Air New Zealand Link
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.jpg) Air New Zealand Link ATR 72-500 in 2015, operated by Mount Cook Airlines | |||||||
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| Founded | 1991[1] | ||||||
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Ceased operations | 9 December 2019 | ||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Airpoints | |||||||
| Alliance | Star Alliance (affiliate; 1999–2019) | ||||||
| Fleet size | 52 | ||||||
| Destinations | 20 | ||||||
| Parent company | Air New Zealand | ||||||
| Headquarters | Wynyard Quarter, Auckland | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Website | www | ||||||
Air New Zealand Link was a brand name under which Air New Zealand's subsidiary regional airlines operated flights. They primarily connected regional centres with New Zealand's three main international airports, Auckland Airport, Wellington International Airport, and Christchurch International Airport. The regional airlines have since been combined with their parent Air New Zealand. They were Mount Cook Airline, Air Nelson and Eagle Airways.
History
[edit]Air New Zealand Link was formed as the brand name for regional services in 1991, covering the three airlines Air New Zealand had purchased interests in: Eagle Airways, Mount Cook Airline and Air Nelson.[1] The three airlines were purchased as Air New Zealand found it not viable to operate its own regional services due to the introduction of new competition, Ansett New Zealand.[3]
The airlines were purchased as below:
- Mount Cook Airline: Initial stake purchased by NAC in 1973, increased to 30% on 5 December 1983, 77% in October 1985, and 100% on 18 April 1991. Its operations ended in 2019.
- Air Nelson: 50% stake purchased by Air New Zealand in October 1988, increased to 100% in 1995. Its operations ended in 2019.[4]
- Eagle Airways: 50% stake purchased by Air New Zealand in October 1988, which increased to 100% in 1995. Its operations ended in 2016.[3]
Fleet
[edit].jpg)
As of 30 April 2019 the Air New Zealand Link carriers operated the following aircraft.
| Airline | Aircraft | Number in service | Orders | Passenger seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Nelson | De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 | 23 | - | 50 | [5] |
| Mount Cook Airline | ATR 72-500 | 7 | - | 68 | [6][7] |
| ATR 72-600 | 22 | 7 | 68 | ||
| Total | 52 | 7 | |||
Destinations
[edit]As of June 2019 Air New Zealand Link flies to the following destinations.
| City | IATA | ICAO | Airport | Mt Cook | Nelson |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | AKL | NZAA | Auckland Airport |  | |
| Blenheim | BHE | NZWB | Woodbourne Airport | | |
| Christchurch | CHC | NZCH | Christchurch Airport | | |
| Dunedin | DUD | NZDN | Dunedin Airport | | |
| Gisborne | GIS | NZGS | Gisborne Airport | | |
| Hamilton | HLZ | NZHN | Hamilton Airport | | |
| Hokitika | HKK | NZHK | Hokitika Airport | | |
| Invercargill | IVC | NZNV | Invercargill Airport | | |
| Kerikeri | KKE | NZKK | Kerikeri Airport | | |
| Napier | NPE | NZNR | Hawke's Bay Airport | | |
| Nelson | NSN | NZNS | Nelson Airport | | |
| New Plymouth | NPL | NZNP | New Plymouth Airport | | |
| Palmerston North | PMR | NZPM | Palmerston North Airport | | |
| Queenstown | ZQN | NZQN | Queenstown Airport | | |
| Rotorua | ROT | NZRO | Rotorua Regional Airport | | |
| Taupō | TUO | NZAP | Taupo Airport | | |
| Tauranga | TRG | NZTG | Tauranga Airport | | |
| Timaru | TIU | NZTU | Richard Pearse Airport | | |
| Wellington | WLG | NZWN | Wellington Airport | | |
| Whangārei | WRE | NZWR | Whangarei Airport | |
Accidents and incidents
[edit]- On 29 March 1995, Eagle Airways Flight 2337, a Beechcraft Queen Air Excalibu from Hamilton to New Plymouth, crashed shortly after takeoff after both engines failed, killing all 6 occupants onboard. The flight was operated by Kiwi West Aviation on contract to Eagle Airways for Air New Zealand.[8][9]
- On 18 June 2007, Eagle Airways Flight 2300, a Beechcraft 1900D from Timaru to Wellington registered ZK-EAK, suffered a landing gear failure, and belly landed at Woodbourne Airport in Blenheim. The aircraft was substantially damaged, but all 17 occupants survived.[10]
- On 8 February 2008, a woman attempted to hijack Eagle Airways Flight 2279, a British Aerospace Jetstream from Blenheim to Christchurch, New Zealand. The woman stated she had a bomb on board. Both pilots and one passenger suffered stab injuries. The aircraft landed safely and the woman was arrested. There were no injuries to the other passengers on board.[11]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Air Nelson Company Facts". Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- ↑ "Air Nelson Company Structure" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- 1 2 "Eagle Airways History". Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- ↑ "Company Facts". Air Nelson. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ↑ "Air Nelson Fleet". Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ↑ "Air New Zealand Fleet".
- ↑ "Air New Zealand buys 15 new planes for regional routes". Stuff.co.nz. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ↑ "Kiwi West Aviation | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "Beech 65-A80-8800 ZK-TIK, stalled and spun following a double engine failure, near Hamilton, 29 March 1995 | TAIC". taic.org.nz. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
- ↑ "ZK-EAK Incident Report" (PDF). Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ↑ Booker, Jarrod; Gay, Edward (8 February 2008). "Knife-wielding hijacker demanded to be flown to Australia". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 18 March 2010.