Aspiring Air, Sea Bee Air and Float Air

Aspiring Air (Wanaka), Sea Bee Air (Auckland) and Float Air (Picton) were all small air operators that existed in the 1980s and are all now defunct. Much more detailed articles exist on the 3rd Level Blog website about each of them as follows:

• Aspiring Air
• Sea Bee Air
• Float Air

Aspiring Air was formed in 1974 at Wanaka by the Southern Districts Aero Club and primarily operated scenic, charter and training flights from the former Mount Iron airfield before the current Wanaka Airport was opened. Scheduled services started in 1984 between Christchurch and Wanaka, eventually also providing feeder services to Newmans Air later Ansett New Zealand, and also with Air New Zealand.  Aspiring Air's demise came initially from losing landing rights at Milford Aerodrome, which lost it a great deal of revenue. The article linked above claims the issue was resolved, but a serious car accident involving the owner/managing director, Barrie McHaffie saw the airline cease operation in 2011 (McHaffie subsequently passed away in 2023).

The leaflet below is from 1985 depicting the airline's De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, promoting a range of scenic flights.

Sea Bee Air started in 1976 taking over Mount Cook Airline's amphibious services in Auckland based at Mechanics Bay, flying Grumman G-44 Widgeons and a Grumman G-21A Goose. Its main service was from Auckland to Waiheke, but it also flew scheduled services to Great Barrier, Pakatoa, Kawau Island as well as to Russell/Paihia.  Sea Bee Air suffered under the price freeze in the early 1980s as it struggled to absorb fuel price increases (which were allowed due to the pressure from overseas) and the appearance of Great Barrier Airlines competing on some routes.  The emergence of fast catamarans to Waiheke and Great Barrier also saw a drop in patronage. It sought in 1988 to attract new business by flying to Mt Ruapehu, but the service was not sustainable. The leaflet below dates from around 1985, outlining scenic as well as scheduled services, highlighting the convenience of flying from near downtown Auckland.

Float Air was established in Picton in 1974 flying charter flights, flights to holiday homes and scenic flights, but it had a tortuous history in the 70s and 80s as described in the article linked to above.  A new investor saw it restarted in 1981 and by the time of this leaflet below in 1985, it was operating scenic flights and charter services between Picton and various points in Wellington, notably the then Greta Point Tavern, Evans Bay (which was located just outside the "dry" zone of the Miramar electorate, then one of the few parts of NZ where it was illegal to sell alcohol (with exceptions granted for the bars at the airport and one hotel)), Petone Foreshore and Porirua Harbour.  It was flying  a Cessna 206 carrying five passengers.  Skyferry has started competing with a scheduled service to Picton's Koromiko Airport, and Float Air started scheduled services between Picton harbour and Porirua.  That service lasted until the Interislander started the Lynx fast ferry and Straitrunner started its own ferry service from Paremata to Picton, offering fares and convenience that attracted passengers from Float Air. Float Air ultimately ceased operations in 2006.

Ansett NZ - Flying Air NZ First Class in 1985

As I have multiple random newspaper articles, here are three from 1988-1989, and a separate article on flying Air NZ in first class in 1990

The Dominion Editorial on 5 August 1989 bemoaning that Ansett New Zealand exists mainly to keep Air New Zealand "decent" on domestic routes, but not enough people fly on it to keep it viable. The editorial says Ansett is the "tops" just "we don't fly it enough". That of course, was ultimately the problem. It takes a humorous turn predicting what would happen if (!) Ansett NZ shut down... "Anyone producing a sandwich or a pork nibble would see it snatched away and thrust into a binliner by a painted brunhilde in a bouffant hairdo who has been kept on the payroll these last few years for this happy occasion"..."The overall mood would be Czechoslovakia 1968"... "Let's not blow it over Ansett" it ends, hoping enough people would fly on it.  In the end, they did not.

A related article from 1988 predicted Ansett NZ might fly international flights (which it never did), but it would need to be 65% New Zealand owned to be designated to do so. The article noted that it could only fly routes "left open" by Air New Zealand giving landing rights (in effect routes that do not have capacity limits all taken by Air New Zealand).

The small article notes Air NZ's upgrade of its Boeing 747-200, 767 and 737 fleets with "new contour seats" for business and first class, and new menus, wines and tableware, with Royal Doulton China for first and business class.

In 1985, Paul Elenio for the Evening Post flew on Air New Zealand in first class from Auckland to Los Angeles on one of its Boeing 747-200s (stopping at Honolulu as non-stop AKL-LAX was not feasible until the Boeing 747-400s arrived). He was to continue further to Seattle for the revealing of the airlines first Boeing 767s.  This article describes his experience of flying in the nose of the Boeing 747-200 in first class. It has no photos unfortunately, but does briefly describe the "first class lounge" at Auckland international and the "delights" provided, such as champagne, feet slip-ons, eye shades, stereo headset, toothbrush set and a "leather gift". 

The meals are described, with Hors d'oeuvres, caviar and the "five fine wines".  The large reclining seats did not go completely flat of course, but he did have a good sleep, although after six hours it was time to be fed again for the arrival at Honolulu.  A continental breakfast was served.  At Honolulu everyone clears customs and immigration so the Honolulu-Los Angeles segment is effectively domestic, but it sounds like passengers all picked up luggage and dropped it off again.   Then full breakfast is served including panfried fish, poached eggs or omelette.  Before landing at Los Angeles, more food is served with sandwiches, cheese and biscuits and petit fours with coffee.  It was also noted there was a movie, which of course was shown on a single big screen at the front (no personal entertainment screens in 1985). 

Certainly catering in 1985 in first class was a big deal, but compared to 2024 in business class, which almost universally includes a lie flat seat/bed, and personal entertainment system, not to mention non-stop flights between NZ and the US mainland, it's hard to miss too much of flying in first class in 1985 (not to mention the fact part of the cabin would have had smoking allowed).

Wellington Airport: the saga of the domestic terminal

The saga of Wellington's domestic airport terminal was one from the 1960s through to the end of the 1990s, and one that more recent generations know not of, but it was the embarrassment of the 1970s and 1980s for Wellington in the way that water infrastructure is looking like in the mid 2020s.

When Wellington Airport was opened in 1959, its (then only) terminal was a temporary building, having been a De Havilland aircraft factory from the 1920s.  It has a range of characteristics that became infamous over the years. It would leak, it was draft ridden and in winter, cold.  All aircraft were boarded using steps as entrance onto the tarmac was at ground level.  In 1977 a new international terminal was built adjacent, as part of a plan to rebuild the whole terminal, but as it was a joint central/local government venture, there was no agreement on which entities would pay how much to pay for new capital investment. The international terminal served on average one or two flights a day at the most, and only to Australia.  It wasn't until Ansett New Zealand emerged on the scene in 1987, intending to build its own separate new terminal (adjacent to international), that the old terminal got significantly refurbished, at the cost of Air NZ, keen to not be seen to have a second-rate terminal.  It introduced airbridges, carpet, a lounge and improved the lighting and heating considerably.

However, the present day terminal emerged as a result of reforms starting in 1988 to corporatise and subsequently in 1998 part privatise the airport, so that it could operate as a business, borrow against landing charges and revenue raised from airlines, retail concessions and parking.  Political arguments and finger pointing between central and local government ended immediately, as it was clear the airport could raise the finance and pay for a new terminal itself.

In 1999 the new terminal opened, integrating the international and Ansett buildings into one, and is the terminal known today.

Below is a series of clippings highlighting some of the moments in recent history surrounding the debate over replacing the terminal.  I have a great deal more of this in my files that I have yet to dig out, so apologies for the haphazard nature of it...

The "Tin Shed Report" was a multipart series of articles in the Evening Post in 1985 questioning why there has been no progress on a new terminal.  The first was the Managing Director of Challenge Properties (which would later merge with Fletchers to become Fletcher Challenge) proposing that it be a property development that it could lead, but local politicians thought its proposals were "unrealistic". The second article was the then WCC Design Engineer discussing the Challenge plan, including plans for commuter airlines to use the international terminal check-in (which was underutilised with only one or two flights a day). The third article was then Miramar electorate MP, Labour's Peter Neilson describing how the Council had prioritised the international terminal and then a runway extension over the domestic terminal replacement.  WCC had called for the Government to fund its proposed runway extension as a priority, but the Government had rejected it (the local pressure at the time was due to Air NZ having dropped international flights from Wellington, as it had disposed of its McDonnell Douglas DC-8 aircraft and neither DC-10s nor Boeing 747-200s could operate 

The then Lange Government had proposed that funding for a new terminal would be split evenly between Central Government and WCC, and was dependent on WCC accepting a more corporate structure for Wellington Airport (within three years the Government corporatised the airport, along with corporatisation of multiple airports around the country).  At the time the concern was that WCC was delaying progress in agreeing on a new corporate structure.

2 October 1985 Wellington airport terminal

This truncated part of the editorial in 1985 had the Evening Post view of the time, which was that WCC wanted Wellington to be a "special case" that should get full government funding for a new terminal, which was not the government's position at the time.

14 October 1994 - success of Wellington Airport company

The corporatisation of Wellington Airport was reported by the Evening Post to be a success, with a modest profit.  Note at the time it was 66% owned by the Crown and 33% by Wellington City Council.  The editorial notes some would say "who would want to buy it" if it were privatised, given constraints on its location.  It noted the airport company has increased landing fees, increased income from retail concessions and parking, and cut spending. It notes new airport terminals will be built in four years.  The editorial indicates if more airlines are to come to Wellington, the airport has to improve.

Cook Strait News 25 July 1994

Cook Strait News was a local eastern suburbs newspaper in Wellington. This ad from the airport company reports on its twenty-year masterplan depicting visually how it intends to use its land.  Perhaps the most notable part that did not proceed, is bridging over the Cobham Drive end of the runway.

On the eve of the opening of the new terminal in June 1999, the Evening Post produced this two page cutaway of the terminal, with some history and statistics. By this time Wellington International Airport Limited was 66% privately owned (Wellington City Council retains a 33% shareholding). It would be fair to say, the transformation is unrecognisable compared to the "old tinshed"

Safe Air - Phasing out of Bristol Freighters in 1985 and closing down in 1990

Safe Air (a subsidiary of NAC  (then Air NZ post merger) from 1972) was once a stalwart operator of both Wellington and Blenheim airports, and I grew up with the drone of Bristol Freighters taking off from Wellington Airport multiple times each day, with their piston engines and bumble bee shape, and less frequently the quiet but larger and visually appealing Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy aircraft with their bulbous nose and twin tails, and as the only four-engined turboprops to fly regularly to and from Wellington, besides occasional visits by RNZAF Hercules (since the demise of the NAC Vickers Viscounts 1in 1975). It is remarkable how important air cargo was for decades across Cook Strait, reflecting a time when shipping was largely not containerised, and the inter island ferries had little competition for freight.  Today most domestic air cargo goes in the belly of scheduled passenger services, with the exception of air cargo Boeing 737s flown by Parcelair between several main centres.

First is an article about the end of the Bristol Freighters in 1985. The Bristol Freighters were unpressurised, and mostly flew freight inter island between Wellington and Blenheim (and before the opening of Wellington Airport in 1959 flew freight from Paraparaumu, under contract for the Railways Department).  The Bristol Freighters also operated until 1982, regular (subsidised contracted to the Department of Internal Affairs) services to the Chatham Islands, carrying passengers as well. This is more fully described in the 3rd Level blog here.  Passengers were also carried in small numbers across Cook Strait if accompanying freight such as cars, but the experience was far from pleasant, with earmuffs supplied in the latter years. For aircraft manufactured 1951-1958, the Bristol Freighters operated for a long time in NZ, and for some years Safe Air was the world's largest operators of Bristol Freighters. 

The second article is about the withdrawal of the Argosy aircraft, which primarily operated freight services between the main centres, including overnight between Auckland and Christchurch. The Argosy were noted for having a purpose-built passenger capsule that was inserted into the pressurised cabin, to carry passengers on the Chatham Islands route.  The Chatham's Island service ended in 1990 following decision by the Government to cease subsidies for the route, the age of the Argosy aircraft and a significant downturn in air cargo demand.  Air NZ chose to cease Safe Air's airline operations that year. The Chathams were subsequently serviced by Mount Cook Airline HS748s on a commercial basis, but also saw the small local airline Air Chathams acquire aircraft of sufficient size to fly to the North and South Islands, which it continues today (Mount Cook Airline discontinued services in 1996 as it was phasing out the HS748 and had decided the replacement ATR72 aircraft could not operate the service economically).

  

Newmans Air timetable October 1985

 

Newmans Air timetable 1 October 1985

Newmans Air advertising cabin comfort and service

Newmans Air passenger information

Newmans Air fare types

Newmans Air departures from Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch and Mt Cook

Newmans Air fares and route network

Newmans Air departures from Mount Cook, Queenstown and Wanaka

Newmans Air departures from Te Anau and passenger information

Newmans Air passenger information including in flight catering

Newmans rental and the Helicopter Line advertising

Newmans was a major tour and scheduled coach brand in New Zealand for over a century, originating in Nelson and until 1972 was a family-owned business focusing on scheduled, charter and tour coach services. It was acquired by Transport Nelson Ltd (TNL - Nelson's leading trucking operator, notable because Nelson was the largest New Zealand city without a railway by this date). Newmans by this time had scheduled operations in both islands.  TNL sought to acquire the Mount Cook Group in the early 1980s, but was rebuffed by Mount Cook's shareholders, as Newmans wanted to integrate the airline services of Mount Cook (and its rival coach and tour operations) into a larger operation.  However as Mount Cook Group accepted Air New Zealand as a shareholder to integrate into the latter's dominant domestic and growing international network.

Newmans decided to launch its own airline in competition, using De Havilland Dash-7 aircraft which it saw as superior to Mount Cook's HS748s, not least because the overhead wing design of the Dash-7 enabled unfettered views of the scenery along the Southern Alps.  Newmans also wanted to offer superior on-board service to Mount Cook. It started operations on 13 February 1985 Auckland-Rotorua-Christchurch-Queenstown.  Glentanner airport was added as a stop at Mount Cook, because Mount Cook Group didn't allow Newmans Air to use its airport. 

Although popular with passengers, the four-engined Dash 7 was a fuel-thirsty aircraft, especially since its STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) capabilities were really only needed at Glentanner Aerodrome.  However, Newmans Air did later operate services through Ashburton airport for some Christchurch-Queenstown services. 

Newmans Air struggled financially, losing $5m in 18 months. Air New Zealand's effective take-over of Mount Cook Airline had not helped, as it funnelled much more business to its competitor, as Newmans would interline with only a few foreign airlines at Auckland to get inbound tourism business.

but with relaxation of foreign ownership restrictions on domestic airlines (allowing up to 50% foreign ownership), saw Australian carrier Ansett buy 50% of Newmans in 1986, with Brierley Investments buying 27.5%, the intention being to set up a rival to Air New Zealand on major domestic routes.   What was initially branded as Ansett-Newmans ordered De Havilland Dash-8 aircraft to replace the Dash-7s (a later version of the Dash 8 flies today with Air New Zealand).  Those Dash-8s were branded Ansett Newmans (more on this is at the 3rdlevel blog including pictures) with Ansett Australian font, and the Newmans pegasus logo on the tail.

The big breakthrough was on 28 January 1987 when Ansett Newmans started flying non-stop flights between Auckland and Christchurch with the Dash-8 aircraft and within a month the airline had rebranded to Ansett New Zealand.  This was a soft launch, as on 25 July 1987 Ansett New Zealand's full service rival to Air New Zealand would fly Auckland-Wellington-Christchurch with Boeing 737-100 aircraft, and the Dash 7s had been sold.  By April 1988 foreign ownership restrictions were removed altogether (unheard of internationally, as New Zealand was the first country in the world to allow fully foreign owned domestic airline ownership) and Ansett Australia bought the Newmans and Brierley shareholdings of Ansett New Zealand owned, and Ansett New Zealand became a fully owned subsidiary of Ansett Australia.

Of course the story of Ansett New Zealand is for another day, but Newmans Air was perhaps the first "big" rival to major airline incumbents in the 1980s which providing the launching pad for the biggest battle of them all.

Air New Zealand fleet fact sheets 1983 and 1985

 

Air NZ Boeing 747-200B 

Air NZ Boeing 737-200 and Fokker Friendship

Air NZ McDonnell Douglas DC8-50 F and fleet history

Air New Zealand route network 1983

Air NZ Boeing 747-200B (1985)

Air NZ Boeing 767-200ER and Boeing 737-200

Air NZ Fokker F27 Friendship and fleet history (1985)

Air NZ route network 1985

Air New Zealand used to make available information sheets about its current fleet, above are two different issues for 1983 and 1985.  The key difference is the 1983 issue includes the single DC-8F freighter and the 1985 issue include the Boeing 767-200ER.

Other notable differences between the two years include:

• 1985 edition notes a sixth Boeing 747 is on order
• Seating capacity on the Boeing 747s has dropped by three seats in economy
• The order for Boeing 737-200 Advanced is noted in the 1985 edition (which would ultimately replace the six NAC era Boeing 737s)
• Hong Kong and Port Moresby dropped from 1985 route map
• Adding Christchurch-Nadi to 1985 route map
• Adding Honolulu-Vancouver to 1985 route map
• Adding Wellington-Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane to 1985 route map

Undoubtedly the introduction of the Boeing 767s gave Air New Zealand significantly greater flexibility to add new routes, not just restarting Tasman services from Wellington, but also redeploying Boeing 747s from Tasmania and Pacific routes.

Eagle Airways Timetable 29 October 1985

 

Cover and schematic route map

Bargain fares and contents

Passenger information

Passenger information and standard fares

Auckland and Gisborne departures

Gisborne and Hamilton departures

Hertz and Bargain fares

Napier and New Plymouth departures

New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Rotorua departures

Rotorua, Tauranga, Wanganui and Wellington departures

Wellington departures and Southern Cross Airways

Cookson's Airline Division

Eagle Airways was one of the most successful airlines to take advantage of the 1982 deregulation of the airline industry, although its history dates back to 1969 organisationally, and 1975 for the first type of airline service.  A detailed history is available here but by 1985 it was owned by NZI Finance and already had an automated computerised reservation system, which linked to Air New Zealand, as it had grown to become a major North Island third level airline, having merged with Napier based Air Central. Eagle Airways was Hamilton based, and its largest aircraft was the Embraer Bandeirante which had 18 seats for passengers, plus a toilet, and although unpressurised, it was a significant step up from the 9 seat  Piper Chieftains or 5 seat Beechcraft Barons operated on some routes.  

This timetable highlights a number of aspects of the airline's service at the time:

• Checkin closed at 20 minutes before departure
• Baggage allowance was 16kg for a single item
• Standard fares ranged from $53 (Hamilton-Tauranga/Rotorua) to $142 (Wellington-Auckland) ($177 to $474 in today's prices exc. GST). Bargain fares ranged from $32 to $85 (seven days advance purchase)
• Children under 15 half fare, under 4yo not occupying a seat, free.
• Connecting services to  Southern Cross Airways (Auckland-Whangarei) and Cookson (Wairoa)
• Many routes hubbed through Hamilton (Auckland-Wellington was possible but a 2.5 hour flight via Hamilton and Palmerston North).

Direct routes were as follows:

• Auckland-Hamilton
• Gisborne-Hamilton
• Gisborne-Napier
• Hamilton-Napier
• Hamilton-New Plymouth
• Hamilton-Palmerston North
• Hamilton-Rotorua
• Hamilton-Tauranga
• Hamilton-Wanganui
• Napier-Palmerston North
• New Plymouth-Palmerston North
• New Plymouth-Wanganui
• Palmerston North-Wellington

What is perhaps most notable about this era was how well connected a LOT of regional cities and towns were with each other with such services, much more so than today. 

By 1988 Eagle Airways and Air Nelson had started working together, effectively enabling tickets to be sold connecting across both islands, but this was all to change later than year when Air New Zealand saw the opportunity with the disposal of its Fokker F27 Friendship fleet to acquire an efficient smaller airline to operate regional services, and bought 50% of both Eagle Airways and Air Nelson.  This saw Eagle Airways coming under the Air New Zealand umbrella, with it taking over services from Auckland to Kaitaia, Whangarei and Gisborne, and progressively took over many of the North Island Air New Zealand routes.  More Embraer Bandeirantes were acquired later supplemented by Swearingen Metroliners.  In 1993, Air New Zealand bought the remaining 50% of Eagle Airways making it a fully owned subsidiary.  The subsidiary would remain for many years, with its staff and operations subject to their own conditions and management, fitting in with the wider Air New Zealand network (as did Air Nelson and Mt Cook Airlines). The final chapter was the introduction in 2001 of the Beechcraft 1900D to replace all of the legacy Eagle Airways fleet, so Eagle Airways was the operator of the smallest aircraft in the Air New Zealand family, with 19 seats, flying to the lowest density airports.  The Beech 1900D would fly on until 2016 when Air New Zealand decided to close Eagle Airways as it could not find an economical replacement for the aircraft, and routes that could not be transitioned to the De Havilland Dash-8 were closed.

Eagle Airways had a significant presence in New Zealand airline history, which provided both access and competition to many regional centres that didn't previously exist, it was so successful its largest rival would simply buy it up and use its efficient and well honed operations to provide services to smaller airports.