Kiwi Regional Airlines was an airline based in

Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton ( mi, Kirikiriroa) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand. Located on the banks of the Waikato River, it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato region. With a territorial population of , it is the country's ...

which operated domestic flights within

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 coun ...

between October 2015 and July 2016. It was founded in 2014 by local businessman Ewan Wilson, who previously served as the CEO of Kiwi Travel International Airlines, and commenced operations on 27 October 2015. The airline owned and operated a single Saab 340A aircraft. The initial destinations served were Hamilton, Nelson,

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

and Queenstown, with flights to Queenstown being dropped in November 2015 and

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

being added to the network in February 2016. The airline announced on 17 June 2016 that it would be wound up by the beginning of August. The final flights operated on 30 July 2016, with the airline's sole aircraft subsequently being sold to Air Chathams.

History

Kiwi Regional Airlines was founded in 2014 by Ewan Wilson, who had previously served as the CEO of Kiwi Travel International Airlines between 1994 and 1996. Its first investor was 2 Cheap Cars with a 23% stake. In February 2015 the airline revealed its proposed route network, planning to serve

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 I ...

, Hamilton,

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

Blenheim Blenheim ( ) is the English name of Blindheim, a village in Bavaria, Germany, which was the site of the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Almost all places and other things called Blenheim are named directly or indirectly in honour of the battle. Places ...

, Nelson, Queenstown and Dunedin. The airline intended to serve Auckland using RNZAF Base Auckland at

Whenuapai Whenuapai is a suburb and aerodrome located in northwestern Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Waitematā Harbour, 15 kilometres to the northwest of Auckland's city centre. It is one of t ...

, part of which had served as the main commercial airport for Auckland until 1965 before becoming solely a military airfield. However, the government rejected the airline's plans to operate commercial flights from the base, citing a 2009 decision for it to remain as a military-only airfield due to concerns from local residents about noise. On 24 June 2015, Kiwi Regional Airlines released an amended route network, that would see it initially serve four destinations using a single aircraft, with flights planned to commence on 27 September 2015. The airline also announced plans to begin operating a second aircraft and introduce new routes within 12 months. In July the company purchased a Saab 340A from SprintAir, and in August the planned date for commencement of services was changed to 27 October. Kiwi Regional received its

air operator's certificate An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets, and system in plac ...

from the

Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand 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 ...

on 23 October 2015. Its first flight from Dunedin to Queenstown operated on 27 October 2015, and flights between Dunedin and Nelson; and Nelson and Hamilton; began the next day. In November 2015, less than one month after commencing flights between Queenstown and Dunedin, the company announced it would be ceasing the flights with "low passenger bookings making it unsustainable for this service to continue." The airline considered expanding to either

or Napier. In December 2015 Kiwi Regional announced that flights between Nelson and Tauranga would commence on 15 February 2016. Flights from Nelson 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 announced in early 2016, but were cancelled in May 2016, in tandem with a reduction in frequencies across other routes due to reduced demand over winter. On 17 June 2016, the airline announced that it would end its operations on 30 July 2016, selling its aircraft and transferring most of its staff to Air Chathams to operate a new service between

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

and Auckland.

Destinations

The airline served the following destinations:

Fleet

The airline operated a single 34-seat Saab 340A.

References

{{Airlines of New Zealand Defunct airlines of New Zealand Airlines established in 2014 2016 disestablishments in New Zealand New Zealand companies established in 2014

History

Destinations

Fleet

See also

References