arr 1450

POST45          Wellington-Christchurch        dep 1800            arr 1900

POST46          Christchurch-Wellington-      dep 2050            arr 2150

POST46          Wellington-Auckland             dep 2030            arr 2355

POST33          Auckland-Christchurch           dep 2130            arr 2335

Mon-Thu         POST34          Christchurch-Palm North       dep 0010            arr ????

POST34          Palm North-Auckland             dep ????            arr 0300

Fri                   POST34          Christchurch-Auckland           dep 0000            arr 0215

Tue-Sat           POST47          Auckland-Christchurch           dep 0045            arr 0300

Mon- Thu        POST40          Christchurch-Wellington        dep 0505            arr 0605

POST41          Wellington-Christchurch        dep 0700            arr 0800

Sat                   POST58          Christchurch-Wellington        dep 0900             arr 1000

POST59          Wellington-Christchurch        dep 1050            arr 1150

Sun                  POST50          Christchurch-Wellington-       dep 1950            arr 2050

                        POST50          Wellington-Auckland             dep 2150             arr 2315

POST51          Auckland-Wellington-            dep 1930            arr 2055

POST51          Wellington-Christchurch        dep 2130            arr 2230

 

PA31T3-T1040

Mon-Fri           POST1            Christchurch-Invercargill       dep 1715            arr 1840

POST2            Invercargill-Dunedin-             dep 1910            arr 1945

POST2 Dunedin-Christchurch                        dep 2000            arr 2105

POST4            Christchurch-Wellington        dep 2150            arr 2045

POST5            Wellington-Christchurch        dep 2330            arr 0030

 

Metroliners

 

Mon-Fri           POST11          Auckland-Palm North-           dep 1815            arr 1920

                        POST11          Palm North-Christchurch       dep 2000            arr 2110

POST20          Palm North-Auckland             dep 2030            arr 2135

POST14          Christchurch-Auckland           dep 2200            arr 2359

POST21          Auckland-Christchurch           dep 2230            arr 0030

POST23          Auckland-Wellington             dep 2200            arr 2315

Mon                 POST19          Wellington-Palm North          dep 1910             arr 1945

Tue-Fri            POST19          Wellington-Woodbourne-      dep 1755             arr 1815

                        POST19          Woodbourne-Palm North       dep 1910            arr 1950

Tue-Sat           POST15          Auckland-Palm North             dep 0035            arr 0140

POST16          Palm North-Auckland             dep 0210            arr 0315

POST21          Christchurch-Dunedin            dep 0115            arr ????

POST22          Dunedin-Christchurch            dep ????             arr 0355

POST22          Christchurch-Wellington        dep 0515             arr 0610

POST23          Wellington-Christchurch        dep 0000            arr 0055

POST24          Christchurch-Woodbourne-    dep 0135            arr ????

POST24          Woodbourne-Auckland          dep ????            arr 0410

Fri                   POST83          Auckland-Palm North             dep 0000            arr 0105

POST84          Palm North-Auckland             dep 0155            arr 0300

Sun                  POST71          Wellington-Woodbourne        dep 1830            arr 1850

POST72          Woodbourne-Wellington        dep 1935            arr 1955

POST73          Wellington-Woodbourne        dep 2200            arr 2220

POST74          Woodbourne-Wellington        dep 2245            arr 2305

 

By 1995 the operation of the daily Wellington-Blenheim post flights operated by the Nomads had been subcontracted out to Soundsair. 

On the 7th of October 1996 Hamilton was also included in the AirPost operation with the southbound flight flying Auckland-Hamilton-Palmerston North departing Hamilton about 9.50pm and the northbound return service departing Hamilton about 1.10am.

A third 500 series Fokker Friendship was added to the fleet in 1998. Arriving into Auckland on the 2nd of August 1998 the aircraft was converted to its new freighter configuration by Air New Zealand Ltd and registered to Airwork on the 23rd of December 1998 as ZK-POH.

The third Fokker Friendship, ZK-POH at Auckland on 16 April 1999

Origin Pacific Airways entered a strategic alliance with Auckland-based Airwork NZ Ltd from the 31st of May 1999. This enabled Origin to utilise Airwork’s Fairchild Metroliner 23 aircraft, ZK-POE and POF and their Fairchild Metroliner IIIs, ZK-NSS, POA and POB. These aircraft continued to be used at night on NZ Post mail flights but were available for Origin Pacific to use during the day time on their passenger and freight services. The Metro 23s, ZK-POE and ZK-POF, were painted in Origin colours . The arrangement ended on the 16th of June the following year but ZK-POE and POF remained in Origin colours without titles for a number of years after.

Devoid of all markings, Fairchild Metro 23 ZK-POE at Auckland on 4 October 1998

AirPost Fairchild Metroliner ZK-POB operating an Origin Pacific passenger flight at Nelson on 25 June 1999

Fairchild Metro 23 ZK-POE had lost its Origin Pacific colours as seen at Auckland on 7 October 2014

The Aviation News of April 2001 reported on Airwork (NZ) Ltd taking delivery of a Boeing 737-219 QC, ZK-NQC, which they were to operate on behalf on the aircraft's owner, Air Post. Project Leader for Air New Zealand's B732 Exit Program, Ron Reeve, said Air New Zealand Engineering carried out an extensive C Check and initiated a corrosion prevention and control programme for the B737- 200QC, which took up to 7,000 man-hours. The work involved the fuselage lap joint modification. This aircraft is the first 737-200 series to have the modification carried out. Mr Reeve said that an interior refit was not required, and so was left in standard Air New Zealand configuration. Seating units in the B737-200QC are attached to rollable pallets which can easily be removed via the side access hatch to allow cargo storage in the upper level. The aircraft is available for flow on capacity as other operators require, offering a configuration of 109 economy class and eight business class seats. The aircraft s/n 22994 arrived in New Zealand for Air New Zealand on December 12. 1982 and received its certificate of airworthiness on December 17. In Air New Zealand service ZK-NQC has amassed 47,616 hours over 56513 cycles, activity considered normal for a high utilisation aircraft. The Boeing 737-200QC was the company's largest aircraft to date, although they had already leased the aircraft for a three month period prior to Christmas last year.

Boeing 737-200QC with its large cargo door visible at Auckland on 22 June 2010

 

Fokker Friendship ZK-NAO at Blenheim's Woodbourne airport in January 2002. Photo : M J Richardson

On the 27th of February 2003 Fokker Friendship ZK-NAN was on a training flight at Bleheim’s Woodbourne airport RNZAF Woodbourne. While on a training flight during which the crew carried out an exercise that simulated a gear problem. They extended the gear using the emergency system. However, after landing they did not select the main gear handle down and in addition did not install the gear locking pins. Overnight the undercarriage partially collapsed leading and the damage to the aircraft led it to being written off.

The Friendship ZK-NAN was replaced with another 500 series Friendship later in the year. The Aerolog reported it was registered to Airwork Holdings Ltd on the 5th of August 2023 as ZK-PAX, reflecting the retention of the aircraft's passenger carrying capability! It entered service for the Airwork (NZ) Ltd/NZ Post Ltd joint venture company AirPost Ltd on airmail flights linking Auckland, Palmerston North, Woodbourne and Christchurch from 28 October.

A couple of photos of Fokker Friendship ZK-PAX which never was in NZ Post colours and didn't carry titles... At Palmerston North on 14 November 2007

 

...and at Auckland on 29 November 2015

Disaster struck the AirPost operation on the 3rd of May 2005. Metroliner ZK-POA was flying a mail flight from Auckland to Blenheim on South Island when it disappeared from radar near Stratford at around 10:20pm. Wreckage was later located spread over several kilometres around 6km east of the town suggesting an in-flight break-up. Sadly the two pilots were killed in the crash.

In April 2011 Airwork's Boeing 737-300 freighter ZK-FXT replaced the Boeing 737-200QC on the twice nightly AirPost contract flights between Auckland and Christchurch. Other Airwork Boeing 737s were to be used later and the success of the Boeing 737 freighters was to mark the beginning of the end of the Friendships and Air Freight (NZ)'s Convairs.

Airwork Boeing 737 ZK-FXT landing at Auckland on 30 April 2013

 

By 2013 mail levels were falling and flights were being pared back. In August 2012 Friendship ZK-NAO was retired from service. Glen Reid recorded the two Friendships’ overnight Monday-Friday roster - One operated overnight a Blenheim-Wellington-Auckland-Palmerston North-Blenheim while the other operated Auckland-Palmerston North-Christchurch-Palmerston North-Auckland. With the retirement of Friendship ZK-NAO AirPost stopped flying the Palmerston North-Christchurch-Palmerston North route which used the callsign POST31 and POST32.

Fokker Friendship ZK-POH showing off its large cargo door at Auckland on 2 February 2009

On the 2nd of October 2015 Airpost flights to Dunedin ended. The continuing change in New Zealanders' use of postal services was behind the change, NZ Post transport general manager Alan Court told the Otago Daily Times. ''As New Zealanders send more parcels and fewer letters, we've been looking at the way our aviation services are organised to ensure they are cost effective and fit for the future.'' The impact on delivery services would be minimal ''because alternative road and air transport arrangements are being put in place'', he said. NZ Post had been operating daily flights in and out of Dunedin for about 25 years, most recently in its Metroliner aircraft, Mr Court said. The aircraft carried priority letters and packages, although in recent years the number of letters had steadily declined, offset by steady growth in packages and parcels. The Metroliner was being retired, although NZ Post would ''regularly'' use a commercial carrier as ''part of the replacement network that we're putting in place.'' 

In 2016 changing mail and courier requirements led to the development of a new model and the birth of the Parcelair airline using three Boeing 737-400 freighters. With this looming the decision was made to end the AirPost operation and to use Air Freight (NZ)’s Convairs until the Boeings were introduced. 

March 2016 saw the end of AirPost’s scheduled Friendship services and withdrawal from Blenheim. ZK-PAX flew the final AirPost scheduled services on the night of the 18th/19th of March 2016 flying from Bleneheim to Wellington and Auckland as POST 20 on the 18th then the return flight to Palmserston North and Blenheim as POST 25 on the 19th. From then, mail and courier parcels previously delivered by the Friendship to Blenheim was flown to Christchurch before being driven north to Marlborough. 

The Friendships continued to operate a number of ad-hoc flights over the next few months as backup for the Convairs. The final Fokker Friendship services and the final operation of Friendship flights in New Zealand airline service were operated on the 1st and 2nd of September 2016. Fokker Friendship ZK-PAX, operating as POST675 left Auckland for Christchurch at 10.00pm on the 1st arriving at around midnight. The return flight, POST 676, left just after 2.00am this morning arriving back into Auckland at just after 4.00am on the 2nd. Both Friendships went to Australia in 2018.

Being used as back-up aircraft and awaiting sale, the AirPost Friendships ZK-PAX and ZK-POH at Auckland on 12 August 2016

 

AirPost Metro flights continued into early 2017. Fairchild Metro 23 ZK-POF did its last flights on the 17th of January 2017 and then Fairchild Metro 23 ZK-POE flew the last AirPost flights on Thursday the 19th of January 2017 as POST 91 from Auckland to Palmerston North and return flight POST 92. 

Fairchild Metro 23 ZK-POF devoid of all titles at Auckland on 2 October 2014