![Niue Airlines timetable 1991](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Niue_Airlines_timetable_1991.jpg)
Niue Airline was an airline in
Niue
Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...
, established in 1990. It serviced the
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
-
Niue
Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...
route weekly,
and later fortnightly,
until its closure in 1992. The route was operated by a chartered
Air Nauru
Nauru Air Corporation, trading as Nauru Airlines (formerly trading as Our Airline and Air Nauru), is the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Nauru. It operates scheduled international services to other Pacific islands and Australia. Its mai ...
737 737 most commonly refers to:
* Boeing 737, an American narrow-body passenger airplane
** Boeing 737 Classic
** Boeing 737 MAX
** Boeing 737 Next Generation
* AD 737, a year in the common era
* 737 BC, a year
* 737 (number), a number
737 may als ...
and carried mail. Flights were sometimes cancelled if passenger numbers or freight was not enough to fund the flight.
The airline was majority New Zealand-owned (with some Niuean investment).
The airline's uniforms were designed by Dutch-New Zealand fashion designer Doris De Pont. Niue Airlines was not linked to any international booking system, and so tickets could only be purchased at ticket offices, one of which was located in Auckland. The IATA code of the airline was FN.
History
In October 1990, Niue Airlines flew twenty-three pupils (and their parents and teachers) to the island after discovering it had 40 vacant seats on a flight. The group from Three Kings Primary School in Auckland, whose travel was arranged at no cost, was greeted with garlands of flowers, appeared on local television, had a short swim in the ocean and were then farewelled by Premier Sir
Robert Rex
Sir Robert Richmond Rex (25 January 190912 December 1992) was the first Premier of the Pacific island state of Niue.
Early life and family
Rex was born to parents Leslie Lucas Richmond Rex, a European trader on Niue, and Fisimonomono Tufaina ...
after a whirlwind trip.
In 1991, services were operated from Auckland to Niue, and returned via
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
.
Towards the end of the airline's life, services were only operated between
Pago Pago
Pago Pago ( ; Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the territorial capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County on Tutuila, which is American Samoa's main island. ...
and Niue using a nine-seat
Beechcraft King Air
The Beechcraft King Air is a line of American utility aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The King Air line comprises a number of twin-turboprop models that have been divided into two families. The Model 90 and 100 series developed in the 1960s ...
.
Travelling from Auckland to Niue then required stopovers in
Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...
and Pago Pago. The airline ceased to operate in late 1992, when, after the Niuean government refused to provide bank guarantees for the purchase of aviation fuel, they defaulted on a fuel bill and their licence was cancelled.
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
{{Airlines of New Zealand
Defunct airlines of New Zealand
Companies of Niue
Airlines established in 1990
Airlines disestablished in 1992
New Zealand companies established in 1990
1992 disestablishments in New Zealand