Air National was an
airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...
based in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It operated domestic and international charter services and scheduled passenger services for
Air New Zealand Link
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 Intern ...
. Its main bases were
Auckland International Airport
Auckland Airport is the largest and busiest airport in New Zealand, with over 21 million passengers in the year ended March 2019. The airport is located near Māngere, a residential suburb, and Airport Oaks, a service hub suburb south of th ...
History
Air National has re-branded some of its corporate jet services under the brand of JetPlus and FBO operations under SkyCare International.
In January 2011, Air National's operator's certificate was suspended by the
New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority
The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA; Māori: ''Te Mana Rererangi Tūmatanui o Aotearoa'') is the government agency tasked with establishing civil aviation safety and security standards in New Zealand.
The CAA also monitors adherence ...
(CAA) over alleged training records irregularities . Air National appealed the decision in the High Court and the suspension was quashed pending a full investigation. The CAA appealed the high Court decision to the Court of Appeal and the lower court ruling was quashed in turn.
As of January 2012, Air National no longer operates. All aircraft are now in use by other charter operators
Vincent Aviation and
Airwork
Airwork is an aviation business based in Auckland, New Zealand. The Airwork Group is New Zealand's largest general aviation company. It focuses on fixed wing and helicopter maintenance, leasing, and operations working with private and public e ...
and the company no longer holds an Air Operator's Certificate.
In October 2014, Air National's BAe146-200 was returned from Vincent Aviation.
Destinations
Air National operated scheduled services for Air New Zealand Link to the following destinations:
*Christchurch -
Hokitika
Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of ...
*Christchurch -
Blenheim
*Blenheim-Wellington
Air National also provided ''ad hoc'' airline support for Eagle Air and Air Nelson throughout their respective networks.
Fleet
The Air National fleet consisted of the following aircraft (at November 2010):
*4
BAe Jetstream 32EP
*1
IAI Westwind II
*1
Gulfstream G200
The Gulfstream G200, formerly known as the IAI Galaxy, is a twin-engine business jet. It was designed originally by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and was produced by IAI for Gulfstream Aerospace from 1999 through 2011.
Design and development ...
*1
Gulfstream G-IV SP
*1
Cessna Citation I
*1
BAe 146-200
The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro Internationa ...
Previously operated
The airline also operated:
*1
Bombardier Dash 8 Q200
*1
BAe Jetstream 32EP
Incidents
* On 8 February 2008, the pilots of
Eagle Airways Flight 2279
Air New Zealand Flight 2279 (also known as Eagle Airways Flight 2279) was a commuter flight operated by Air National on behalf of Eagle Airways, a regional carrier division of Air New Zealand. The flight was the subject of an unsuccessful hijac ...
(operated by Air National) from
Blenheim to
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
were attacked and stabbed by a female passenger who claimed to have two bombs on board. The woman was subdued and the aircraft made a safe landing.
See also
*
List of defunct airlines of New Zealand
This is a list of defunct airlines of New Zealand.
See also
* List of airlines of New Zealand
* List of airports in New Zealand
References
{{List of defunct airlines
*
New Zealand
Airlines
An airline is a company that provid ...
*
History of aviation in New Zealand
The history of aviation in New Zealand began in the late 19th century when balloon flights began. In the first decade of the 20th century, several New Zealanders began developing heavier-than-air craft with the first confirmed powered flight in N ...
References
External links
Official website
{{Airlines of New Zealand
Defunct airlines of New Zealand
Airlines established in 1989