Departing VIP

Departing New Zealand today on export is Piper PA31-350 Navajo Chieftain ZK-VIP (c/n 31-7405482).

The 1974 model Chieftain was placed on the New Zealand register on the 15th of March 1993 first being used by VIP Air Charter Ltd out of Hamilton. In 1997 it was used on a short-lived air service between Hamilton and Gisborne air service under the name of Te Kaahu Airlines... see https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2012/06/vip-air-charter-and-its-te-kaahu.html

VIP Air Charter's Piper Pa31-350 Chieftain ZK-VIP at Hamilton on 15 December 1993

On the 24th of October 2002 ZK-VIP was registered to the Gloriavale-owned Air West Coast Ltd of Greymouth. From the 8th of November 2002 Air West Coast began operating a Greymouth-Westport-Wellington service and a very short-lived Greymouth-Westport-Christchurch service. The Chieftain was was used on air service until March 2007 when it was replaced by Dornier 228 ZK-VIR. Air West Coast's air service ended on the 1st of August 2008 but ZK-VIP stayed with Air West Coast until June 2014... see https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2011/05/air-west-coast-flying-on-wing-prayer.html

Piper Chieftain ZK-VIP with Air West Coast arrives back in Greymouth from Wellington and Westport on 9 March 2005.

On the 18th of June 2014 ZK-VIP was registered to Enfield Holdings Limited of Mosgiel which traded as Mainland Air. The Chieftain was used on Mainland Air's services between Oamaru and Christchurch. This services was operated for only a short time but the Chieftain was also used on medical staff flights from Dunedin to both Invercargill and Alexandra as well as charter and air ambulance work... see https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2010/10/mainland-air-last-airline-to-operate-to.html

Mainland Air's Piper Chieftain ZK-VIP being used by Barrier Air at Auckland on 26 October 2015

On the 1st of December 2015 ZK-VIP was leased to Auckland-based Great Barrier Airlines Limited which by then traded as Barrier Air. It was used on flights from Auckland to Kaitaia, Whangarei and Hamilton before it was registered back to Enfield Holdings Limited on the 11th of July 2016. It was last used on a medical staff flight from Dunedin to Alexandra and back on the 15th of September 2023 operating as MAINLAND 5... see : https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2015/08/barrier-air-new-name-to-barrier-and.html

Piper PA31-Chieftain ZK-VIP with Barrier Air at Auckland on 30 November 2015

Since then the Chieftain was used as part of the Mainland Air operation but it has been on the market for some time. It departs New Zealand for Australia today as VH-KYI.