Air New Zealand Link is a unified brand of two New Zealand regional airlines , under which Air New Zealand's minor domestic flights are operated. These flights connect the centers of the regions with the three largest international airports in New Zealand .
| Air New Zealand Link | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| ||||
| Founding date | April 18, 1991 | |||
| Base airports | Auckland International Airport | |||
| Hubs |
| |||
| Main directions | Hamilton International Airport | |||
| Alliance | Star alliance (via Air New Zealand ) | |||
| bonus program | Airpoints | |||
| Fleet size | Only 50: Air Nelson - 23 Mount Cook - 27 | |||
| Destinations | 20 | |||
| Parent company | Air new zealand | |||
| Headquarters |  Auckland , New Zealand | |||
| Manual | Christopher Lukson (CEO) | |||
| Site | airnewzealand.co.nz | |||
Content
History
Air New Zealand Link was formed in 1991 by buying New Zealand's national carrier, Air New Zealand, of three regional airlines - Air Nelson , Eagle Airways and Mount Cook Airline . The company was forced to take this step due to increased competition in the domestic market: in 1986, the New Zealand government allowed foreign airlines to operate regional flights in the country, and already in 1987, Ansett New Zealand , a major regional carrier , was established [1] .
Airlines were acquired in the following order:
- Mount Cook Airline - the initial share was acquired in 1980 after the death of the founder and first owner [2] , on December 5, 1983, it was increased to 30%, then, in October 1985 - to 77%, and finally, on April 18, 1991, 100% [3] .
- Air Nelson - a 50% share bought in October 1988, the remaining 50% was bought back in 1995 [4] .
- Eagle Airways - a 50% share bought in October 1988, brought to 100% in 1995 [5] .
Since joining the parent company to the Star Alliance global aviation alliance in March 1999, Air New Zealand Link has been an affiliate member.
In 2014, Air New Zealand announced the restructuring of its regional route network. This strategy, in particular, involves the closure of flights to some cities, the decommissioning of Beechcraft 1900D and the abolition of Eagle Airways - one of the airlines operating under the Air New Zealand Link trademark - by August 2016 [6] .
Fleet
As of January 1, 2018, the following aircraft operated under the Air New Zealand Link trademark [7] :
| Operator | Aircraft type | In operation | Ordered by | Options | Passenger capacity | The photo |
| Air nelson | Bombardier DHC-8-Q300 | 23 | - | - | 50 [8] | |
| Mount cook airline | ATR 72-500 | 9 | - | - | 68 | |
| ATR 72-600 | 18 | 11 [9] | - | 68 | ||
| Total | 50 | eleven | 0 | |||
At various times in its history, the company also exploited Embraer E110 (obtained from Eagle Airways) [10] , BAe 146 (used at Mount Cook Airline) [11] and Saab 340 (served Air Nelson flights), and also Beechcraft 1900D (served Eagle flights Airways [12] .
Notes
- ↑ Ansett New Zealand foundation history (English) . Te Ara. The appeal date is August 25, 2014.
- ↑ Mount Cook Airline founder's biography (English) . ancestry.com. The appeal date is August 25, 2014.
- ↑ New Zealand aviation history - public and private ownership (English) . Te Ara. The appeal date is August 25, 2014.
- ↑ Air Nelson Company Facts (English) . Air Nelson. The appeal date is August 25, 2014.
- ↑ Eagle Airways History (English) . Eagle Airways. The appeal date is August 25, 2014. Archived on October 3, 2014.
- ↑ Bradley, Grant. Air New Zealand cuts regional routes (English) . The New Zealand Herald (November 11, 2014). The appeal date is February 4, 2016.
- ↑ Air New Zealand fleet (English) . Air New Zealand. The appeal date is August 25, 2014.
- ↑ Air Nelson fleet (English) . Air Nelson. The appeal date is August 25, 2014.
- ↑ Bradley, Grant. Air NZ's low fare promise with new fleet (English) . The New Zealand Herald (November 5, 2015). The appeal date is February 4, 2016.
- Emb Photo of Embraer EMB 110 in the Air New Zealand Link coloring scheme (eng.) . Airliners.net. The appeal date is August 25, 2014.
- BA Photo BAe 146 in the Air New Zealand Link color scheme . Airliners.net. The appeal date is August 25, 2014.
- ↑ A photo of Saab 340 in the Air New Zealand Link color scheme . Airliners.net. The appeal date is August 25, 2014.