Regional travel may very well be classed because the glue that keeps us all together, and it’s no different in Recent Zealand, where a small collection of regional airlines are connecting smaller communities. From the highest of Recent Zealand (Cape Rienga) to Stewart Island within the South is a distance of over 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) because the crow flies 900 miles. Let’s look into whos filling within the gaps:
Air Chathams
Connecting the Chatham Islands (two hours east of the NZ mainland), Air Chathams operates direct flights from Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch to its home on the Chatham Islands. As well as, it serves several regional centers from Auckland – to the Kapiti Coast (PPQ), Whakatane (WHK), and Whanganui (WAG). It also operates a mixture of charter flights and its only international service from Auckland to Norfolk Island.
Air Recent Zealand
An obvious participant. The country’s flag carrier operates a strong network of 12 North Island destinations, and eight South Island destinations, with a mixed fleet of Airbus 320/321s on the busiest routes, alongside the noble ATR72 and Q300 for the thinner regional network. Air Recent Zealand region network feeds overseas’s three largest cities: Auckland (AKL), Wellington (WLG), and Christchurch (CHC).
Photo: brackish_nz / Shutterstock
Barrier Air
Established in 1983, the carrier connects Great Barrier Island to Auckland. With a fleet of 5 Cessna Caravans, it connects Kaitaia, Recent Zealand’s most northern town, with Auckland, alongside a connection to the Coromandel Peninsular, with a service to and from Whitianga.
Golden Bay Air
The airline is home to 4 aircraft from its base on the Takaka Aerodrome. The airline is popular for hikers experiencing the Heaphy or Abel Tasman tracks. Golden Bay Air operates scheduled service to 4 destinations, including Karamea, Nelson, Takaka, and Wellington.
Jetstar
Arguably Air Recent Zealand’s stiffest competition on home soil. Qantas’ low-cost offshoot Jetstar operates its A320 on domestic routes between Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, and Wellington. The carrier once also dipped its toe right into a regional network. Nevertheless, this was axed in 2019, with the airline noting it wasn’t turning a profit.
Originair
From its home at Nelson Airport, it’s fleet of 4 British Aerospace Jetstreams connect Nelson to Hamilton, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Occasionally, the airline can even offer flights to Recent Plymouth and Napier. Even once, attributable to roading closures, Originair operated a brief hop to Blenheim.
Photo: Originair
Sounds Air
Providing a strong network to and from the Malborough Sounds, the Picton-based airline has filled within the gaps on some routes abandoned by Air Recent Zealand. The carrier operates a fleet of ten aircraft, including 4 Cessna Caravans and 6 Pilatus PC-12s. Sounds Air operates between nine domestic destinations as far north as Taupo and south as Wanaka.
Stewart Island Flights
Once reported because the ‘most loved airline,’ Stewart Island Flights connects Stewart Island to Invercargill. With a fleet of 4 aircraft, the 20-minute hop to Stewart Islands Ryan Creek Aerodrome is complemented by a spread of beach landings that hunters and hikers can experience across Recent Zealand’s third largest island.
Sunair
Based at Tauranga Airport within the Bay of Plenty, Sunair commenced operations in 2006 using Piper PA-A23 Aztec and Cessna 172s. The carrier connects Auckland (Ardmore), Gisborne, Great Barrier Island, Hamilton, Motiti Island, Tauranga, Whangerei, and Whitianga.