Air New Zealand Link

Air New Zealand Link

Air New Zealand Link ATR 72-500 in 2015, operated by Mount Cook Airlines
IATA ICAO Call sign NZ NZ NM EAG RLK NZM EAGLE LINK MOUNTCOOK
Founded	1991 (1991) [1]
Ceased operations	9 December 2019 (2019-12-09)
Hubs	Auckland Christchurch Wellington
Frequent-flyer program	Airpoints
Alliance	Star Alliance (affiliate; 1999–2019)
Fleet size	52
Destinations	20
Parent company	Air New Zealand
Headquarters	"The Hub" Wynyard Quarter, Auckland
Key people	Jeff McDowall Carrie Hurihanganui John Hambleton [2]
Website	www.airnewzealand.co.nz

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 International Airport, and Christchurch International Airport. The regional airlines have since been combined with their parent Air New Zealand. They were Mount Cook Airline, Air Nelson and Eagle Airways.

History

Air New Zealand Link was formed as the brand name for regional services in 1991, covering the three airlines Air New Zealand had purchased interests in: Eagle Airways, Mount Cook Airline and Air Nelson. ^[1] The three airlines were purchased as Air New Zealand found it not viable to operate its own regional services due to the introduction of new competition, Ansett New Zealand. ^[3]

The airlines were purchased as below:

• Mount Cook Airline: Initial stake purchased by NAC in 1973, increased to 30% on 5 December 1983, 77% in October 1985, and 100% on 18 April 1991. Its operations ended in 2019.
• Air Nelson: 50% stake purchased by Air New Zealand in October 1988, increased to 100% in 1995. Its operations ended in 2019. ^[4]
• Eagle Airways: 50% stake purchased by Air New Zealand in October 1988, which increased to 100% in 1995. Its operations ended in 2016. ^[3]

Fleet

Air NZ Link ATR 72-600 taking off from Toulouse–Blagnac Airport, France on a delivery flight.

As of 30 April 2019 the Air New Zealand Link carriers operated the following aircraft.

Airline	Aircraft	Number in service	Orders	Passenger seats	Notes
Air Nelson	De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300	23	-	50	[5]
Mount Cook Airline	ATR 72-500	7	-	68	[6] [7]
	ATR 72-600	22	7	68
Total		52	7

Destinations

As of June 2019 Air New Zealand Link flies to the following destinations.

City	IATA	ICAO	Airport	Mt Cook	Nelson
Auckland	AKL	NZAA	Auckland Airport
Blenheim	BHE	NZWB	Woodbourne Airport
Christchurch	CHC	NZCH	Christchurch Airport
Dunedin	DUD	NZDN	Dunedin Airport
Gisborne	GIS	NZGS	Gisborne Airport
Hamilton	HLZ	NZHN	Hamilton Airport
Hokitika	HKK	NZHK	Hokitika Airport
Invercargill	IVC	NZNV	Invercargill Airport
Kerikeri	KKE	NZKK	Kerikeri Airport
Napier	NPE	NZNR	Hawke's Bay Airport
Nelson	NSN	NZNS	Nelson Airport
New Plymouth	NPL	NZNP	New Plymouth Airport
Palmerston North	PMR	NZPM	Palmerston North Airport
Queenstown	ZQN	NZQN	Queenstown Airport
Rotorua	ROT	NZRO	Rotorua Regional Airport
Taupō	TUO	NZAP	Taupo Airport
Tauranga	TRG	NZTG	Tauranga Airport
Timaru	TIU	NZTU	Richard Pearse Airport
Wellington	WLG	NZWN	Wellington Airport
Whangārei	WRE	NZWR	Whangarei Airport

References

1. "Air Nelson Company Facts". Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
2. "Air Nelson Company Structure" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
3. "Eagle Airways History". Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
4. "Company Facts". Air Nelson. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
5. "Air Nelson Fleet" . Retrieved 16 October 2010.
6. "Air New Zealand Fleet".
7. "Air New Zealand buys 15 new planes for regional routes". Stuff.co.nz. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.