Air Chathams

Air Chathams
IATA ICAO Callsign
3C CVA[1] CHATHAM[2]
Founded 1984
Operating bases Chatham Islands Airport
Fleet size 15
Destinations 7
Headquarters Chatham Islands
Key people Craig Emeny (CEO)
Website http://www.airchathams.co.nz
Air Chathams Convair 580 at Tuuta Airport, Chatham Islands in September 2003
Air Chathams at Wellington, 21 May 2007
Colourful Air Chathams Fairchild Metroliner on the tarmac at Whakatane Airport. The aircraft is used exclusively by the airline to maintain a scheduled air service between the Bay of Plenty town and Auckland International Airport.
Air Chathams Saab 340 at Auckland Airport in 2016

Air Chathams Limited is an airline based in Te One, the Chatham Islands, New Zealand.[3] It was established in 1984 and operates scheduled passenger services between the Chatham Islands and mainland New Zealand along with routes between Auckland and Whakatane, and Auckland and Whanganui. Its main base is Chatham Islands / Tuuta Airport.[4]

History

The airline was set up by Craig and Marion Emeny in 1984, and has grown into a reliable and safe airline that supports the transportation of both freight and people to and from mainland New Zealand.

Craig Emeny first moved to the Chatham Islands as a pilot to operate services primarily between Chatham and Pitt Islands. At that time the lack of regularity in flights to mainland New Zealand saw him start his own airline and begin operations to mainland airports. Air Chathams had the advantage of being based on the Chatham Islands and were able to avoid many of the weather related issues that other airlines had operating to the Chathams. As the freight and passenger market developed Air Chathams grew from operating small piston engine aircraft to large 50 seat two engine turbo-prop aircraft.[5]

In 2014 Air Chathams established a flight operations and maintenance base at Auckland International Airport. From this base the company provides maintenance services both internally and to third party airlines under contract. A fully owned subsidiary (Chathams Pacific) operated scheduled flights in Tonga until March 2013. The introduction of Chinese (PRC) aid financed aircraft and training facilities at the request of the Tongan government introduced competition to Chathams Pacific's routes.[6] Air Chathams management decided not to compete with the new airline, Real Tonga, and ceased all Tongan operations.[7] With the Air New Zealand regional route cut backs, Air Chathams began serving the Auckland to Whakatane route on 29 April 2015,[8] Auckland to Whanganui on 31 July 2016[9] and Auckland to Kapiti Coast from 20 August 2018.[10]

Destinations

Fleet

As of December 2017, the Air Chathams fleet includes the following aircraft:

Air Chathams Fleet
Aircraft Total Passengers
(Business*/Economy)
Convair 580 5 50
Douglas DC-3 1 25
Fairchild Metro III 4 19
Aero Commander 690A 1 4
Cessna 206 1 5
Saab 340 3[11] 34
Total 15

The Convair 580s, Saabs and Metroliners are used across the company's operations as well as contract freight services and charter work. The Cessna 206 provides a non-regular service between Chatham Island and Pitt Island and is on standby for Search And Rescue or local flights around the Chatham Islands.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Not an IATA allocation-issued for domestic use by Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand.
  2. ↑ "Airline operator callsigns" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand. 2006-01-17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  3. ↑ "Contact Us Archived 2015-09-09 at the Wayback Machine.." Air Chathams. Retrieved on 29 November 2011. "Address:North Road, Te One, Chatham Islands, 8942"
  4. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 55.
  5. ↑ "About Us - Air Chathams". Air Chathams. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "How China's gift of an aeroplane put Tonga, New Zealand at odds". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. ↑ "{title}". Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  8. ↑ Georgia Nelson. "Flight relief for Whakatane". newstalkzb.co.nz.
  9. ↑ "Air Chathams steps in as Air NZ pulls out of Whanganui". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Air Chathams will pick up Paraparaumu to Auckland flight route". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  11. ↑ https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.co.nz/2017/12/2-more-saabs-for-air-chathams.html?showComment=1513887047609#c4746109475221097260
  12. ↑ "Our Aircraft". Air Chathams.
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