Kiwi Travel International Airlines

Last updated

KIWI Logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
KCKIC-
Commenced operationsJuly 1994 (charter services), 23 August 1995 (scheduled services)
Ceased operations27 August 1995 (charter services), 9 September 1996 (scheduled services)
Hubs Hamilton
Fleet size2 (1996)
Destinations10 (1996)
Key peopleEwan Wilson (CEO)

Kiwi Travel International Airlines was a New Zealand based airline which pioneered discount flights between secondary airports in Australia and New Zealand in the mid-1990s. The airline was established by Ewan Wilson and several associates. Wilson was CEO and was later convicted on four counts of fraud.

Contents

Charter services

Kiwi Boeing 737-300 at Perth Airport Kiwi Travel International Airlines Boeing 737-300 Wheatley.jpg
Kiwi Boeing 737-300 at Perth Airport
Kiwi Airbus A320 at Perth Airport Kiwi Airbus A320 Wheatley.jpg
Kiwi Airbus A320 at Perth Airport

The airline began as Kiwi Travel Air Charters in July 1994, operating weekly charters between Hamilton, New Zealand and Brisbane, Australia, using a leased Air Nauru Boeing 737-400. In December 1994, charters were operated to Brisbane, Tonga and Western Samoa. [1] The network was expanded in April 1995 to include Queensland coastal cities, including the Gold Coast, Cairns, Townsville and Rockhampton. The last charter flight was operated on 27 August 1995, following the commencement of scheduled services.

Scheduled flights

Following the issue of the necessary government permits, Kiwi Travel International Airlines commenced scheduled flights between Hamilton and Sydney using a leased Boeing 727-200 on 23 August 1995. [2] The 727 was operated on behalf of Kiwi by AvAtlantic of the United States, who also held the air operator's certificate on behalf of the airline. Flights were operated from the New Zealand cities of Hamilton and Dunedin. Due to the short runways at these airports, the aircraft could only take on limited fuel due to weight restrictions and needed to land in Auckland and Christchurch respectively to take on more fuel before making the trans-Tasman crossing. The airline offered full economy services as well as no frills "Peanuts and Cola"-class fares. [3]

Competition, route expansion and fleet changes

By the end of 1995, Air New Zealand had established Freedom Air via its subsidiary Mount Cook Airline and operated in direct competition with Kiwi, offering the same routes and a similar fare structure. In early 1996, Kiwi replaced its Boeing 727 with a leased Boeing 757 [4] from the United Kingdom based company Air 2000, later replaced by a Boeing 737. [4] Freedom Air also operated a Boeing 737. [5] Kiwi added a second aircraft, an Airbus A320, [4] and expanded its network to include Christchurch and the Australian cities of Melbourne and Perth. By September 1996, trans-Tasman fares reached historic lows of $199 for return tickets between Melbourne/Christchurch and Melbourne/Hamilton.

Financial troubles and liquidation

Following intense competition with Freedom Air and a series of financial difficulties, Kiwi Travel International Airlines went into voluntary liquidation on 9 September 1996. [6] Passengers on both sides of the Tasman Sea were stranded. In Brisbane, the company's Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 were taken by Airservices Australia in lieu of unpaid aviation fees. They were eventually returned to their owners.

CEO Ewan Wilson served as CEO and was later convicted on four counts of fraud. [7] [8] Evans was later involved in Kiwi Regional Airlines. [9]

Further reading

Related Research Articles

Air New Zealand Limited is the flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily within the Pacific Rim. The airline has been a member of the Star Alliance since 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Air</span>

Freedom Air was a New Zealand low-cost airline which operated since 8 December 1995 to March 2008. It was part of the Air New Zealand Group which ran scheduled passenger services from New Zealand to Australia and Fiji and charter services within New Zealand. Its main hub was Auckland Airport.

Solomon Airlines is the national airline of Solomon Islands, based in Honiara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Vanuatu</span> Flag carrier of Vanuatu

Air Vanuatu is an airline with its head office in the Air Vanuatu House, Port Vila, Vanuatu. It is Vanuatu's national flag carrier, operating to Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and points in the South Pacific. Its main base is Bauerfield International Airport, Port Vila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ansett Australia</span> Defunct domestic airline of Australia (1936–2002)

Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Victoria. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into administration in 2001 following a financial collapse and subsequent organised liquidation in 2002, subject to deed of company arrangement. The last flight touched down on 5 March 2002.

Nauru Air Corporation, trading as Nauru Airlines, is the flag carrier of the Republic of Nauru. It operates scheduled international services to other Pacific islands and Australia. Its main base is Nauru International Airport. Its head office is on the property of Nauru International Airport, Yaren District and its operations office is in Brisbane in the Australian state of Queensland. In August 2014, the airline changed its name from Our Airline to Nauru Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasman Cargo Airlines</span> Australian cargo airline

Tasman Cargo Airlines Pty. Limited is an Australian cargo airline with the head office in Sydney, Australia. It operates scheduled international cargo services on behalf of DHL and ad hoc domestic and international cargo charters. Its corporate headquarters are at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport in the Sydney suburb of Mascot. The fleet of aircraft are Boeing 767 based at different airports in Australia and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Airport (New Zealand)</span> Airport in the Waikato Region of New Zealand

Hamilton Airport is an airport located 14 kilometres south of the city of Hamilton in the Waikato region, in New Zealand. It is sited at Rukuhia, which was the name of the Royal New Zealand Air Force base on that site during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saga Airlines</span>

Saga Airlines was a charter airline based in Istanbul, Turkey, which served the tourism industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmerston North Airport</span> Domestic airport in Milson, Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand

Palmerston North Airport, originally called Milson Aerodrome, is an airport in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand, serving Palmerston North City and the Central North Island regions. It is located in the suburb of Milson, on the outskirts of Palmerston North, New Zealand, approximately 5.5 km (3.4ml) NE from the central business district of Palmerston North City. The airport is 100% owned by the Palmerston North City Council and covers an area of 208ha. The airport is New Zealand's 8th busiest and handled a total of 515,727 passengers in the 2016 financial year. The airport handles around 30 commercial passenger flights per day to and from Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson as well as cargo flights on week nights between Auckland and Christchurch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OzJet</span> Defunct airlines of Australia

Ozjet Airlines Pty Ltd was a scheduled and charter airline with its head office in Tullamarine, Melbourne Australia operating within Australasia from Melbourne Airport, Sydney Airport and Perth Airport. In 2008 the airline was sold to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, and on 20 May 2009 it suspended its last remaining operations from Perth. In June 2009, OzJet was purchased by the Strategic Group. With the insolvency of Strategic Airlines on 17 February 2012 also OzJet ceased all operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunedin Airport</span> Airport in Dunedin, New Zealand

Dunedin Airport, officially Dunedin International Airport, also known as Momona Airport, is an international airport in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand, serving Dunedin city and the Otago and Southland regions. Dunedin Airport is one of two international airports in Otago, the other being Queenstown International Airport. It is located adjacent to the village of Momona on the Taieri Plains approximately 22 kilometres south west of Dunedin CBD. It is the fifth busiest airport in New Zealand by passengers.

Jetconnect Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas with its head office located in Auckland, New Zealand. Originally established in July 2002 as a New Zealand–based airline, the company stopped operating as an airline in 2018 but continues to employ pilots and cabin crew based at Auckland and Wellington airports. Crew employed by Jetconnect operate Qantas flights on trans-tasman services between Australia and New Zealand, with cabin crew also operating on Qantas long-haul flights alongside Australian-based crew.

Air UK Leisure was a British airline operating charter flights on behalf of its parent Air UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nations Air</span> Airline in the United States

Nations Air was a new start up airline in the United States that began operating in 1995 that was established as Miami Air Charter in 1987 and ceased operations in 2000.

The history of Air New Zealand, the national carrier of New Zealand, began when the amalgamated East Coast Airways and Cook Strait Airways began operations in January 1936 as Union Airways of New Zealand, the country's first major airline. Union Airways was the sole New Zealand aviation partner in Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), which made its inaugural flight in 1940. The New Zealand Government bought full ownership of TEAL in 1961 and the airline was renamed Air New Zealand in 1965. New Zealand's domestic airline, National Airways Corporation (NAC), was merged with Air New Zealand in 1978. Air New Zealand was privatised in 1989 but in 2001 the New Zealand Government took up 80% ownership in return for injecting $885 million after the airline ran into financial difficulty. In November 2013, the National government sold down its share in Air New Zealand from 73% to 53% as part of its controversial asset sales programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Airlines fleet</span> Extensive overview of American Airlines airplanes current and historic

As of January 2024, the American Airlines fleet consists of 967 mainline aircraft, making it the second-largest commercial airline fleet in the world. American Airlines operates aircraft manufactured by Boeing and Airbus.

Air Charter International was a French charter airline that operated from 1966 to 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin Australia Airlines (NZ)</span> Airline based in New Zealand

Virgin Australia Airlines (NZ) Limited formerly Pacific Blue Airlines (NZ) Limited, was an airline based in New Zealand. It was established as the New Zealand subsidiary of Australian airline Virgin Blue. It was a fully owned subsidiary of Virgin Australia Holdings. It was renamed Virgin Australia Airlines (NZ) Ltd in December 2011 when its parent company decided to bring all its airlines under the one banner.

Saarland Airlines was a German charter airline based in Düsseldorf that operated from 1992 to 1993.

References

  1. ↑ "Nauru Airlines inducts first B737-700". ch-aviation. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  2. ↑ Kiwi launches Sydney-NZ flights Australian Aviation issue 110 September 1995 page 6
  3. ↑ Low, Steve (9 February 2020). "3rd Level New Zealand: Kiwi International Airlines - The Airline of Choice". 3rd Level New Zealand. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "Kiwi Travel International Airlines Fleet Details and History – Planespotters.net Just Aviation". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Freedom Air International Fleet Details and History – Planespotters.net Just Aviation". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  6. ↑ Kiwi collapses Australian Aviation issue 122 October 1996 page 5
  7. ↑ Wilson found guilty Australian Aviation issue 143 September 1998 page 5
  8. ↑ Wilson, Libby (1 March 2015). "Kiwi Regional Airline 'totally different' to failed Kiwi Air". Waikato Times . Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "Kiwi Regional Airline 'totally different' to failed Kiwi Air". March 2015.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Kiwi Travel International Airlines at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.